PlantFiles: Serbian Spruce
Picea omorika

Commonly planted conifer where space is an issue. They tend to stay under 10' width and I've seen them planted a few feet from buildings. Planted extensively along our raised rapid transit lines for fastigiated growth, low maintenance and evergreen foliage. One of the few conifers used in downtown highrise office tower plantings.

Serbian spruce is an exceptional conifer worthy of use anywhere it is hardy, and especially in the midwest where limestone-based soils are abundant. This tree is certainly a welcome choice where space is limited, since it takes up only a small footprint at ground level while stretching its trunk skyward.

The upswept branch habit at the tips allows the silvery white undersides of the needles to be seen, creating a two-toned color effect in the landscape. Serbian spruce is often used on the European continent as a border screening plant, where it can even take a certain amount of shearing to make it even narrower.

I have grown this plant for over twenty years, and there are fine specimen plants around central KY and the Ohio River valley region many decades older than that. I would encourage those that are looking for a tall conifer to "branch" out beyond the overused white pines and Norway spruces, and try some of the narrower firs and spruces like Serbian spruce.

Considered one of the best pruces for ornamental use - especially in the eastern part of the U.S.

Narrow growth habit. May reach up to 90' tall. Cones are a purple-ish color.

best ornamental spruce for zones 4-7. will burn in winter if exposed to exessive winds, as on ridges and north slopes in wva, but recovers completely. likes moisture but handles dry weather very well. loves limestone soils and rich soil - native to limestone mountains in balkans. steel blue color and pendulous form. grows as fast as blue spruce and far less suseptable to defoliation form ephyxius (sp?). very pollution tollerant for a spruce. reproduces more than norway but less than pines and hemlocks. better for full sun and southern slopes than norway, but not as drought tolerant as blue or balck hills spruce.