Spruce - universal decoration of any site. In winter and summer, it remains beautiful, revives the landscape and gives it respectability. The most important thing is to choose the right spruce for the site, the types and varieties of which are calculated in several dozens.
In the nature of spruce - tall evergreen trees with a narrow cone-shaped crown and an even trunk. Thanks to the selection, new varieties have been bred, and the spruces are of great interest due to the variety of needles and unusual shapes.
- Norway spruce (European)
- Eastern spruce
- Spruce spiny (blue)
- Spruce black
- Serbian spruce (Balkan)
- El Sitinskaya
- Spruce brevera
Norway spruce (European)
Spruce (in common people - Christmas tree) belongs to the pine family, the genus of spruce has more than one dozen species and varieties, differing in the location of the branches, size, shape of crown and color.
The plantings of different types of this beauty occupy the main part of the forests on the European territory.In urban environments, such spruces practically do not grow, since a large amount of gases in the air adversely affects growth and is practically destructive for them.
Under natural conditions, common spruce (Picea abies) changes very easily, due to which a huge number of varieties have been developed. The most common are such varieties:
- Acrocona (Acrocona). It has the shape of an irregular cone or bush. The size and shape depend on the conditions in which Acrocone grows. When favorable, it can grow to three meters in height and four in width. However, the usual size for a ten-year spruce is 1.5 meters. Young needles of a light green color darken with age. Young bright red cones, growing abundantly at the ends of the shoots, become bright maroon in spring. Thanks to this jewel, Acrocon is a decorative species, fits perfectly into group plantings and looks good alone. Winter-hardy view, perfectly feeling in the shade. The dry salty soil and stagnation of water in the ground are not suitable.
- Barry (Barryi). It has a dense crown formed by strong branches that grow vertically. Needles - saturated green color, buds - large.Small spruces have a spherical shape, eventually stretching and becoming oval. When growing on a plot, it is recommended to occasionally carry out a shaping cut to get the desired shape. Fits perfectly into the composition.
- Wills Zwerg. Uzkokonichesky dwarf variety with a dense crown. The height of an adult tree is 2 meters; diameter is 1 meter. The needles are light green with a yellowish tinge.
- Inversa (Inversa). These spruces are traditionally grown with a "weeping" crown, for which the trunk at the beginning of growth is attached to a support. It grows up to 6-7 meters in height with a diameter of 2 meters of needles. If you do not take care of Inverse, it will not grow higher than 50 cm and will move along the ground, growing by 25-40 cm per year. Due to its unusual shape, it can become an original decoration.
- Maxwell (Maxwellii). If you are thinking about which spruce to choose, pay attention to Maxwell. This is a dwarf species, the maximum height of which is 2 meters. The crown has a spherical or pillow with yellowish-green needles. The width of the crown of an adult tree is 2 meters. Perfectly tolerates shade and harsh winter.
- Nidiformis (Nidiformis). Dwarf spruce, whose height in adult form does not exceed one meter with a crown diameter of two meters. The shape of the crown nest. Does not like overmoistening, resistant to frost. Young trees need to cover.
- Ohlendorffy (Ohlendorffii). Slow-growing spruce, reaching 6 meters in height and 3 meters in diameter in adult form. Crohn dense, spherical or shirokokonicheskaya. Young bright red cones become reddish-brown by the end of ripening. Poor tolerates both dry soil and stagnant moisture. Feels good on acidic and alkaline soils. Perfectly tolerates shading and frost. Before you choose this spruce to give, you need to take into account that it may overshadow the area over time.
- Tompa (Tompa). Dwarf variety growing to 1-1.5 meters. The diameter of the wide-conical crown is 1.5 meters. Feels great in the sun, in partial shade, to the soil is not demanding. Krone almost does not need additional care and pruning.
- Formanek (Formanek). It has an elongated shape and grows in a horizontal plane, due to which it forms a natural dense coating. In order for this fir to grow vertically, during its growth it is necessary to form a trunk and tie it to a support. Thus, you can get a "weeping" spruce with thick fluffy needles. Formanki can be used as a room spruce. Ideal to decorate the site with an open terrace.
- Echinformis (Echiniformis).Differs spherical crown of a dense structure with small bluish-green needles. It grows for a long time, so it does not need frequent pruning. The small size allows you to use this spruce in small areas in group or single plantings.
Eastern spruce
Another name for this beauty is Caucasian Spruce (Picea orientalis). In nature, it grows to 50-65 meters in height, while having a crown with a diameter of 22 meters. The shape of the crown is pyramidal, with hanging branches of a beautiful brown shade. 
Young Christmas trees have a light brown (sometimes reddish) color, slightly pubescent, shiny. At the top of the young there are droplets of resin. The needles are slightly flattened and bent upward, thanks to which they are not prickly. The needles are stiff, thick, golden first and dark green during maturation. A distinctive feature - the needles as if covered with varnish.
The color of mature buds can range from reddish to violet-purple. Grow at the ends of the shoots in the upper part of the crown.
In landscape design is used in group plantings, but it looks more impressive in solitude.
Spruce spiny (blue)
The Latin name of this species is Picea pungens. Frost, wind and drought resistant. Better than other species suffers gas pollution and has a long life expectancy (almost half a century).
Spruce spiny belongs to the family of pine, the genus of spruce has more than one dozen varieties, the appearance of which always causes admiration. It is a slender, large (up to 40 m high and 3 m wide) tree, which is considered to be the birthplace of North America. Cones in this species are light brown, ripen in September and decorate the Christmas tree until spring.
Decorative forms of needles can have yellow, blue and gray shades - it all depends on the thickness of the wax coating. With the onset of winter, the patina disappears and the needles turn dark green.
Blue spruce is rich in luxurious ornamental varieties. For growing and design are good:
- Belobok (Bialobok) - differs in an unusual golden-yellow color of young shoots;
- Aurea (Aurea) - at a young age stands out golden needles, which eventually acquire a dark green color;
- Atviridis (Atviridis) - dark green spruce;
- Draymond (BlueDiamond) or Blue Diamond - has an extraordinary pale blue color;
- Waldbrunn (Waldbrunn) - dwarf spruce, ideal for decorating rocky areas;
- Glauca (Glauca) - spruce with bluish-green needles;
- Glauca Globoza (Glauca Globosa) - dwarf spruce meter high and 1.5 meters wide;
- Izeli Fastigiata (Iseli Fastigiate) - compact spruce with raised branches and bright blue needles;
- Compact (Сompacta) - dwarf spruce with a flat crown;
- Koster (Koster) - a weeping spruce tree with a height of 10–15 meters and a crown of 4–5 meters;
- Lutescens (Lutescens) - needles do not change their color all year round, while remaining yellow;
- Montgomery (Montgomery) - bonsai with a cushion crown in his youth and cone-shaped in mature form;
- Oldenburg (Oldenburg) - semi-dwarf spruce with wax, bright orange branches that become blue-gray when growing up;
- Fastigiate - with a kolonovidnoj shortly branched crown;
- Fat Albert (Fat Albert) - has a thick shirokokonichesky krone pleasant blue shade;
- Flavescens (Flavescens) - differs in yellow-white color of needles;
- Cerulia (Coerulea) - crown bluish white;
- Hoopsi (Hoopsii) is a beautiful fir tree whose young growth is distinguished by a red-brown shade.
Spruce black
This conifer grows up to 20-30 meters in height, has a narrow conical shape of the crown. Branches of adult trees tend to the ground.
Young sprouts are red-brown with a dense glandular, reddish edge. Needles - tetrahedral, prickly. Cones in mature form have an ovate (sometimes - spherical) shape. Color - purple-brown.
It is frost-resistant, well transfers shading, is unpretentious to quality of soil. In dry periods needs additional watering.
This type of Christmas tree grows slowly even in favorable conditions, which allows it to be used in small areas.
If you want to choose spruce on the plot, pay attention to these varieties and types:
- Baysneri (Beissneri). It features a wide-round crown with thin, silver-bluish needles. It grows to five meters with the same width of the crown.
- Baysneri Compact (Beissneri Compacta). Thanks to the selection, the growth of this spruce does not exceed two meters. The tip is not expressed.
- Doumeti (Doumetii). 5-meter spruce with shirokokonichesky krone, branches grow up. The color of the needles is gray-blue, the cones grow right on the trunk.
- Kobold Dwarf spruce with a height of 1 meter, with a thick crown in the shape of a ball. The needles are short, dark green.
- Argenteo variegata. Distinguished by white-motley needles.
- Aurea. It has a brilliant golden crown.
- Emproeides, Erikoides. Dwarf spruce with thin needles.
Serbian spruce (Balkan)
No matter how many species of spruce exist in nature, Serbian spruce is considered the most harmonious. In the wild, it is rare and is grown mainly artificially. A distinctive feature of this species is a low-conic narrow cone-shaped crown. Traditionally used in New Year's celebrations.
This type of photophilous, but due to the shallow occurrence of the roots in a single landing can be torn by gusts of wind.It carries the polluted air perfectly, the quality of the soil does not matter. Thanks to a crown haircut, you can give any shape.
Serbian spruce is ideal for growing on the site, and landscape designers recommend these varieties:
- Nana (Nana). Bluish cone-shaped spruce. When removed, the trunk may take a fancy shape with asymmetrical outlines.
- Pendula Spruce with weeping crown and very deviating trunk.
- Treblish (Treblish). Dwarf spruce with a spherical bluish crown.
- Zuckerhut (Zuckerhut). Dense silvery wood with a cone-shaped crown.
El Sitinskaya
Reading about spruce and description of its species, it is rare to find such a look as Sitka (Sitchensis). And it is not surprising, because this giant (mature trees grow up to 90 meters) on the territory of the former Soviet Union is cultivated less than half a century.
This North American beauty has a wide crown and silver-green needles. Cones to maturity are colored yellow-green. It is frost-resistant.
Despite the huge growth in the wild, if you wish, you can choose Sith spruce for planting at the dacha:
- Papus (Papoose).Dwarf spruce with a dense round crown, which with age becomes pyramidal. Differs in pronounced two-color needles.
- Silberzwerg (Silber Zwerg). The bonsai tree with a round crown of bright blue color.
Spruce brevera
This unique look is a little known, information about it is presented not in all catalogs. Despite this, the Breverara spruce is great for planting in the garden: the tree is easy to maintain, frost-resistant, without special requirements for the soil and moisture, looks great with young shoots.
This spruce has a weeping shape, long (3 cm) shiny green needles. It grows up to 10-15 meters in height. It grows slowly - 10-15 cm per year. The main branches are arranged vertically, with slightly curved ends.
Having learned what types of spruce are, rarely anyone will remain indifferent to the luxury and beauty of these conifers. We hope this article will help you find a beautiful woman who will delight you with her greatness all year round.
