Evergreen trees and shrubs provide stability and structure to your site.
Spruces are evergreens that enhance our gray winters and endure our dry summers, making them excellent additions to Oregon landscapes.
Wonderfully adaptable, spruce trees and shrubs require very little care when established. Most are dense and compact, providing shelter and habitat for birds and other wildlife. With very long life expectancy, spruces will enhance your space for years to come.
Some Spruces to Consider
There are more than 30 species of spruce to choose from. Most are worth considering in western Oregon, but here are a few top picks:
- Norway Spruce – Dark green needles on upswept branches make this spruce recognizable even from a distance. One of the most adaptable of spruces, equally at home inland, or on the coast.
- Blue Spruce – Gray to bright blue needles on a moderate sized and moderate growing tree. A hardy interior species, better in the valley than on the coast.
- Sitka Spruce – Medium green, fast growing and larger tree. Native to the Oregon coast, and does well inland too.
- Serbian Spruce – Dark green needles are silvery on the underside, providing variety from different viewing angles. Moderate growing, dense and hardy.
In addition to the original species, there are hundreds of specialty varieties of these and other spruces, including dwarf rounded, low spreading, and weeping forms – great for smaller spaces, or for conversation piece specimens.
Planting and Care
Spruces are adaptable, but pay attention to site selection. They prefer soil with good drainage and reasonable humus, so soil amendments may be needed.
Plan for the mature size of the spruce you choose, some of them get quite large.
Plant spruces fall through early spring – they plant very well all winter long in western Oregon. Fertilize and provide deep but infrequent water for the first couple of years; they will be self sufficient once established.
Pruning is seldom necessary or desirable.
If you are looking for a living Christmas tree, a long-lived legacy plant, or a structural specimen for your landscape, consider all that spruces have to offer.