- Botanical name: Picea abies
- Common name: Christmas tree
- Family: Pinaceae
- Plant Type: Tree, Evergreen
Green
- Key features:
- Aromatic foliage
- Cones
- Dramatic foliage
More commonly seen and known as the Christmas tree, Picea abies (Norway spruce) makes a beautiful specimen tree for large gardens and parks. It has a conical shape, attractive red-brown bark and short, deep green needles that have a strong pine scent. In summer and autumn, red-brown cones appear.
Picea abies can ultimately reach at least 30m and 8m wide tall, putting on around 1m of growth a year, so is best grown in a large garden. More compact cultivars are available, however, suitable for smaller spaces.
For best results grow Picea abies in moist but well-drained, slightly acidic soil, in full sun. As it reaches quite a large size, it is best grown in a large garden.
Norway spruce has shallow roots, so when planting, dig a hole twice the width of the root ball or container. Plant at the same depth as it was in the container. Water in well and add a mulch of bark or well rotted manure to help conserve moisture. Keep your tree well watered for the first year after planting. Once established, it should get all the moisture it needs from rainfall.
There’s no need to prune a Norway spruce regularly – this may spoil the shape. However you can remove dead, damaged, crossing or diseased branches if they appear.
Where to buy a Norway spruce online
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Varieties of Norway spruce to grow
Picea abies ‘Little Gem’ – a dwarf cultivar that is suitable for growing in a border or rockery or in a pot. H x S: 50cm x 75cm
Picea abies ‘Nidiformis’ – Known as the bird’s nest spruce, this small, spreading conifer is more suitable for a small garden and looks good in a rock garden. Height x Spread: 1.5 x 4m
How to grow Picea abies
-
Plant size
25m height
6m spread
- Sun exposure: Full sun
- Hardiness: Hardy
- Soil type: Acidic / clay / heavy / moist / well drained / light / sandy
Plant calendar
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plant | ||||||||||||
| Plant |
J
Do not Plant in January |
F
Do not Plant in February |
M
Do not Plant in March |
A
Do not Plant in April |
M
Do not Plant in May |
J
Do not Plant in June |
J
Do not Plant in July |
A
Do not Plant in August |
S
Do Plant in September |
O
Do Plant in October |
N
Do Plant in November |
D
Do not Plant in December |
Picea abies and wildlife
Picea abies has no particular known value to wildlife in the UK.
Is Picea abies poisonous?
Picea abies has no toxic effects reported.
No reported toxicity to Birds
No reported toxicity to Cats
No reported toxicity to Dogs
No reported toxicity to Horses
No reported toxicity to Livestock
No reported toxicity to People
