Black Hills Spruce
Plant Type: Evergreen, bare-root
Zones: 2-6
Soil Type: Clay, Loamy & Sandy Soils
Site Selection: Full Sun, Partial Sun
Mature Height & Width: 40-60' Height and 15-25' Spread
Growth Rate: Moderate - 12-24" per year once established
Moisture Requirements: Dry to average soils
Black Hills Spruce
Picea glauca
The Black Hills Spruce is a very tough tree that is drought tolerant and disease resistant. This conifer is shaped like a church steeple and has beautiful, short, blue-green needles. A little more naturally bushy than some spruces, this evergreen shears very well and makes a great Christmas tree or ornamental specimen. The Black Hills Spruce grows in a wide variety of soil types and growing conditions. Its prickly and aromatic foliage contribute greatly to its natural deer resistance.
The Black Hills Spruce is a fine, multi use conifer. Whether you plant this tree by itself as an ornamental or in mass plantings, you won't be disappointed. While not the fastest grower, it is a steady, long lived tree that is usually pest and disease free. This tree makes a great layer in a multi species windbreak, a privacy screen or a living snow fence.
Common Uses:
- Ornamental or specimen
- Plant it in tough areas
- Evergreen for year round color
- Privacy screens
- Living snow fences
- Layer in a windbreak
- Reforestation
- Naturalizing a woodland area
- Christmas trees
Like other spruces, many types of birds and wildlife flock to this tree for nesting, shelter, roosting and winter cover. An excellent source for cover and food, the bark, twigs and needles are used by upland game birds, song birds, fur bearers and game animals. This is a great conifer to add to the mix if you plant cover for deer and other forest animals.