Spruce belongs to the genus Picea (resinous plants) of the pine family. It is distributed in the Northern Hemisphere, from the Arctic Circle to the south. About 50 species of spruce are known, their photos and descriptions can be found on this page.

In the European part, up to 10 species of spruce grow, and there are a great variety of them. But mainly five types of decorative spruce trees are used in landscaping.

This crop is a monoecious evergreen tree with a cone-shaped crown, gray bark and dense needles. The root system is superficial. The virtues of all decorative forms spruce trees is that they form a crown naturally and do not need pruning.

Common spruce is a tree up to 40 m tall with a trunk up to 1-1.5 m in diameter. The crown is cone-shaped, with distant or drooping branches, rising at the end, and remains sharp until the end of life.

bark common spruce reddish brown
The bark of the Norway spruce is gray

The bark of the common form of spruce is reddish-brown or gray, smooth or fissured, varying degrees and the nature of the fracture, relatively thin.

spruce shoots
spruce shoots

The shoots are light brown or rusty yellow, glabrous. Buds are 4-5 mm long, 3-4 mm wide, ovoid-cone-shaped, pointed at the apex, light brown; their scales are bluntly triangular, light or reddish brown.

Spruce needles
Spruce needles

The needles are 8-20 mm long, 1-1.8 mm wide, tetrahedral in shape, have a sharp apex, with 2-4 stomatal lines on each side, dark green, shiny; the needles last 6-7 (up to 10-12) years.

Spruce cones
Spruce cones

The cones are 10-16 cm long and 3-4 cm thick, oblong-ovate, initially light green or dark purple, brown when mature. The seed scales are obovate, slightly longitudinally folded, convex, notched along the upper edge, sometimes truncated.

Spruce seeds
Spruce seeds

The seeds are 2-5 mm long, brown or dark brown, with a light brown wing that is about 3 times larger than the seed. The seeds open and disperse in the second half of winter.

Spruce
Spruce

Lives in nature for 250-300 years. The annual growth is 50 cm in height and 15 cm in width. Up to 10-15 years it grows slowly, then quickly.

Grows wildly in Europe and Asia. Very demanding on soil moisture and composition. Does not tolerate sandy loam. It grows satisfactorily only in low areas. Very sensitive to air pollution.

All varieties of common spruce are not plants for the garden. It is attractive only at a young age, and over the years it loses its decorative effect, stretches out, and thins out. They represent value various shapes common spruce, which has bushy, spherical, weeping crowns.

It is better to use decorative forms of this spruce in the garden: below are the names and descriptions of the most popular of them.

Spruce "Echiniformis" in the photo

"Echiniformis" (spinate). Dwarf, slow-growing form, reaching 20 cm in height and 40 cm in width. This variety of common spruce has a cushion-shaped crown, unevenly developed in different directions. The shoots are light brown, glabrous, slightly shiny, hard, and relatively thick. Annual growth is 15-20 mm. The buds are light brown, large, cylindrical, rounded.

As you can see in the photo, this variety of common spruce has yellow-green to gray-green needles, the lower needles are flat with a short sharp tip, the upper ones are star-shaped, located under the terminal cone:

Varieties of common spruce
Varieties of common spruce

Spruce "Compacta" in the photo

"Compact". Dwarf form, usually about 1.5-2 m tall. Old plants sometimes reach 6 m in height with the same crown width. The shoots are numerous, short, raised and brown in the upper part of the crown. The needles are about 9 mm long, shorter towards the top of the shoot, shiny, green.

"Nidiformis" (nest-shaped). Dwarf form, slightly higher than 1 m, wide, dense. The crown is cushion-shaped, flattened, which is obtained in the form of a nest due to the shoots growing obliquely from the middle of the plant and the absence of main branches. The branches grow evenly, fan-shaped and trumpet-shaped. There are numerous shoots. Annual growth is 3-4 cm. The needles are light green, flat, with 1-2 stomatal lines, which are hallmark, 7-10 mm long. Very effective for low borders, in small groups created on parterres and rock gardens. Currently one of the most common dwarf forms.

Here you can see photos of varieties ordinary type spruce trees, the names of which are given above:

Varieties of Norway spruce
Varieties of Norway spruce

Canadian spruce in the photo

Canadian spruce– a tree 20-35 m tall, with a trunk 60-120 cm in diameter, with a dense regular cone-shaped dense crown. The branches of young plants are directed upward, while those of old ones are mostly downward and flat.

The bark is smooth or scaly, ash-brown. Young shoots are yellowish or whitish-light brown, glabrous. Buds up to 6 mm long, 4-5 mm wide, almost spherical, non-resinous; their scales are blunt-ovoid, light brown, shiny.

The needles are 8-18 mm long, about 1.5 mm wide, tetrahedral, bluish-green, densely spaced and rather hard, slightly curved, smell quite sharp when rubbed, the needles last up to 11 years.

Look at the photo - this type of decorative spruce has ovoid-cylindrical cones, up to 7 cm long and 1.5-2.5 cm thick, light green until ripe, mature - light brown:

Decorative spruce cones
Decorative spruce cones

The seed scales are thin and elastic, solid along the upper edge.

The seeds are 2-3 mm long, light brown, with an orange-brown wing 3 times the length of the seed. The cones ripen in September.

Winter-hardy and quite drought-resistant. Lives up to 300-500 years.

All varieties of Canadian spruce are recommended for single and group plantings; dwarf forms are promising for rocky hills. It grows successfully in both maritime and continental climates. Quite drought resistant. Not picky about soils, tolerates the poor and sandy soils. It resists winds well and is used as a windproof. Less sensitive to gases and smoke than European spruce.

Currently, about 20 decorative forms of this type of spruce have been described; you can find a description of the most popular of them below.

Spruce "Konika" in the photo

The most amazing variety - "Konica". If everyone knows the blue spruce, then the other Christmas tree, which dendrologists briefly call “konica”, i.e. conical, still rare.

"Konica" is a mutation of Canada spruce native to eastern North America. It differs from its ancestor not only in its miniature size, its height rarely exceeds 2 m, but also in its surprisingly dense crown cone and soft light green needles.

By the middle of the last century, the Canadian spruce variety “Konica” conquered the whole world, settling in the gardens of countries with temperate climate and developed ornamental gardening.

Its real discovery in Russia occurred only relatively recently, along with the rapid development of ornamental gardening, when Konika seedlings large quantities began to come to us from Holland, Poland, the Czech Republic and other countries Western Europe, where its reproduction has long been established. "Konika" propagates exclusively by cuttings, as it does not bear fruit.

In central Russia it is quite winter-hardy. But in urban conditions it is less stable than prickly spruce. With strong gas pollution, the decorativeness of the Christmas tree is reduced.

It grows slowly, which garden design is a virtue. At five years old, the Christmas tree reaches a height of 20 cm and already at this age its decorative properties are strikingly superior to even-aged seedlings of common spruce. By the age of ten, “Konika” reaches an average height of 80 cm and is completely decorative. And by the age of 20, its height is usually 150 cm, the diameter at the base is about a meter.

“Konica” should be planted in open places, protected from cold winds, with cultivated, light loamy soil. Caring for it may be limited to watering during dry periods.

The development of the Christmas tree, and therefore its decorativeness, is facilitated by periodic surface loosening and mulching of the tree trunk circle with rotted organic matter. Mulching is best done in early autumn, and in spring the mulch should be incorporated shallowly into the soil.

IN favorable conditions"Konika" retains its high decorative value until old age. It does not need pruning or shaping. Like the blue spruce, it is designed to play the role of tapeworm in decorative design and just a godsend for a small garden.

This Christmas tree fits well into large rock gardens, it is desirable in the background flower arrangements, harmoniously combines with other low conifers. Looks especially elegant on the lawn. At the same time, it is advisable to plant it in an even row of three or more plants or in a group of several Christmas trees.

Among other decorative forms, “Aurea” is known, characterized by strong growth. The needles on the upper side are golden in color.

Spruce "Aureaspicata"
Spruce "Aureaspicata"

"Aureaspicata". The form is distinguished by the yellow color of the needles and young shoots, which persists only in summer, but later they become green.

"Elegance Compacta". The crown is conical, but the growth is stronger than that of "Konika", young shoots and buds are yellow-brown, the needles are fresh green, 8-10 mm long, annual growth- 5-4 cm.

"Nana" (low). Dwarf form up to 1-2 m high. The crown is wide, rounded. The branches are dense, numerous, unevenly spaced, gray, very flexible. Annual growth is 2.5-4.5 cm.

Pay attention to the photo - this variety of Canadian spruce has radial needles, 5-7 mm long, thin, hard, gray-blue:

Canadian spruce needles
Canadian spruce needles

The culture is winter-hardy. Propagated by cuttings.

"Pendula"- weeping form, has strongly drooping branches, branches abundantly, needles are densely located on the branches, bluish-green.

Among the forms with blue needles worthy of attention:

Spruce "Alberta Blue"
Spruce "Arenson Blue"

"Alberta Blue", "Arenson Blue",

Spruce "Cerulea"
Spruce "Sunder Blue"

"Cerulea", "Sunder Blue".

All of them have dwarf growth and retain the color of their needles well in open sunny places: alpine roller coaster, heather gardens. They are suitable for growing in containers.

Speaking about what rare types of spruce there are, it is worth mentioning the Engelmann and Schrenk forms.

Engelman spruce in the photo

Engelman spruce- native to North America. In terms of the slenderness of the crown, this is the most decorative spruce. The tree amazes with its grace and healthy appearance. Even the very lower branches are never bare. It is very resistant to unfavorable conditions cities and to soil and climatic influences. When describing Engelmann spruce, it is definitely worth mentioning its qualities such as winter hardiness, shade tolerance and drought resistance.

It has many decorative forms that are widely used in landscaping.

Spruce "Glauka" in the photo

Most Popular "Glauka" (gray). Tree 20-40 m tall, with a dense cone-shaped crown, without a clear horizontal layering of branches. The needles are less prickly, more flexible and less spaced than those of prickly spruce, bluish-blue; the color is especially clear in early spring.

As you can see in the photo, the Engelmann spruce needles in winter are not so attractive, but still decorative:

Engelman spruce
Engelman spruce

Grows quickly. Winter-hardy. Propagated by seeds, cuttings, grafting. Recommended for single, group and alley plantings in large gardens.

Schrenk's spruce, or Tien Shan, is a powerful tree with a narrow cone-shaped crown, a sharp top and branches hanging to the ground. The needles are light green or bluish. Photophilous, not demanding on soils, but moisture-loving and low frost-resistant.

Look at the photo - this type of spruce has high decorative qualities, which makes it desirable in garden compositions, and slow growth in the first years of life allows you to form dense hedges from it:

Spruce in the form of a hedge
Spruce in the form of a hedge

It has a spherical shape - a tree up to 1.8 m tall with a rounded crown.

Prickly spruce in the photo

Prickly spruce. Among the numerous representatives of the genus, it stands out for its slenderness and beauty, undemandingness to growing conditions, frost resistance and resistance to air pollution, surpassing many of its brethren in this indicator.

Decorative at any time of the year. The most valuable evergreen tree up to 25 m, lives up to 100 years.

The crown is pyramidal. The branches form regular dense tiers, horizontal or hanging at different angles. Particularly beautiful are specimens in which the branches are evenly spaced in regular tiers around the trunk from the very ground to the top.

The needles are prickly, their color varies from green to light blue, silver, up to 2.5 cm long. Under good growing conditions, the needles live 5-7 years, more often 3-4 years.

The breed is considered resistant to dust and smoke, but in urban conditions it must be washed with water at least 5 times a month. Photophilous. It is demanding on soil fertility and moisture, but does not tolerate overly fertile soil or waterlogging.

Tolerates pruning well. Propagated by seeds and grafting.

It is recommended to plant some distance from roads and industrial enterprises, against the backdrop of a lawn, preferably in illuminated areas. Usually single specimens or small groups are planted in the front places of the garden. It is especially good in combination with Serbian spruce, pseudo-hemlock, plain fir, etc.

Popular forms of prickly spruce are described below:

Spruce "Argentea"
Spruce "Argentea"

"Argentea" (silver). A straight-trunked tree 30-40 m tall with a cone-shaped crown and clearly spaced horizontal branches. The needles are silvery-white, a light waxy coating remains on old plants, young needles have a soft green color with a whitish tint. Widely used in landscaping, in single and group plantings;

Spruce "Glauka"
Spruce "Glauka"

"Glauka" (gray). It differs from the main species in its bluish-green needles, which retain their color throughout the year. The lifespan of needles of this variety of prickly spruce is 3-10 years, depending on conditions. Plant height is 20 m. Annual growth is more than 30 cm. The crown is symmetrical, cone-shaped. The shoots reach the ground and are arranged in tiers almost horizontally. Branches do not break under the weight of wet snow. Suitable for creating large arrays, small clumps, for single plantings;

Spruce "Glauka Globoza" in the photo

"Glauca Globosa" (blue spherical). Dwarf form up to 1 m tall and up to 1.5 m in diameter. Young shoots are yellowish-brownish and thin. The crown is rounded, dense only in old age.

Pay attention to the photo - this variety of prickly spruce has thick, slightly crescent-shaped, blue-white needles, about 1 cm long and 1 mm thick:

Prickly needles
Prickly needles

"Hoopsie." The height of the tree is 12-15 m, the diameter of the crown is 3-4.5 m. The crown is evenly branched, very dense. The annual growth is 12-20 cm, the branches are horizontally spaced from the trunk. The shoots are light red-brown, the apical buds are ovoid, 1 cm long. Scales are short, bent. The needles are needle-shaped, hard, sharp, bluish-white, 2-3 cm long, directed forward, thick, last 4-6 years.

"Bonfire". Tree 10-15 m tall, with drooping weeping branches. The crown diameter is 4-5 m. The needles are slightly sickle-shaped, bluish-green with a light waxy coating, thin, sickle-shaped, short, 20-25 mm long. The silver-blue color of the needles remains in winter. Young shoots are orange-brown. The trunks are bent. One of the most famous blue forms of prickly spruce. The crown is evenly developed, conical. Recommended for solitary and group plantings near houses, for decorating ceremonial places.

"Moerhaimi." Strongly and unevenly growing, narrow-conical shape. The needles are 20-30 mm long, adjacent. In the second year it becomes an intense silvery blue.

As you can see in the photo, the color of the needles of this variety of prickly spruce does not change in winter:

Spruce in winter
Spruce in winter

The branches are short and horizontal. The apical bud is 10-15 mm long, blunt, yellow-brown. The lateral buds are very different and are located spirally below the apical bud. The scales at the apex are strongly deflected.

"Moll". Dwarf form, grows slowly. At 20 years of age, the height is about 1 m. The annual growth is 3-5 cm, the crown is broadly conical and very densely branched. The shoots are yellow-brown. The needles are beautiful, bluish-white, 10-15 mm long and 1 mm thick.

"Montgomery." Dwarf form, slow-growing, very squat, at 35 years of age the height and diameter of the crown are 1.8 m, annual growth is about 6 cm, shoots are yellow-brown, buds are ovoid, yellow-brown, scales are bent. The needles are 18-20 mm long, gray-blue, sharp.

"Oldenburg". Tree 10-15 (20) m high, with a crown diameter of 5-7 m. The crown is conical. The bark is brownish-gray, flaky, the shoots are orange-brown.

The photo shows that this variety of prickly spruce has needle-shaped, dense, hard, prickly, steel-blue needles:

Prickly spruce
Prickly spruce

It stays very firmly on the branches. Grows quickly. Annual growth is 30-35 cm in height, 15 cm in width. Photophilous. It is undemanding to soils, but grows better on chernozems and loams and tolerates temporary excess moisture. Frost-resistant, tolerates frost well. Application: single plantings, groups.

In this section of the article you can see photos and descriptions of the blue spruce species from the Pine family.

Blue spruce in the photo

The blue spruce tree is an evergreen coniferous tree, 25-30 m high, rarely up to 46 meters. The trunk diameter is up to 1.5 meters. The bark is thin and scaly. The crown is narrow-conical in young trees, and becomes cylindrical in old ones. The needles are 15-30 mm long, rhombic in cross-section. The needles of blue spruce deserve a special description - the color of the needles of this plant species ranges from grayish-green to bright blue.

The crown is conical, compact, the needles are tetrahedral, dense, very prickly. The bark of the trunks and branches is grayish-brown, initially smooth, later fissured.

In the photo

Decorative blue spruce cones are slightly cylindrical, 6-11 cm long and 2 cm wide when closed, up to 4 cm when open. The color of the cones is from reddish to purple, the mature cone is light brown. The seeds are black, 3-4 mm long with a light brown wing 10-13 mm long.

Look at the photo - blue spruce has cylindrical cones, up to 9 cm long, light brown, ripen in the first year:

Decorative blue spruce cones
Decorative blue spruce cones

Blue spruce is one of the hardiest spruce trees in all respects. It is inferior to common spruce only in shade tolerance. But it is extremely resistant to atmospheric pollution, frost-resistant, drought-resistant, and very unpretentious to soil conditions.

However, the best development and more decorative effect Blue spruce reaches its species on fertile structural loams, in full light.

This tree has a pronounced root core, which makes it drought-resistant. And yet, in the first 6-8 years, seedlings should be watered 2-3 times during the summer, and in case of drought, be sure to water them at least once a week. This will allow the trees to grow stronger. The greatest increases in height in blue spruce plants are observed after 8-10 years. And by 20-25 years the trees are already fully formed. The first cones can sometimes be seen on 15-year-old trees.

Until the age of 8-10 years, it is better to keep the tree trunk under black fallow, mulching with humus. In the future, the land should not be cultivated, and care consists only of periodic mulching and watering during prolonged drought.

Blue spruce
Blue spruce

As can be seen from the photo and description of the blue spruce, this beauty will decorate your garden for many years. She is an excellent tapeworm who does not need anyone's company. Looks good alone or in a group on a flat lawn. When creating groups, spruce trees should not be planted closer than 3 m from each other, so that there is no shading and the trees have low, dense crowns.

These photos show blue spruce varieties that are most popular among gardeners:

Blue spruce
Blue spruce

Healing properties of spruce

Spruce is not only decorative, but also useful plant in the garden and on personal plots.

The healing properties of spruce are well known. Moreover, the common spruce is recognized as the leader in this regard among all species. The needles, young shoots and young cones are medicinal. They are rich in essential and tannin substances, resins, vitamins, microelements, phytoncides and fatty oils.

Various inflammatory diseases of the respiratory and urinary tract, as well as sinusitis and other diseases in the nasopharynx area are treated with spruce preparations and decoctions. Baths from spruce branches and kidneys are used for skin diseases, gout, arthritis and arthrosis.

Brewing from fresh spruce buds can be consumed as a vitamin tea, which is contraindicated for stomach ulcers. The simplest infusion is prepared by roughly grinding 40 g of pine needles, pouring a glass of boiling water over it, boiling for 20 minutes, then infusing it. The resulting infusion is drunk during the day if there is a lack of vitamin C.

Spruce needles contain significant quantities of phosphorus, potassium, iron, and vitamins. There is especially a lot in it ascorbic acid and carotene, making pine needles an excellent raw material for the production of special preventive pastes against scurvy and periodontal disease, pine extracts for baths and medicinal chlorophyll-carotene preparations.

From essential oil Spruce trees receive camphor, which is indispensable for heart ailments. Inhalations of essential oil of pine needles cure catarrhal conditions of the throat and bronchi.

The ecological significance of spruce is also important. Air pollution, especially urban air pollution, currently exceeds all existing standards. The needles take on a filtering role in the gas exchange of atmospheric air. Dust particles, along with harmful microorganisms, settle and become fixed in the waxy coating of pine needles.

Air saturated with secretions coniferous species, has a beneficial effect on the body, improving breathing and blood circulation, and even treats a sick human psyche.

Phytoncides released by pine needles help clean the air even in polluted places. At the same time, the spruce itself feels good. It has straight trunks, dense foliage, and low-hanging crowns.