Black Hills Spruce Tree

This delightful, easy-care evergreen is native to some of the coldest regions of North America. Given well-drained soil and a spot in full sun, the Black Hills Spruce Tree (Picea glauca 'Densata' var. densata) provides a low-maintenance privacy screen. It works to give structure to your landscape design all year long.

Black Hills Spruce evergreen tree grows into a natural cone shape. It's absolutely charming with an attractive compact habit and vibrant, dark green foliage with a bluish-gray overcast. Create a cool summer retreat in the shade of green to blue-green needles.

You'll never have to prune it! It develops into a wonderful pyramidal accent for either front or backyard landscaping. Decorate this living Christmas Tree for the holidays every year. Wildlife and Birds love to roost in the Black Hills Spruce for winter cover. You'll also appreciate how it lends life to your dull, winter landscape.

A truly cold-hardy tree, Black Hills Spruce is resistant to winter injury and performs well, regardless of harsh winter conditions. As well, this tree is very long-lived. In fact, some Black Hills Spruce have lived 150 to 350 years!

The Black Hills is an excellent variety of White Spruce found in the rugged Black Hills of South Dakota, featuring short, pointed needles. Planting one today is not only a terrific choice for high-quality landscape planting. You'll also feel good about it as an investment in the future. Order today!

How to Use Black Hills Spruce in the Landscape

Black Hills Spruce makes fantastic specimen plants in a lawn or anchoring a foundation planting. A refined, pyramidal form and uniform shape give it a very formal character in any garden design application.

Black Hills is quite versatile. It tolerates road salt and drought, once established. It is a great evergreen for windbreaks and helps absorb sound. Black Hills Spruce are often used in mixed plantings with taller trees in the background.

Include other evergreen shrubs in front and be sure to use deciduous trees and shrubs in the planting design. The Black Hills Spruce acts as a perfect supporting actor for just about any partner plant.

Always leave the bottom branches on your evergreens on your plants to screen out and block the wind and snow right down to the ground. People have a tendency to want to cut off the bottom branches as they get larger, but you should do just the opposite! For the best results, leave the branches sweeping the ground for the best visual effect. Simply remove more lawn area and mulch beneath the plants. With dense foliage, this tree is great for privacy.

Black Hills Spruce trees are popular, ornamental evergreen conifers. They are ideal for use as windbreaks, privacy screens, and accent plantings in your yard. Keeping those lower branches provides you with the maximum amount of coverage and privacy!

We recommend a planting design that gives a more natural look to this beautiful tree. To achieve this, you'll avoid planting them in straight rows that are evenly spaced.

Instead, use a freeform pattern. Vary the spacing between each one between 15 feet apart, all the way down to 6 feet apart if you want them to touch. Measure the trees from trunk to trunk.

Stagger the rows to help them look like nature put them there and not you. You'll be glad you left the room to include a pathway, bench, or hammock.

For a fantastic informal drift, use a long irregular planting design with varied spacing and occasional groupings for wildlife. This makes a wonderful viewpoint near the perimeter of your property. Add Chickasaw Plum or Nanking Cherry trees in front to give a welcome layer of gorgeous spring bloom.

#ProPlantTips for Care

For the best performance, plant your Spruce in full sun, and ensure your soil is well-drained. If you see puddles that remain after a rainfall in your selected spot, you'll need to mound up.

Why not create a raised soil berm and plant Black Hills Spruce directly into it? You'll gain an instant head start on height, and privacy and create visual interest very easily.

To establish young trees, plan to give an even amount of moderate water. Once the trees age and establish in your soil, they will be tolerant to all but the most extended droughts.

In times of extreme summer heat, or if the fall doesn't receive rainfall - you'll want to provide supplemental water for these lovely workhorses.

Usually, no pruning is necessary. If a second leader develops, or you want to shorten up the growth, prune in spring. You'll want to finish any minor pruning task before new growth starts.

Deer seldom damage the Black Hills Spruce. If you live in deer country, be sure to spray all new plants with repellent the first day you plant anything. That will remind the deer that they will not like your plants.

• Full Sun
• Well-Drained Soil
• Moderate to Low Moisture Needs
• Prune In Spring If Needed
• Extremely Hardy & Adaptable

We are big fans of the lovely Black Hills Spruce Trees here at Nature Hills! Order today, our growers take pride in the health and vitality of this special variety.