Spruce trees are popular not only for their good looks but also for the fact that they are, for the most part, hardy and easy to grow in any type of soil using any type of moisture level. The versatility of these trees make them a fond choice for backyard landscaping. They come in a variety of sizes, shapes and colors and some of them are capable of living several hundred years barring disease or natural disaster.
The needles of this tree are dark blue-green and the tree grows up to 18 inches per year. This is a winter hardy tree that does well in moist soils with good drainage. It grows up to 35 feet tall, with a 10-foot-long branch spread.
A 60-foot-tall tree with a 20-foot branch spread, the Colorado spruce grows less than a foot per year and is not disease-resistant. The tree easily develops canker diseases resulting in large, woody galls on the ends of the branches. This tree is blue, but is often used only as a potted plant rather than a landscape tree due to the fact that it invariably contracts cankers as it ages.
Colorado Blue Spruce
This type of spruce grows between 90 and 140 feet tall and spreads to 20 or 30 feet. The stiff, sharp needles are bluish/green or silver in color with an erect posture. This tree is winter hardy and thrives in a variety of soil conditions, including wet, dry, sandy or clay soils. The blue spruce does well both in partial shade and full sun but prefers full sun.
This tree grows between 40 and 60 feet tall and spreads its branches 20 to 30 feet. The needles are short and dark green. The cones are large, between 4 and 6 inches long and do not form at the same rate each year. This tree prefers partial shade or full sun and should be planted in moist, sandy, acidic soil with good drainage. The Norway spruce has shallow roots so is easily relocated.
This tree's needles are dark green on top and white beneath, with a glossy finish. The branches are gracefully shaped and the tree grows to a height of 55 feet with a branch spread of 20 feet. It is a winter hardy, cone-shaped evergreen.
This tree grows to a height of between 125 and 180 feet and is native to North America's northwest territory. A fast-growing tree, the Sitka is the largest of all the spruces and is claimed to have a 500-year lifespan. This tree is recognized by the pronounced upsweep at the ends of the branches. A winter-hardy tree, the Sitka prefers partial shade and partial sun with moist, well-drained soil.
This winter-hardy tree has silvery, blue-green needles and is highly adaptable to different soils and environments. It grows at a rate of 12 to 18 inches per year to a height of 50 feet. The branches are capable of spreading 20 feet in all directions.