Chapters

Growing Picea
Plants

Picea - Growing Guide

Growing Picea

Spruce

Burncoose only stocks a few species and varieties of Picea. Spruce trees tend to dislike our high rainfall levels in Cornwall in the garden and often do not grow as well as they should. We therefore offer a small selection of popular forms which have different uses in a garden context.

P. abies ‘Rydal’ grows up to 6-8ft which makes it a bit big for most rockeries although it can be a feature plant in a heather garden. It is best grown as a freestanding shrub where its extraordinarily odd and striking dark red new growth can be appreciated.

Picea abies 'Rydal'

P. glauca var. albartiana ‘Conica’ is a neat cone shape dwarfish bushy shrub which grows rather taller than you might imagine when you first see it in a pot. It can, albeit quite slowly, grow to 10ft with a spread of half that. It is a neat Christmas tree if grown in a large pot.

Picea glauca var albertiana 'Conica'

P. glauca var. albertiana ‘Daisy’s White’ has spectacular white or creamy new growth in the spring and can make a good contrast with the red of ‘Rydal’.

Picea glauca var albertiana 'Daisy's White'

P. omorika, the Serbian spruce, is a narrow columnar tree growing up to 70ft eventually, but with a spread of only 10ft or so. The feature which makes it so much sought after in our gardens is its graceful pendant branches which turn up at the tips. An architectural conifer!