Question
I'm on my 3rd, possibly 4th, Alberta Spruce.  About a month or two after purchase, they all begin to turn brown and die, either at the top or on one side, then all over. I spray with mitricide, and they have all been planted in a whiskey barrel tub that has good drainage and is located on the north side of the house beside the front porch. I think I'm finally going to throw in the towel with these, although they are perfect for what I wanted.

All I want is something that doesn't grow very fast, to put in the keg, that passes for a Christmas tree to hang Christmas lights on.

Do you have any suggestions, I would greatly appreciate your advise.

I live in Winchester, VA, a zone 6.  Thank you very much in advance.

Answer
Dottie,
Been ther! Albeta Spruces are probably the most unreliuable and costly of the dwarf evergreens.Mainly because there aren't many dwarf evergreens. The Alberta Spruce is a beautiful evergreen when it is healthy but it has a very low survival rate. Once it starts turning brown,that's it,it dies very quickly.
I have been through many of them and stopped buying them a few years ago after such bad experience with them. I don't like to waste customer's money. That pretty much is what they rely on.My knowledge and experience with plants that do well here and ones to avoid.
Here is a link to dwarf evergreens to cut and paste into your browser:

http://www.ext.colostate.edu/ptlk/1704.html

http://www.naturehills.com/new/product/trees_subcategories.aspx?catname=Evergree...

http://www.renegadegardener.com/content/toppick2003.htm

Good luck and happy gardening!