I thought there had been discussion on this before? Picea pungens glauca 'Baby Blue Eyes' comes from Verl Holden of Holden Wholesale Growers, Silverton, Oregon. Named for Verl's nickname for his first wife. Verl is still around, active, and has a very long-standing relationship with the hort dept at OSU. OSU's database of trees on campus says "Discovered in 1972 as a chance seedling growing in a cultivated group of grafted Picea pungens 'Moerheimi' by Verl Holden in his nursery in Silverton, Oregon (Plant Patent 5,457)" I did notice that OSU has a typo, 'Blueeyes" that may well have contributed to the confusion. However, may I suggest that you satisfy your curiosity and then correct the ACS database by giving the originator a call? He's a wonderful person and a real wealth of information.

Hi, I am the Op. I have heard and appreciate the collective wisdom of simply removing the tree. I would never have planted it in that location myself, but it was there when our daughter bought the house a few years ago. The spot is too shady for a happy spruce. I also agree that a tree of any kind does not need to be there. Maple - You are so right about the probability of repeated antler damage. Funny thing is we never, ever even see the deer during the day. Conifer Joy and Whaas- I grow 6 or 7 species of picea and 3 different abies at our mountain place. I am beginning to landscape an afternoon sun only area that is now outside the windows of a new addition to the cabin. I will try to find a good Abies lasiocarpa 'Compacta'. I do love blue conifers. Ken- I try to read anything you post because you seem to have a similar climate to ours at the cabin ( 6a Blue Ridge Mountains). Its not just the cold; its the wind and the morning sun that are a problem for me there. You asked why I'm in charge and, of course, I'm not. Its their tree. Its just that my daughter and her husband are busy and not really plant people. They like a nice landscape, but do not plan to ever actually prune, dig holes, or remove anything themselves. They have a regular lawn service and a tree service that comes when needed. I am the avid gardener in the family and they asked me to figure out the best thing to do with the damaged tree. I am an experienced gardner, but not an expert on conifers, so I asked for advise here. Thanks!

Nice sunset! Weather can be frustratng to tolerate in many scenarios, extended drought certainly is included. It does not happen often here in the northeast but I have family in the southeast that have had issues for at least 5 years. Rain affects the cosmetic issues in peoples lives but truly affects quality of life much more for some. To make your living at the mercy of weather can be stresssful. Heres hoping for climatic relief in your area.

I would approach the question of which tree to plant as "which conifer can handle a reasonable amount of shade (but that a good number of hours of direct sun wont hurt), that also looks like an Xmas tree". Upon first look that does not appear like an ideal situation (it obviously isn't, that fence height is a good % of the final height you want your tree to be), but as mentioned earlier it appears to get full sun in the later afternoon which have the strongest rays. Having said that, I think it is more than workable to get something that you will be happy with. My experience has shown that norway spruce are a reasonable amount easier to grow that colorado blue spruce(handle shade better, etc). Now you are faced with the dilemna that 50% of the questions on here revolve around (I needed a (row of) tree(s) yesterday that is 20' tall, 9' wide already and wont grow anymore). If you are willing to wait 20+ years then go buy a small reasonably priced smaller (slower growing) conifer, be patient and wait (eventually it may/will grow bigger than you want, perhaps much bigger than you want) Or (if there is even a nursery around you that sells older (and larger) slower growing conifers, you could shell out big big big big bucks and get something bigger so you dont have to wait as long. What Im learning about this hobby is that it is a lot about being patient(or having deeeeep pockets, but even then still being very patient). Im not the best person to recommend specific trees, not much experience. Ive got a lot of basic conifers- norway, colorado, black hills, serbian, canadian hemlocks, etc but not so many fancier/slower growing ones (and Ive only been into conifers/trees for 3 years) Canadian Hemlocks like shade but growing them can be finicky in Ohio(and they may not have the Xmas tree look you are looking for). Actually that is way too much sun for a Canadian hemlock(at least in Ohio, up North not as much, but I would say still too much sun, even where you live). Im thinking some type of slower growing Norway spruce, but like I said, not an expert. Im sure others will offer specific suggestions. The Norway spruce is the most bullettproof conifer I have met. Ive got a bunch planted in shady areas. They dont fill out as much when in shade but they still look great to me and plenty "Christmas-tree like".