Unique Features: This is a newer cultivar and is listed as a hybrid between the North Star White spruce and the Montgomery Colorado spruce.  It has a strong resemblance to the Dwarf Alberta spruce, a variety of White Spruce, but holds up much better in winter, even in sunnier sites where the Dwarf Alberta would sun burn.  It will require appropriate winter watering because of our lack of consistent snow cover. The foliage is not quite as dark green as that of the Dwarf Alberta and the needles are a little longer, stiffer and sharper thanks to the Colorado spruce genes in the mix.  Since the Big Berta has a faster growth rate than the Dwarf Alberta, a true dwarf, the form of the Big Berta is slightly more open.