| Description | Birds Nest Spruce (Picea abies nidiformis) is an excellent compact growing dwarf conifer. Plan properly since this plant can get larger than the label may list. |
|---|---|
| Pronunciation | (PY-see-uh)(A-bees)(ni-du-FORM-iss) |
| Plant Type | Shrubs Coniferous, Dwarf Conifers, Site author's observations |
| Hardiness Zone | 3-6 |
| Sunlight | prefers full sun, have seen growing in part shade |
| Moisture | average |
| Soil & Site | average |
| Flowers | A non-flowering plant. |
| Fruit | A pendulous cone containing seeds. |
| Leaves | Horizontal layers of evergreen, dark, dull gray-green leaves. |
| Dimensions | This plant is not as small we expect it to be. I have seen plants 3 plus feet tall by over 8 foot spread. Hiller lists the plant at around 2-3 feet tall by 5-6 feet in 30 years. |
| Maintenance | Removal of the occasional branch that is trying to revert back to the species plant. |
| Propagation | grafting, cuttings |
| Cultivar Origin | Cultivar of the Norway spruce has been credited to the Rulemann Grisson Nursery in Sasselheide, Germany. It has been known to the nursery trade since the early 1900s. |
| Misc Facts | Mature plants have a depression or “nest” in the center of the flattened top, hence the common name of bird’s-nest spruce. |
| Author's Notes | As of 2024, my yard's two Birds' Nest Spruce are 3.0 feet tall and spread over 8 feet. They were rescued from a landscape job in 2003. |
| Notes & Reference | #01-Manual of Woody Landscape Plants (Michael Dirr), #03-The Hillier Manual of Trees and Shrubs), #274-Site Authors' observations and growing experiences, #275-North Carolina Botanical Garden ((https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/) |
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