Picea sitchensis

Dwarf Sitka Spruce

Plant Family:

Pinacea

Med - Lg Shrub (usually >3' and never < 1.5')

Flower:

No Flower

Blooms :

to:

Botanical Description

Fragrant?

Foliage:

Green

Evergreen

Needles are yellowish green to bluish-green, stiff, very sharp, 1 to 1� inches long, with white lines of stomata on the upper surface

Oregon Native?

Yes

West State Native?

Yes

Discovered as seedling growing in forests of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, given to Victoria Parks Department which shared it with William Goddard, Floravista Gardens, Victoria, British Columbia, in about 1964

Site Selection

Minimum USDA Hardiness Zone:

Water Needs:

Sun Needs:

Full Sun

Deer Resistant?

Firewise?

Height:

Spread:

Growth Rate:

Slow

Native Habitat:

Tree: Moist places near river mouths at lower elevations and usually near the coast, well-drained sites such as alluvial floodplains, marine terraces, and headlands

Soil:

Moist to wet, sandy soil. Tree prefers rich, forest soil with well-decomposed organic component derived from decaying wood. For garden purposes add redwood compost to soil mix.

Care Recommendations

Maintenance Level:

Low

Fertilizer:

Mulch:

Long Term:

In pruning most other needled and broadleaf evergreens, cuts can be made at any point along the branch, but care should be taken not to cut too far back into the older wood. New growth is not as readily produced from old wood. When selectively pruning, al

Winter:

Prune in winter when wood boring insects are less active.

Spring:

Summer:

Dead, diseased, and broken wood can be removed at any time of year. However, for general pruning the best time is in late winter or early spring just before growth begins

Fall:

Dead, diseased, and broken wood can be removed at any time of year. However, for general pruning the best time is in late winter or early spring just before growth begins

Common Problems

Diseases:

Sparassis root rot, Annosus root disease, Botrytis blight, Bud failure, Cytospora cnker, Damping off, Drought injury, Needle distortion, Phytophthora root rot, Rhizosphaera needle cast, Rusts, Stem decay, Tip blight

Insects:

Spruce aphids, Cooley spruce gall adelgid, Carnation tortrix, Coneworm, Douglas fir tussuck moth, Hemlock scale, Pine needle scale, Spruce budscale, Silver-spotted tiger moth, Spruce budworms, Spruce needleminer, Spruce spider mite, Webworm, White pine we

Also called: