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Norway Spruce

Botanical Name
Picea abies
Min Zone
3
Max Zone
7
Height
40 to 60 feet
Width
25 to 30 feet
Flowers
Small male flowers are pinkish-red and clustered along the stems, female flowers are reddish-pink and upright on the tips of branches, once pollinated the flowers turn green and hang downward as cones ripen
Fruit
Cone: Narrow, 4 to 6 inches long, 1.5 to 2 inches wide, light green maturing to brown
Light
Full sun
Soil
Moist, sandy acidic
Planting & Care
  • Transplant large size plants (3 to 4 feet) balled and burlap
  • Prefers colder climates and acidic soils
  • Because of its large size, Norway spruce is often used as a windbreak, screen or large hedge in larger landscapes
  • Not a tree for smaller yards
  • The very shallow, spreading root system benefits from a 3 to 4 inch layer of organic mulch to moderate soil temperature and conserve moisture
  • Does poorly in shady sites
  • Large cones can be a little consideration
Problems
Spruce gall adelgid, red spiders, tip weevils, cytospora canker, Rhizosphaera needle cast, bagworm, mites, budworm, borers
Varieties
  • Acrocona - broad-spreading pyramidal form, bright red female cones, up to 20 feet
  • Bird's Nest Spruce (Picea abies 'Nidiformis') - dwarf shrub form, outward spreading branches with a slight depression in the center - resembling a bird's nest, 3 to 6 feet tall and wide
  • Cupressina - narrow variety, 25 to 30 feet tall by 6 feet wide, more tolerant of heavy snow loads
  • Pendula - weeping form, 12 to 15 feet tall and wide, often used as a specimen
  • Pumila - dwarf cultivar, 3 to 4 feet tall by 4 to 5 feet wide, rouned form

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