Plants in genus picea
Picea glauca 'Conica'
An evergreen landscape fixture, this plant has dense needle foliage with a blueish-green tint and a naturally pyramidal growth habit. It reaches a maximum height of 6-8 feet and a width of 4-5 feet, growing slowly. Ideal for topiaries and container gardens, it thrives in USDA Zones 3-8, withstanding temperatures between -40°F and -30°F. It prefers full sun to part shade and rich soil with good drainage, benefiting from high-nitrogen acidic fertilizer in early spring and early summer.
Picea pungens 'Baby Blue'
Picea pungens 'Baby Blue' is a striking evergreen tree with silvery blue needles and a classic pyramidal shape. It is highly cold-hardy, tolerating temperatures as low as -40°F, and grows at a moderate rate of 9-12 inches per year. At maturity, it can reach heights of 15-20 feet with a width of 6-10 feet. This spruce thrives in full sun and requires well-drained soil, making it a resilient choice for a variety of climates. Its unique color and form make it a popular choice for ornamental planting and living Christmas trees.
Picea pungens
Picea pungens, commonly known as the Colorado blue spruce, is a classic Christmas tree with a greenish-blueish-silvery color. It is cold hardy, drought tolerant, and unattractive to deer, making it a popular choice for windbreaks and bird-friendly gardens. This tree is native to the Rocky Mountains and thrives in full sun.
Picea abies
A fast-growing evergreen, this plant can grow 2 to 3 feet per year and reach a mature height of up to 65 feet. It is cold hardy, drought-tolerant, supports local wildlife, and can live for hundreds of years.
Picea abies 'Little Gem'
Picea abies 'Little Gem' is a dwarf evergreen conifer with a compact, flat-topped globe form and rich green needles. It provides excellent shelter for birds and requires no pruning. This slow-growing plant prefers well-drained, slightly acidic soil and is ideal for sunny or partially shaded gardens.
Picea schrenkiana
Picea schrenkiana is a majestic conifer with a narrow, pyramidal shape and long, purple-brown cones. Known for its longevity, it can live over 1,000 years. This tree prefers well-drained soil and full sun, requiring supplemental water during dry periods. Its level branches and pendulous branchlets add to its striking appearance.
Picea glauca 'Densata'
Picea glauca 'Densata' is an evergreen tree native to South Dakota, featuring a symmetrical pyramidal shape and icy blue-green needles. It is drought-tolerant after the first year and easy to plant and care for.
Picea pungens 'Slenderina Pendula'
Picea pungens 'Slenderina Pendula' is a distinctive evergreen with powder-blue needles and weeping branches that cascade down from a central leader. This cultivar is extremely cold-tolerant and deer-resistant, thriving in well-drained soil and full sun. It can tolerate periodic drought once established, making it a resilient choice for gardens in colder climates. Its unique form and striking color make it a standout feature in any landscape.
Picea koraiensis
Picea koraiensis is a conical evergreen tree with pale celadon-green new growth and purple cones that age to brown. It is cold-hardy and suitable for USDA Zone 5, providing shelter and seeds for birds. This tree is also valued for its use in furniture-making and carving, adding both beauty and utility to landscapes.
Picea pungens 'Fat Albert'
Picea pungens 'Fat Albert' is a blue-green evergreen with a pyramidal form. It is low-maintenance and provides year-round interest, serving as a windbreak and shelter for songbirds.
Picea glauca
Picea glauca, a resilient native evergreen, is used for pulpwood, lumber, and as an important food source for wildlife. It features a cone-shaped crown and grows up to 50 feet tall and 30 feet wide. This tree is known for its soft green to blue-green needles and strong limbs that resist wind and heavy snow, providing year-round nesting and cover for wildlife.
Picea abies 'Columnaris'
Picea abies 'Columnaris' is a columnar form of Norway Spruce, characterized by its dark green evergreen needles and lighter green new growth with a bluish tint. This cold-hardy tree can grow up to 30 feet tall and 10 feet wide, with dense branching that reaches the ground. It is well-suited to withstand wind, snow, heat, and humidity, and is deer resistant. The tree thrives in full sun and adapts to a variety of well-drained soils, including poor, acidic, and alkaline environments.
Picea omorika 'Nana'
Picea omorika 'Nana' is a compact evergreen shrub with two-toned needles, green on top and silvery-blue underneath. It is mounded when young and becomes pyramidal with age, making it a hardy and durable choice for urban environments. This deer-resistant shrub requires well-drained soil and at least four hours of direct sunlight.
Picea omorika 'Pendula Bruns'
Picea omorika 'Pendula Bruns' is a weeping spruce with a narrow profile and unique twists and turns. Its bi-colored needles are blue-green on top and silvery-blue underneath, creating a striking visual effect. This deer-resistant tree thrives in full sun and well-drained soil, making it a sculptural addition to gardens.
Picea pungens 'Glauca Globosa'
Picea pungens 'Glauca Globosa' is a low-maintenance, deer-resistant conifer with bright blue-green needles. This flat-topped, densely branched plant is native to the Rocky Mountains and is valued for its ornamental appeal.
Picea meyeri
Picea meyeri is a slow-growing, long-lived conifer with blue-green year-round color and a compact, dense pyramidal form. It is ideal for windbreaks and shelterbelts, thriving in full sun and cold climates, and is drought and deer resistant.
Picea glauca 'Pendula'
Picea glauca 'Pendula' is a narrow, weeping evergreen known for its striking gray-green foliage and pendulous branches. It serves as a tight screen and grows well in full sun or partial shade. This spruce is seldom damaged by deer and has a moderate to fast growth rate. It thrives in well-drained soil but is not suitable for humid climates, particularly in the southeastern United States.
Picea pungens 'Baker's'
Picea pungens 'Baker's' is a semi-dwarf, compact variety of spruce with silvery-blue needles and a symmetrical pyramidal growth habit. Native to the Southwestern United States, it is tolerant of drought, urban conditions, and salt. This long-lived tree can be used as a living Christmas tree.
Picea abies 'Nidiformis'
Picea abies 'Nidiformis' is a dwarf evergreen with a unique globe shape and dark green, feathery needles. This hardy, wind-resistant plant is pest and disease resistant, requiring full sun and well-drained soil. It is drought-tolerant once established and provides shelter for birds.
Picea pungens 'Blue Wonder'
Picea pungens 'Blue Wonder' is a conical evergreen with blue-gray foliage that maintains its color year-round. It grows to 6 feet tall and 3 feet wide, requiring no pruning to maintain its shape. This plant is drought, pest, and disease resistant, suitable for various soil types.
Picea pungens 'Fastigiata'
Picea pungens 'Fastigiata' is a compact, narrow upright spruce with dramatic silver-blue needles. This cold-hardy tree requires no pruning or maintenance and performs best in full sun with well-drained soil. Its bird-friendly nature and drought tolerance make it a valuable addition to landscapes.
Picea sitchensis 'Papoose'
Picea sitchensis 'Papoose' is a dwarf coniferous tree with a globe-shaped profile and blue-green needles. It grows slowly to a height and width of 4-6 feet, is deer-resistant, and thrives in full sun to part shade with moderate moisture needs.
Picea omorika 'Bruns'
Picea omorika 'Bruns' is a tall, narrow pyramidal conifer with deep green foliage and a silver underside. It is hardy in colder climates and requires low maintenance, thriving in well-drained soil with full sun or partial shade. This spruce is known for its winter weather resistance.
Picea pungens 'Pendula'
Picea pungens 'Pendula' is a unique weeping form of spruce with light silver-blue needles. It is easy to grow, fast-growing, and highly drought-tolerant once established. This plant thrives in full sun and well-drained soil, making it a striking addition to any landscape.
Picea abies 'Pendula'
This plant has branches that cascade downwards and is densely covered in rich, green needles. It is cold-hardy, can thrive in temperatures as low as minus 40 degrees, and can grow in almost any kind of soil condition.
Picea albertiana
Picea albertiana is a native evergreen known for its natural pyramidal shape and dark green needles with a bluish-gray tint. This long-lived tree, which can survive for centuries, is extremely cold hardy and resistant to deer. It is ideal for use as a windbreak or privacy screen due to its dense foliage. Additionally, it tolerates road salt and drought, making it a robust choice for challenging environments.
Picea omorika
Picea omorika, also known as the Serbian spruce, is a slender, pyramidal evergreen with dark green needles and silvery undersides. It produces striking purple cones that mature to a cinnamon hue. This tree is adaptable to various conditions, including urban environments, and is deer resistant. It is threatened in its native regions of Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.