Spruce Varieties

August 31, 2024 Post a Comment

Spruce varieties

Spruce trees and shrubs are classified in the genus Picea, which includes 35 species. It's considered part of the Pinaceae family, along with pines, firs, cedars, hemlocks, larches, and a few other species. A spruce tree can be identified simply by examining its needles.

Which spruce tree is the best?

The most famous is the Dwarf Alberta Spruce, a long-time garden favorite in cooler zones, growing into a dense and lovely cone of bright green needles. If you want a larger dense, green cone for a lawn specimen, the Black Hills Spruce (P. glauca var. densata) is an absolute winner.

How can I tell what kind of spruce tree I have?

Look at the bark color. The bark turns from pale grey to brown as the tree ages. The Black Spruce has thin, scaly bark that is dark green-brown in color. The Red Spruce has bark with a reddish hue which is especially visible between the scales of the bark. The White Spruce has ash-brown, sometimes grayish bark.

What spruce trees are native to North America?

The Common North American Spruce

Red spruce.
Colorado blue spruce.
Black spruce.
White spruce.
Sitka spruce.
Englemann spruce.

What is the difference between a blue spruce and a Colorado blue spruce?

Name it's a spruce so the cones hang singly and downward. And the needles are singly attached to the

Is Colorado spruce the same as blue spruce?

The blue spruce (Picea pungens), also commonly known as green spruce, Colorado spruce, or Colorado blue spruce, is a species of spruce tree. It is native to North America, and is found in USDA growing zones 1 through 7.

What spruce is easiest to grow?

Blue spruce is easy to grow but develops slowly. It can survive for nearly 700 years and can tolerate moderate shade. While it's tolerant of cold weather, it doesn't grow well in hot and humid conditions.

What is the fastest growing spruce tree?

The Norway Spruce is a fast growing (2-3' per year) evergreen that has dark green needles that are 1 inch long, and can grow up to 5 ft a year in a good weather year. It never drops its needles but keeps them on for up to 10 years.

Which spruce is most disease resistant?

Norway spruce (P. abies) is highly resistant to this disease. Some Colorado blue spruce cultivars, like 'Hoopsii,' and 'Fat Albert' are reportedly more resistant to the disease.

What is the difference between white spruce and blue spruce?

The average white spruce grows taller than the average blue spruce. The needles of the blue spruce are sharper and shorter compared to the needles of the white spruce. In addition, white spruce trees are frequently planted, while blue spruce trees are ideal for high wind areas.

What is the difference between a blue spruce and a Norway Spruce?

Norway spruce needles have a spiral form. Blue spruce trees have smooth, silver, blue-green needles surrounding their branches in a spiral formation.

What spruce tree stays small?

The 'Conica' spruce (Picea glauca albertiana 'Conica') is a popular cultivar that stays quite small, at just 4 feet tall and 2 feet wide. True to its name, this dwarf evergreen has a conical shape that it maintains without intervention.

What is the average lifespan of a spruce tree?

White spruce usually lives between 250 and 350 years but trees up to 1,000 years have been documented. White and black spruce are difficult to tell apart, but white spruce has larger cones and longer needles than black spruce.

Is Norway spruce the same as white spruce?

The needles of white spruce are bluish-green and up to three-quarters of an inch long. Norway spruce has shiny dark green needles that can reach 2.5 cm in length and grows much taller than white spruce.

Which spruce is the bluest?

Outstanding evergreen tree, generally considered the bluest form. New growth is especially bright blue. Pyramidal form that holds stiff horizontal branches with dense silvery-blue needles.

How tall is a 10 year old blue spruce?

Usually they grow 10-12 ft. tall in 10 years and 10-20 ft. wide with age per year, but oftentimes less than that if it is not in its native habitat or out of its range. It prefers growing in a soil that is acidic, moist, rich, sandy, and well-drained.

What is killing Colorado blue spruce?

By far the most common complaint of cultivated blue spruces is needle cast disease, mostly that caused by the fungus Rhizospaera kalkhoffii. It infects young needles and overwinters on living or recently killed foliage. During the growing season, the spores spread to other branches, or other trees, by splashing water.

Can you plant a blue spruce next to your house?

This tree is way over planted and it is quite simply a problem tree. I would plant this particular tree species at least 20-25' away from your house as it is my experience that most homeowners and landscapers tend to plant trees way too close to structures. Keep some distance!

Is Tamarack same as spruce?

Clusters of very soft needles indicate tamarack. Seeds: Cones contain the seeds of the tree. The cones of the pine are woody and stiff, while spruce cones have thinner scales and are much more flexible. Tamarack cones are very small and like pine cones.

Why is white spruce called skunk spruce?

Also known as skunk spruce, or cat spruce because of its cat urine-like odour when you break the needles. White Spruce needles often feel stiff and are sharp on the ends.