Picea abies 'Pumila'

The ‘Pumila’ Norway spruce is a needled, evergreen shrub in the Pinaceae (pine) family. This cultivar of the Norway spruce is of unknown origins, although it has been familiar to the nursery trade since the mid-1800s. The cultivar name is Latin for “dwarf.”

This spruce cultivar has a shallow root system, and it prefers full sun. It does best in moderately moist, well-drained, acidic soils. Established plants have some resistance to deer and tolerance of air pollution. Norway spruce varieties dislike heat, wet feet, and hot, dry summers. In North Carolina this variety does best in the mountains. It typically grows to a height of 3 to 4 feet and a width of 2 to 5 feet.

‘Pumila’ is dwarf in habit, flat-topped, compact, and rounded. Its irregular outline tends to be somewhat pyramidal in shape. The foliage is dark green, thin, soft, flexible and glossy. The needles lie in distinct rows, the branches borne in dense layers. The primary branches turn upwards, and the secondary branches tend to droop as the shrub matures.   

This plant is grown for its attractive foliage. Consider it for plantings in lawns, meadows, woodlands, or naturalized areas, or rock or winter gardens. It serves well as an accent or specimen planting, as well as grouped in a mass planting such as a border, foundation planting, or along a patio or walkway. 

Insects, Diseases, and Other Problems: Potential insect pests include aphids, bagworms, budworms, borers, and red spider mites. It is also susceptible to cytospora canker, wood decay, needle cast, and rust.

VIDEO Created by Elizabeth Meyer for "Trees, Shrubs and Conifers" a plant identification course offered in partnership with Longwood Gardens.

More information on Picea abies.