Western Himalayan spruce Picea smithiana

The Himalayan Spruce is grown in average, medium moisture, well-drained soils in full sun.  Its best performance is in climates with somewhat cool summers. Plants may struggle in locations that experience high heat and humidity.

This plant is a tall, pyramidal, needled conifer with horizontal branching and drooping branchlets.  It's needle-like green leaves surround the branches and are four-angled in cross-section. The tree bark is a scaly gray. Its shiny, brownish-purple, female cones are pendulous (loosely hanging).  It has the longest needles of any spruce.

Although there are no serious insect or disease problems, spruces are generally susceptible to needle and stem rust, canker, trunk and root rot. Yellow-headed spruce sawfly, spruce budworm, and eastern spruce beetle are problems in some areas. Spider mites are common.