Picea Species, Caucasian Spruce, Oriental Spruce

This tree is said to grow in zone 7. It indeed does, but is rarely planted due to availabililty. Very slow grower, but can take direct ...Read Moresun in zone 7.

Oriental spruce pretty much ranks as the queen of ornamental conifers for the lower midwest and the Ohio River valley. It is exceptional...Read Morely well-adapted to the conditions found here, and has been used for a really long time as a landscape specimen throughout the grounds of estates and other large institutions. But that shouldn't steer anyone away from using this tree in more modest residential landscapes.

Oriental spruce (like its near geographical neighbor Serbian spruce) doesn't take up a lot of ground space, preferring to form a narrow pyramid or spire-like habit. This makes it quite useful for screening and height, but leaving a lot of the ground plane available for other gardening opportunities.

The superlatives don't stop there. Perhaps you are interested in dark green and extremely glossy lustrous foliage. More, you say? How about short soft needles? Still not enough? You must have violet-purple female reproductive structures which mature to form the brown cones. Well, you've come to the right species. There are up to a dozen or more named varieties to choose from (weepers, midgets, variegated, prostrate) if the characteristics listed here fail to satisfy.

I used to manage the landscape 20 years ago at a large institution that chose this species as its signature conifer. We planted specimens large and small from nurseries in NJ, MD, PA, OH, and KY. All these plants continue to thrive today, and look better every year. I can travel to most large communities in the Ohio River valley region and find this tree occupying prominent locations at cemeteries, parks, and estates.

Plant an Oriental spruce for yourself; you won't be sorry.