Trees, Shrubs and Conifers: Conifers to love, 1 by ic_conifers

ic_conifers wrote:
Pinus strobus 'Blue Shag,' another conifer with a fun story behind it. Hubby Andy and I were on our way to a holiday potluck hosted by a fellow gardener from our regular group. We stopped at an Earl May to buy ornaments for the ornament exchange. Outside looking sad under a pile of snow was this 'Blue Shag'. I asked an employee inside if there was any specials on remaining outdoor plants and she said "You can have anything you want for half off."

'Blue Shag' sat patiently in the back of our truck through the potluck, then all winter in our unheated detached garage. I visited the garage at least once a week to touch the soft green needles. In spring 2009 I planted it when the soil was thawed enough to dig a hole and it has been very happy in its spot since then! The name is a bit of a misnomer as 'Blue Shag' is not very blue at all, even though I have it planted in part-shade. It is a fantastic garden plant, though! One of my neighbors comes over regularly to visit my conifers and she always admires 'Blue Shag.'