Norway spruce
Picea abies · Pinaceae · also European spruce
The classic Christmas tree, a narrow conical conifer to 40 m with dark green needles and long hanging cones. It is the most important timber tree of continental Europe and was planted by the million in Britain and Ireland from the 1800s, though Sitka spruce has since replaced it in wet western uplands. Red squirrels, goldcrests and crossbills use it.
Where it stands
Native
Care
Plant small trees in autumn on moist acidic ground; keep watered in dry springs because it resents drought. No pruning needed. The larger eight-toothed spruce bark beetle (Ips typographus), first found in Kent in 2018, is a quarantine pest: spruce in the demarcated area of south-east England is subject to movement restrictions under the Plant Health (Ips typographus) (England) Order 2019. Green spruce aphid browns needles.
Benefits
Good for