Oriental spruce

Sun

Full sun to partial shade; best form in full sun where summers are cool.

Water

Moderate; keep the root zone evenly moist while establishing. Established trees tolerate brief dry spells, but prolonged drought and hot, dry winds cause stress.

Soil

Moist, well-drained, acidic to neutral soil, preferably a deep loam. Avoid waterlogged ground and shallow, very dry soil.

Height

50-80 ft (15-24 m), sometimes taller with age

Spread

20-30 ft (6-9 m)

Foliage

Evergreen, glossy dark green needles, usually about 0.25-0.5 in (6-12 mm) long, packed closely around the shoots.

Growth

Slow to moderate, especially slow when young.

Care needed

Low

• Deer resistant
• Cold hardy
• Wildlife

Northern hemisphere months. In Australia, shift them by six.

Difficulty

Easy

Toughness

Fairly tough

Pick your zone, country, light and whether you have pets.

1. Planting day

   8 ft (2.3 m)

2. After 1 year

   10 ft (3 m)

3. After 2 years

   12 ft (3.7 m)

4. After 3 years

   14 ft (4.3 m)

5. After 5 years

   19 ft (5.6 m)

About 26 years to full size.

From a typical nursery size, at an average rate for this kind of plant. A rule of thumb, not a forecast.

Cats and dogs

Mildly toxic: may upset a stomach

Growth rate

Slow

• Water deeply during dry spells for the first two or three growing seasons, wetting the soil beyond the original root ball.
• Apply 2-3 in (5-8 cm) of organic mulch over the root zone, keeping it clear of the trunk.
• Allow room for the mature crown and low branches; do not plant close to buildings or overhead wires.
• Feed only if growth or a soil test indicates a deficiency; avoid heavy applications of nitrogen.
• Stake only if the root ball moves in the wind, and remove supports once the roots hold it securely.

Pruning. Little pruning is needed; remove dead, damaged or competing leader shoots in late winter or early spring. Avoid cutting into bare old wood, which rarely produces replacement growth, and retain the lower branches where space permits.

Early spring

Plant when the soil is workable and not waterlogged; set the root flare at soil level.

Early spring

Check for winter damage and remove broken branches or a competing leader.

Late spring

Refresh mulch and check that ties are not rubbing or constricting the trunk.

Summer

Water young trees deeply during dry weather and inspect discoloured needles for mites.

Autumn

Plant in mild regions while soil remains warm; water established trees if autumn is unusually dry.

Winter

Keep de-icing salt and piled roadside snow away from the root zone.

• Use as a solitary specimen on a large lawn, allowing the low branches to retain their natural outline.
• Place behind deciduous shrubs to provide a dark evergreen backdrop for flowers and autumn colour.
• Include in a spacious woodland-edge planting with shade-tolerant plants near the outer canopy.
• Use in a mixed conifer group for year-round structure, contrasting its fine needles with larger-leaved evergreens.

Garden styles it suits: Woodland, Grand estate, Traditional, Winter interest, Green on green and English manor.

Plant it with: Japanese maple, Rhododendron, Witch hazel, Hellebore, Epimedium and Christmas fern.

Wildlife: Dense evergreen branches provide shelter and nesting sites for birds. Seeds in the hanging cones are eaten by some birds and small mammals.

• Spruce spider mites can cause fine stippling and bronzing, especially during dry weather. Confirm them by tapping shoots over white paper; rinse accessible foliage and use a labelled horticultural oil if needed.
• Spruce gall adelgids can produce cone-like galls and distorted shoots. Remove accessible fresh galls before they open; seek local advice if damage is widespread.
• Root rot can develop in waterlogged soil, causing poor growth and dieback. Improve drainage before planting and avoid frequent shallow watering; badly affected trees may need removal.
• Drought, drying winds and salt exposure can brown needles. Water deeply during drought, maintain mulch and keep de-icing salt away; dead needles will not turn green again.

Not known to be toxic to people, cats, dogs or horses. Needles and cones are not food and may irritate the mouth or digestive tract if chewed or swallowed; resin can irritate sensitive skin.

• Norway spruce (Picea abies)

  Usually has longer needles, much larger cones and conspicuously hanging branchlets on mature trees; Oriental spruce has very short, closely packed needles.

• Serbian spruce (Picea omorika)

  Has flattened needles with conspicuous whitish bands underneath and a very slender crown; Oriental spruce needles are more four-sided and dark green around the shoot.

• Caucasian fir (Abies nordmanniana)

  Has longer, flattened needles with two pale bands underneath and upright cones. Oriental spruce has short, four-sided needles on woody pegs and hanging cones.

The species name orientalis means eastern, referring to its origin east of much of Europe.

Propagation. Grow the species from seed collected from ripe cones; a period of cold, moist stratification can improve germination. Named cultivars are usually grafted, since seedlings do not reliably retain their features.

Accepted botanical name

Picea orientalis

Native range

North Caucasus, Transcaucasus and Turkey.

Measured

Average height 3875 cm.

Sources: GBIF (CC BY 4.0) and Trefle (CC BY 4.0). The care and design notes are LandscapeGPT's own.