Spruce trees are extremely versatile and have many landscape uses. The narrow, conical growth pattern of many spruce trees makes them excellent choices for specimens in the yard. The shape, of course, means it's a natural choice for Christmas trees, too.
Spruce trees and shrubs belong to the genus, Picea, which includes 35 species. Picea belongs to the Pinaceae family, making it a relative of pines (Pinus), firs (Abies), cedars (Cedrus), hemlocks (Tsuga), larches (Larix), and a few other species.
Here are 18 types of spruce trees and shrubs that can add year-round color to your property.
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Bird's Nest Spruce (Picea abies 'Nidiformis')
The bird's nest spruce is a unique cultivar of Norway spruce (P. abies) that takes the form of a round dwarf shrub with an indentation on the top, resembling a bird's nest. It can work well in a container if you wish to have a small evergreen conifer on your patio. This variety grows slowly in the early years, achieving only 1–2 feet of height in the first 10 years.
- Native Area: Northern and central Europe
- USDA Growing Zones: 3–8
- Height: 2–4 feet (can achieve 8 feet over 30 years)
- Sun Exposure: Full sun
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Black Spruce (Picea mariana)
The black spruce does well in wet areas and is native to boreal forest or taiga regions. It's one of the primary hosts for the parasitic eastern dwarf mistletoe (Arceuthobium pusillum). Although the species is a large tree, smaller cultivars are available.
- Native Area: Northern North America
- USDA Growing Zones: 3–7
- Height: 30–50 feet
- Sun Exposure: Full sun
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Brewer Spruce (Picea breweriana)
This tree is sometimes called the weeping spruce because of the way the branchlets hang down. It is an excellent choice for a specimen tree in your garden as the weeping form gives it unique appeal. A winner of the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit, the Brewer spruce prefers cool, wet winters and dry, warm summers and can be difficult to grow without these conditions.
- Native Area: Northern California, southern Oregon
- USDA Growing Zones: 6–8
- Height: 30–50 feet
- Sun Exposure: Full sun
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Oriental Spruce, Caucasian Spruce (Picea orientalis)
The oriental spruce, also known as the Caucasian spruce, can live in a wide variety of soil types but needs to be sheltered from wind. This slow-growing tree works well as a specimen conifer, and it has 1/2-inch needles, which are shorter than most other spruces. If you want one with yellow needles, look for the 'Skylands,' 'Aurea,' or similar cultivars. 'Barnes' and 'Nana' are dwarf cultivars, while 'Gowdy' is columnar in shape.
- Native Area: Mountainous regions from Caucasus to Turkey
- USDA Growing Zones: 4–7
- Height: 10–35 feet
- Sun Exposure: Full sun
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Colorado Blue Spruce (Picea pungens)
The Colorado blue spruce has blue needles in a range of shades. The Glauca variety is a light blue, and Glauca Pendula is a weeping variety. If you want a shorter one, try the Glauca Jean's Dilly variety. This spruce, the state tree of both Colorado and Utah, does well in droughts overall but does need regular watering in hot areas.
- Native Area: Rocky Mountains, south of Montana
- USDA Growing Zones: 3–8
- Height: 30–60 feet
- Sun Exposure: Full sun
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Dwarf Alberta Spruce (Picea glauca 'Conica')
The dwarf Alberta spruce is a unique cultivar of the white spruce, known for its conical shape, soft, bright-green needles, and dwarf shrub form. It's a great choice for a Christmas tree and is commonly used for creating spiral shrub topiary and other shapes (it's often seen planted in a pot next to a front door).
- Native Area: Alberta, Canada
- USDA Growing Zones: 3–6
- Height: 10–13 feet
- Sun Exposure: Full sun
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Engelmann's Spruce (Picea engelmannii)
Some have considered this tree a subspecies of the white spruce, sharing its narrow, conical shape. It's the most common spruce in the higher elevations of the Rocky Mountains. The tree is not a great landscape specimen in warmer climates. Engelmann spruce trees can live for hundreds of years, achieving towering heights if the growing conditions are favorable.
- Native Area: Western North America
- USDA Growing Zones: 2–5
- Height: 70–100 feet
- Sun Exposure: Full sun
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Norway Spruce (Picea abies)
The Norway spruce is commonly grown as a Christmas tree. If you want an unusual specimen, look for the 'Inversa' cultivar, a dwarf weeping type that's a definite eye-catcher. This species needs soil that drains well, and it will have problems if the soil is too wet.
- Native Area: Northern and central Europe
- USDA Growing Zones: 2–7
- Height: 40–60 feet
- Sun Exposure: Full sun
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Red Spruce (Picea rubens)
Often farmed as a Christmas tree, the red spruce is upright, oval, and extremely long-lived. It can be planted in areas that receive some shade (it's especially tolerant of shade when young), should stay relatively cool, and requires adequate moisture. However, it's susceptible to acid rain and doesn't make a good landscape tree in urban areas. While it's named for the reddish color of its bark, this species is also called the yellow spruce, inspired by the light yellow wood of the tree.
- Native Area: Southeastern Canada, northeastern United States
- USDA Growing Zones: 3–6
- Height: 60–130 feet
- Sun Exposure: Partial shade
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Serbian Spruce (Picea omorika)
The Serbian spruce can tolerate some drought and shade, though it prefers medium levels of moisture in the soil, and it's a good choice for urban landscapes because it resists air pollution. This is one of the better spruce species for hot, humid conditions. Its species name, omorika, is the Serbian word for spruce.
- Native Area: Balkans
- USDA Growing Zones: 4–7
- Height: 50–60 feet (occasionally 100 feet)
- Sun Exposure: Full sun
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Sitka Spruce (Picea sitchensis)
The Sitka spruce, the state tree of Alaska, is the tallest spruce species, capable of reaching higher than 300 feet in the wild. The largest recorded specimen was 318 feet. Although this variety will be shorter in cultivation, make sure there's plenty of room in your landscape because "shorter" can mean that it's still more than 100 feet high.
- Native Area: Alaska to California
- USDA Growing Zones: 6–8
- Height: 50–100 feet or more (300 feet is possible)
- Sun Exposure: Full sun
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White Spruce (Picea glauca)
The white spruce is frequently grown commercially as a Christmas tree, but it also makes a good specimen tree for the landscape and is useful for windbreaks. The needles have a whitish waxy (glaucous) coating, leading to the common name. This is an extremely hardy tree once established, but it's somewhat sensitive to urban pollution.
- Native Area: Canada, northern U.S.
- USDA Growing Zones: 2–6
- Height: 40–60 feet
- Sun Exposure: Full to partial sun
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Globe Blue Spruce (Picea pungens Glauca Globosa)
Globe blue spruce is a dwarf cultivar that works well in small spaces. But its compact form will be threatened over time by the emergence of uproot shoots. Prune off these shoots to maintain its compact form.
- Native Area: Species native to North America
- USDA Growing Zones: 2–7
- Height: 5 feet
- Sun Exposure: Full sun
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Weeping Serbian Spruce (Picea omorika ‘Pendula’)
This cultivar of the Serbian spruce makes a striking statement in the landscape. It not only has weeping branches but also a severely columnar form. It does not do well in hot, humid climates but does tolerate air pollution.
- Native Area: Species native to Balkans
- USDA Growing Zones: 2–7
- Height: 15 feet
- Sun Exposure: Full sun
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Black Hills Spruce (Picea glauca 'Densata')
Black Hills spruce is a popular Christmas tree, and it's easy to see why, with its conical shape and dense branching pattern. It stays shorter than the species plant for many years because it grows more slowly than the latter. Like the species plant, it is intolerant of pollution, so it doesn't make a good street tree.
- Native Area: Portion of Black Hills of South Dakota
- USDA Growing Zones: 3–6
- Height: 20–25 feet for many years (finally maturing to about 50 feet)
- Sun Exposure: Full sun
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Fat Albert Blue Spruce (Picea pungens 'Fat Albert')
"Fat Albert" is valued for its dense branching pattern and the steel-blue color of its needles. Like many other types of spruce shrubs and trees, it is susceptible to rust disease and spider mite invasions.
- Native Area: Species native to North America
- USDA Growing Zones: 3–7
- Height: 10–15 feet
- Sun Exposure: Full sun
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Dwarf Black Spruce (Picea mariana 'Nana')
A smaller cultivar of black spruce is 'Nana,' an Award of Garden Merit recipient from the Royal Horticultural Society. It forms a hassock-shaped mound only 1–2 feet high, making it much more suitable for small spaces than the large species plant.
- Native Area: Species native to Northern North America
- USDA Growing Zones: 3–7
- Height: 1–2 feet
- Sun Exposure: Full sun
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Golden Oriental Spruce (Picea orientalis 'Aureospicata')
The golden oriental spruce (or "gold-tipped oriental spruce") is a cultivar of the regular oriental spruce. It is grown for its bright yellow spring growth, which stands out against the older needles, which are a dark green.
- Native Area: Species native to mountainous regions from Caucasus to Turkey
- USDA Growing Zones: 4–8
- Height: 25 feet
- Sun Exposure: Full sun
Spruce Tree Care
Spruce trees generally do well in cooler climates and may struggle in warmer, more humid ones. Most species prefer a slightly acidic soil. Make sure to give them lots of room, as many grow into extremely large trees.
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What are the disadvantages of a spruce tree?
Spruce trees tend to have prickly needles that cause discomfort upon contact. This can make them unsuitable for areas such as around pools and along walkways.
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What is the difference between a spruce tree and a pine tree?
Spruce needles are attached to the branch by a swollen area known as a "pulvinus," which is left behind when the needle drops. Another identifying feature is that, unlike the clustering needles of pines, each pulvinus holds only one needle.
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How big do spruce trees get?
Spruce trees range from shrub-like dwarfs to giants (Sitka spruce routinely reaches 125 to 180 feet tall). The latter are suitable only for large yards because they need a lot of space.