• The Norway spruce has long needles and long, thin pinecones.spruce image by Tatuana Badokina from Fotolia.com
  
  The Norway spruce is an evergreen conifer and one of the most common spruce found in North America. Native to Europe, the Norway spruce grows in central and northern Europe, Canada and the northern United States. Popularly used as a Christmas tree, the Norway spruce has long, dark green needles and long, slender cones.
  
  

Size, Shape and Growth

• Reaching heights of up to 80 feet, the Norway spruce typically ranges between 60 feet and 80 feet tall. It has a spread of approximately 40 feet across with roughly symmetrical growth and a pyramidal shape. The branches of the Norway spruce grow quite densely. Dark green needles grow from the branches at a forward-sloping direction. This gives it a less "prickly" feel than other spruces. A moderate to fast-growing tree, it can grow 2 to 3 feet per year during its first 25 years. The Norway spruce is susceptible to the phenomenon of "skirting", where the older, uppermost branches droop downward under their own weight. This results in nearly vertically hanging branches in the upper canopy.
  
  

Reproduction

• Among the upper branches of the Norway spruce's canopy, it produces males flowers. These flowers send out pollen which the female flowers, located on lower branches, receive. Upon pollination, the Norway spruce produces cones, which eventually reach a length of 6 to 7 inches. The cones are initially a purple/green color and eventually turn brown as they mature. On the tip of each of the cone's scales is a single seed, 3/8 inches in length.
  
  

Soil and Rainfall

• The ideal environment for a Norway spruce is a cool location with full to partial sun and approximately 35 inches of annual rainfall. Slightly moist, well-drained loam soils are ideal. However, the Norway spruce is extremely hardy, also able to thrive in less than ideal soils, including clay and sand, provided there is the correct degree of moisture. Norway spruces can even be grown successfully in urban environments. A pH between 5 and 7.5 is ideal, though soil acidity up to pH 9 will allow the Norway spruce to survive with a somewhat reduced growth rate.
  
  

Common Problems

• The Norway spruce is more resistant to disease than any of the other spruces. The few common pests that affect it include spider mites and spruce beetles, which may eat its needles. Deer will sometimes damage bark during rutting (when they scratch their antlers against the trunks of trees). During especially harsh winters, animals may eat the tree bark, though its taste is typically sufficiently repelling to preclude feeding. Besides its resistance to animal pests, the Norway spruce can withstand drought quite well. Even recent transplants respond well to drought conditions.