Norway Spruce 'Acrocona'

Norway Spruce 'Acrocona' (Picea abies 'Acrocona') is a spruce that decorates itself: in spring the tips of the young shoots are hung with large red-purple cones. The crown is irregular and spreading, with drooping branches - not a dull cone in sight.

Plant it as a specimen by the house, on the lawn, or in a conifer group - somewhere the cones can be seen close up. It is no dwarf: at ten years the tree already stands 1.5-3 m tall, so give it room. It likes full sun and moist, well-drained acid or neutral soil.

Key characteristics:

• What makes it special: Every shoot ends in a cone, so the tree effectively prunes itself - hence the spreading crown with its drooping branches.
• Dimensions: At ten years it is a tree 1.5-3 m tall and 1.5-3 m wide.
• Hardiness: Hardy down to -40 °C (USDA zone 3).
• Light: Give it a spot in full sun - both MoBot and the RHS list only full light for this cultivar.
• Soil: It likes moist but well-drained acid or neutral soil, and does especially well on rich sandy ground.
• Watering: Watering is medium and the soil is kept evenly moist; once established the tree tolerates a little dryness.
• Care: No pruning is needed at all; just keep an eye out for adelgids, conifer aphid and red spider mite.
• Landscape use: An architectural accent and a handsome specimen for city and cottage gardens, and for conifer compositions.
• Origin: Found as a chance mutation in a forest near Uppsala, Sweden; in cultivation since about 1890 and a holder of the RHS Award of Garden Merit.