A beautiful garden usually contains a variety of different plants. Evergreen bushes and/or conifers provide some color in winter. A spruce is not the worst choice, but should be chosen carefully.
Which species are particularly suitable?
A particularly popular and very decorative type of spruce for the garden is the Sugarloaf spruce (bot. Picea glauca conica), a subspecies of the white spruce. Its crown resembles a sugar loaf, which is where its name comes from. It grows to around three meters high and therefore fits into a not too large garden. Pruning is not necessary to maintain the shape.
If you have a little more space, then the spruce can be a little larger, such as the mane spruce (bot. Picea breweriana), which is around six meters wide and ten meters high. Its hanging side branches give it a quite elegant appearance. The Serbian spruce (bot. Picea omorika) can also often be found in gardens.
The hedgehog spruce (bot. Picea glauca Echiniformis) is also suitable for very small gardens; it is even suitable for planting or edging graves. The hedgehog spruce is only about centimeters high and has a spherical growth. They are available with green needles or as blue hedgehog spruce in blue-green.
Interesting spruce species for the garden:
- Hedgehog spruce (bot. Picea glauca Echiniformis)
- Mane spruce (bot. Picea breweriana)
- Serbian spruce (bot. Picea omorika)
- Sugarloaf spruce (bot. Picea glauca conica)
What do I have to consider when planting spruce trees?
Do not plant spruces too close together, but also not too close to other plants. On the one hand, these trees need enough space, on the other hand, the falling needles affect the soil, making it slightly acidic and only a few other plants can tolerate that. In addition, you should never plant a spruce tree in a location where a spruce tree previously stood, it is not good for it.
Tip
For a small garden, choose a dwarf form of spruce; large species need enough space to look good. They are also very susceptible to wind.
