White Spruce — Picea glauca

Overview: Durable, formal-pyramidal spruce with short blue-green needles and dense, symmetrical branching. Excellent for specimens, windbreaks, and year-round screening.

Size & habit: 40–60′ tall × 15–20′ wide at maturity; strong single leader, retains lower limbs for many years.

Growth rate: Slow–moderate (about 6–12″ per year once established).

Hardiness: USDA Zones 2–6.

Light: Full sun (needs 6+ hrs/day).

Soil & water: Adaptable—well-drained sands to loams; tolerates slightly alkaline soils. Moderate drought tolerance after establishment; avoid chronically wet or compacted sites.

Foliage, cones & bark:

• Needles ½–¾”, four-sided, firm, blue- to gray-green; mildly aromatic.

• Slender cones 1¼–2″, light brown, pendant.

• Bark gray-brown, thin and scaly with age.

Tolerance / concerns:

• Tolerant: Cold, wind, and many urban conditions; some tolerance to light salt spray (soil salt still stressful).

• Watch-outs: Cytospora canker on stressed trees; Rhizosphaera/Stigmina needle cast if shaded or over-irrigated; spider mites, sawflies, spruce budworm; occasional white pine weevil on leaders. Keep in sun with good airflow; avoid overhead irrigation.

Pruning: Minimal—maintain a single leader; remove dead/crossed wood after spring flush. Optional light candle-pinching in late spring to tighten form.

Landscape uses: Large specimen, evergreen windbreaks/shelterbelts, privacy screens, and four-season backdrops.

Spacing (on-center):

• Single-row windbreak/screen: 12–16 ft

• Dense screen: 10–12 ft

• Specimen: allow 15–20 ft from structures/other trees

Planting tip: Set the root flare at or slightly above grade; apply a 2–3″ mulch ring (kept off the trunk). Water deeply but infrequently during the first 2–3 seasons for best establishment.