Picea breweriana

Brewer spruce is an evergreen conifer native to the Siskiyou Mountains of southwestern Oregon and northern California where it is a rare plant owing to its sparse occurrence. It has a beautiful shape. The stem and inner branches are firm and upright whereas new branches are soft and pendulous which gives this tree almost a Himalayan cedar appearance. The needles are 2-3 cm long, thin, blue-green. New twigs are reddish-brown. The cones hang down and are 6-15 cm long.

This spruce grows slowly: a 5m tall plant must be about 30 years old. In Central-European conditions it usual size in maturity is about 10m tall and 3-4m wide. So if you want a conifer that looks as picturesque as cedar but your garden size will not allow it, go for this one. Brewer spruce is an excellent choice for mid-sized gardens.

Spruce is widely soil adaptable provided the soil is well-drained. It likes neutral to slightly acidic soil and full sun. No fertilizing necessary. Hardy to about -24°C (USDA zone 6).

Last update 16-01-2012