Oriental spruce is superior to most other spruces for landscape use, especially in the Midwest and South. It has a graceful habit, forming a narrow pyramid with horizontal, often pendulous, branches. The very short needles are dark, glossy green. Young cones are reddish-purple, maturing to brown.
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White spruce forms a tall, narrow spire with ascending branches. The short, green, waxy, curved needles are four-sided and smell bad when crushed. The brown bark flakes to reveal a silvery layer. The 2-inch cones mature from green to light brown.
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Norway spruce is a fast-growing evergreen conifer that grows to 40 to 60 feet tall and 25 to 30 feet wide. The branches line the trunk to the ground. The new needles have white lines on each side and mature from light green to dark, glossy green.
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Colorado blue spruce is a popular evergreen conifer. It is dense and pyramidal, with stiff needles. The needles have a bluish or silver cast that is quite variable between specimens. It grows to 30 to 60 feet tall and 10 to 20 feet wide in the landscape, and much taller in the wild.
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