Ohlendorf Norway Spruce

If you like neat, charming evergreen conifers, you will adore Ohlendorff’s Norway Spruce. A tight, more-or-less spherical bun when young, it develops a more conical form as it ages, always staying neat and tight, like it just had an expert trim (although one is never needed). It grows around 4 inches a year, so a 10-year plant will be around 3 feet tall and 2 feet wide, but of course growth continues throughout it’s life, and it will double those dimensions in time, and even more one day. The densely-packed branches are covered in short, straight needles of light green, never burning or bronzing in winter. Use this beauty in rock gardens, with other evergreens among boulders and gravel, or in shrub beds for an fascinating accent. Plant it in natural settings or the most formal ones – it fits in perfectly, anywhere. Allow space for future growth when choosing a planting spot. It also looks terrific in a pot or planter box, and the good news is that unlike some other evergreens, this one is perfectly happy in a city garden, and in poor soil conditions.

• Tight, neat bun rounded shape becomes more conical with age
• 3 feet tall and wide within 10 years
• Never needs trimming to keep its perfect shape
• Cold-tolerant and easy to grow anywhere
• Great as a specimen in a pot or planter box

Grow Ohlendorff’s Norway Spruce in full sun for the tightest growth, and plant in any well-drained soil, including poor, urban soils, new construction zones, and limestone gardens. The best growth will be in moist and rich soils, but this is a very adaptable and tolerant plant, so it will grow just about anywhere. Good choice for colder zones, but takes hotter conditions too. It isn’t eaten by deer or rabbits and almost never has any significant pests or diseases, and is verticillium wilt resistant. Leave your trimmers in the garage – they really aren’t needed for this tidy little guy. A sprinkle of evergreen fertilizer in spring is useful, and some mulch over the roots in hot zones, but it will be fine simply left to live its own life, while you live yours.