sitka spruce
Picea sitchensis
USDA zones7 to 8
SunHandles full sun to full shade
WaterHandles moderate to wet soil
Size50 to 160 feet tall20 to 30 feet wide
- Growth rate
- Moderate
- Bloom season
- Spring, summer, autumn, winter
- Bloom color
- Yellow
- Foliage color
- Green
- Soil types
- Sand, loam, clay
- Soil pH
- Acid, neutral
Garden uses
Attracts
Notes
Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis) is a tree for low maintenance planting and as a specimen. It is hardy to USDA zone 7, or down to 0°F (-18°C). This plant likes full sun to full shade and average to wet, sandy, loamy, or clay soil. It is the largest spruce in the world, with a tall, straight trunk and a broad, open, conical crown. The bark is scaly and dark red-brown. Red spider and spruce gall can harm it, so watch the needles and branches.
Pairs well with Western hemlock, Lingonberry, and Bigleaf hydrangea.
Native range
AK, CA, OR, and WA; BC.