Botanical Name: Picea abies
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Common Name: Norway Spruce  
Plant photo of: Picea abies
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Water Saving Tip:

Apply a layer of mulch around plants to reduce moisture loss.

Choose organic mulches, such as shredded bark, compost or aged sawdust.

  • Anatomy

  • Culture

  • Design

Plant Type

Tree, Conifer

 

Height Range

40-60'

 

Flower Color

n/a

 

Flower Season

n/a

 

Leaf Color

Green

 

Bark Color

Brown, Grey

 

Fruit Color

Brown, Green

 

Fruit Season

Fall, Persistent

Sun

Full, Half

 

Water

Medium

 

Growth Rate

Slow

 

Soil Type

Sandy, Clay, Loam

 

Soil Condition

Average, Rich, Poor, Well-drained, Moist

 

Soil pH

Acid, Neutral

 

Adverse Factors

n/a

Design Styles

Formal, Ranch, Woodland

 

Accenting Features

Specimen

 

Seasonal Interest

Winter, Spring

 

Location Uses

Background, Shrub Border, Walls / Fences

 

Special Uses

Screen, Wind Break

 

Attracts Wildlife

Birds

Information by: Stephanie Duer
Photographer:
  • Description

  • Notes

Norway spruce is a large evergreen tree, growing 40 to 60 feet tall and 25 to 30 feet wide, with horizontal branches and pendulus branchlets, giving it a graceful appearance. It is fairly dense when young, but opens up with age. Needles are stiff, 0.5 to 1 inch long, tending to point downwards and towards the stem tip, and are medium green. Cones form at the ends of branches, are 4 to 6 inches long, and are light green maturing to brown. Bark is grey-brown and peels. There are dozens and dozens of cultivars available.
Grow in average, well-drained soil in full sun. Prefers sandy-loam soils, but will tolerate light shade and clay soils. it is not particularly heat tolerant, so plant it were it does not experience reflexive heat.