Picked up 2 black hills spruce trees

I bought an inexpensive dwarf Alberta spruce a few years ago, which is supposedly a cultivar of Black Hills spruce. I let it dry out only briefly once during the first summer, a few leaves turned brown, and it never recovered. South Louisiana heat was possibly stressing it anyway. Put it in well draining soil, but keep it watered, and with some afternoon shade in the summer; maybe you’ll have better luck.