Norway Spruce Tree

For a graceful accent in your yard or a rugged member of an effective windbreak, try Norway Spruce (Picea abies). Perfect for use in cold weather zones, this superior choice of evergreen makes an easy-care accent in the landscape.

Even as a young tree, this evergreen conifer has a characteristic pyramidal outline with a beautiful, noteworthy feature. Upright main branches are liberally covered with pendulous secondary branches that have a touch of pleasing "droop" to them. The overall look is one of graceful strength!

Additional classic, identifying features are the long, cylindrical spruce seed cones that hang from those drooping branches, almost like ornaments that were specially placed there. This is a fabulous accent tree for your landscape.

Norway Spruce trees will grow fast (up to 2 feet a year) and provide a large, attractive evergreen presence in your yard. Wild songbirds will appreciate the cover and a food source.

This is a long-lived, elegant, and hardy tree with a graceful form, and Norway Spruce will provide you with beauty and interest. Found in the Black Forests of southwest Germany, this mighty specimen stands tall and strong throughout a wide range of climates, conditions, and weather without faltering!

How to Use Norway Spruce Tree in the Landscape

Because the tree root ball system is strong, it can withstand high winds. The Norway, like all Spruce, makes an excellent windbreak. Plant 8-10 feet apart (measuring from trunk to trunk) for a solid dark green privacy screen. Plant on the north or northwest side of your property to create a wind barrier and lower your heating bills.

Norway Spruce is a sun lover and care should be taken when situating the tree. Give it plenty of room to reach its full 100 feet of height and spread as listed in the Plant Highlights.

These large-scale trees are wonderful on properties with a lot of open ground to fill. Use them in windbreaks and shelterbelts as very effective screening hedges. You'll make an enormous statement with a single specimen planted by itself.

The short needles are dark forest green needles and soft with sharp tips. The new growth of Norway Spruce has been used to make medicinal teas in Europe for millennia. The tree is also highly valued by the wildlife who use it for shelter, from the furrowed red bark to the leaves and seed

Cold weather regions could plant them as crop trees for valuable timber, used for furniture and musical instruments, as well as in construction. Many Christmas trees are Norway Spruce.

Cut some of the pendulous branches to use in winter container gardens. They can anchor an arrangement for winter. Simply place cut branches in your large pots, leaving some of the secondary branches drooping over the edges. Add Holly, Red Twig Dogwood, Curly Willow, and other seasonal decorations, and then enjoy!

#ProPlantTips for Care

Norway Spruce is a bit more resilient to some of the problems that can plague other Spruce in some areas of the country, and it's generally carefree. It tolerates a variety of soils and conditions, including pollution.

It will not tolerate soils that do not drain well and are not drought tolerant very well, so in those drier years be sure to drop the hose beneath when it does get really dry. Instead, plant Spruce trees where they will enjoy moisture access and well-drained soil.

Norway Spruce is somewhat shallow-rooted and will greatly appreciate a few inches of mulch over its root zone to help hold the moisture and keep the mowers away from the lower branches. Always remember to keep all mulches away from the trunks and branches of your trees and plants but start with the mulch 6 inches or so away from the main stem.

Rutgers University tests plants for deer resistance and lists this plant as seldom severely damaged by deer. If a high deer population lives in your area, be sure to spray your new plants with deer repellent as you plant your trees. This will "train" the deer that they will not like this plant. It is always good to remind them right from the start.

Be sure to protect all of your new plants, no matter what the deer resistance rating is!

Norway Spruce is an easy-care landscape tree with so many wonderful features. If you have room for a large evergreen tree, this is one of the best. Especially useful in cold winter zones, it will grow to create a dense, full screen to block unsightly views and bitter winds.

Order this bird-friendly tree today!