Description
White Spruce are found on a variety of sites from swampy bog soils to rocky hill sides. On the higher exposed sites in its northern range, this Spruce forms low, dense mats due to the cold dry winter winds. I have seen white spruce growing as far south as northern Georgia growing on Brasstown Bald, the highest mountain in Georgia.
On our farm these spruce grow full and deep green. They make beautiful Christmas Trees. If you want a bluer tree but don’t want the pokeyness of a Blue Spruce then try a Black Hill Spruce.
The needles of the white spruce are dark blue green, arranged in a spiral, more crowded on the upper side, 1/2-3/4″ long, four-sided, kind of stinky in fragrance and persist for 6 to 10 years. The trees are a broadly pyramidal tree with upwardly sweeping branches near the end with a broad open crown.
The flowers are in solitary cone like cluster, forming May to June, pale red turning yellow, spirally arranged on a central axis. The cones are 1-2″ long, cylindrical, and fall off the tree soon after shedding the seeds. Seeds are about 1/8″ long. Cones on the White Spruce hang down and are green when immature then mature to a red-brown color.
Mainly a northern tree, they are found from northern Canada to Alaska, south to southern the southern Canadian provinces, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania.
And again the USDA conservation.
Scientific Name: Picea glauca
Zone: 2-6
Mature Height: 50-70 ft **Sometimes as high as 190′
Mature Width: 20-40ft
Growth Rate: 12-24″
Soil: Well-Drained, including sandy loams
Sun Requirements: Sun, Moderate tolerance to Shade
Wildlife Value: Deer, rabbits and grouse browse the foliage. Many birds and red squirrels enjoy the seeds. Cover for many bird species.
