Norway Spruce
Picea abies

Height: 40-60´
Habit: pyramidal

Landscape Value:

This large evergreen provides size and grace to a landscape. It grows a foot or more a year and will be a good performer as long as it is given enough to drink. It does not like drought. The Norway spruce (and most other spruces) requires cold weather and does not do well in hot southern climates. It prefers sandy soils but is tolerant of average soils as well. The tree will develop a spread of 25- 30´; old specimens can reach a height of 100´ or more. Keep that in mind when choosing the planting location. Norway spruce make a good windbreak.

Seasonal Characteristics:

• All year: The needles of the Norway spruce darken with age and become a lustrous dark green as the tree matures. Younger trees are also much stiffer and formal. The tree gradually loosens and opens until long, pendulous branches create a graceful and dignified appearance.

Points of Interest:

The Norway spruce is considered to be one of the most widely cultivated trees in North America. Spruces as a group tend to be large and formal trees that are usually not suited for small areas. They typically hold their lower branches and their formal "christmas tree" shape throughout most of their life (pines tend to lose their lower branches more quickly). A wide variety of spruce cultivars is available with a broad range of color, size, and shape. It is possible to chose dwarf specimens no greater than a foot or two high or specimens with bluish, silver, or even yellowish foliage.

Native Range:

The Norway spruce is native to northern and central Europe. Early European settlers brought the tree to the U.S.

Link to Norway Spruce