Blue spruce vs White spruce

Blue spruce and White spruce are often considered for the same spot in the garden (specimen, screening). The data below shows where they differ: size, hardiness, care, toxicity and price.

Blue spruce

Picea pungens 3 m × 1.5 m after 10 years

A formal, conical spruce with stiff, silvery-blue needles and branches down to the ground; in time it reaches 15 to 20 metres tall and 4 to 6 metres…

Large tree

Full sun

Part shade

from about €9.90

White spruce

Picea glauca 3.5 m × 2 m after 10 years

In the wild, white spruce is a forest tree 15 to 30 m tall, but nurseries sell almost only its dwarf forms: dense, slow-growing little conifers with…

Large tree

Full sun

Part shade

from about €4.90

Key differences

Blue spruce: We do not recommend it for most Central European gardens. In Central Europe the hot, dry summers of recent years hit it hard: large blue spruces are dying in gardens and parks, because the shallow-rooted, weakened trees are attacked by bark beetles, and an infested tree cannot be saved.
White spruce grows larger: 3.5 m × 2 m after ten years, against 3 m × 1.5 m for Blue spruce (an estimate: sources differ).
Blue spruce tolerates drought better than White spruce.
Blue spruce also takes chalky soil, White spruce prefers acidic soil and struggles on chalk.
Blue spruce also takes heavy clay, White spruce needs a loose, free-draining soil.
White spruce is cheaper: about €13 at the same size (< 40 cm), against about €25 for Blue spruce.

Which one to choose?

White spruce is the safer choice: we do not recommend planting Blue spruce in most gardens.

Watch out for

Blue spruce

In Central Europe the hot, dry summers of recent years hit it hard: large blue spruces are dying in gardens and parks, because the shallow-rooted, weakened trees are attacked by bark beetles, and an infested tree cannot be saved. In dry, warm spots spider mites speckle the needles yellow and make them drop, and the green spruce aphid (Elatobium abietinum), mainly after mild winters, browns the older needles in spring from the inside out and from the bottom up. Rhizosphaera needle cast and Cytospora canker also start on the lower branches, so the tree goes bare from below and the lost branches do not grow back. Plant a new tree only where you can give it deep summer watering and a mulch, and avoid hot, paved, airless spots.

White spruce

The worst enemy of the dwarf forms is spruce spider mite, which infests the dense, poorly ventilated cones in hot, dry sites (next to a wall, fence or paving): needles turn speckled yellow, then brown and drop, and the bare brown patches never green up again. Tap branches over white paper in spring and early autumn and treat in time when mites appear. It copes badly with the hot, dry summers of Central Europe and browns without watering; in winter drying wind and reflected sun can scorch the needles on the sunny, windy side. It sometimes reverts to the species: cut out any vigorous, fast-growing shoot with longer needles at its base or it will outgrow the dwarf part (on the coloured cultivars also any shoot reverting to green). Weakened plants can also get a needle cast fungus. It dislikes polluted city air and road salt as well. Shops sell almost only its dwarf or columnar cultivars, which stay a fraction of the size of the species: check the size of the cultivar you choose before you buy.

The data side by side

Feature	Blue spruce	White spruce
Group	Large tree	Large tree
Size after 10 years	3 m × 1.5 m (uncertain)	3.5 m × 2 m
Ultimate size	9–20 m × 3–6 m	15–30 m × 3–6 m
Growth rate	Medium	Medium
Light	Full sun, Part shade	Full sun, Part shade
Soil	Average garden soil, Clay, Sandy, Calcareous, Acidic	Average garden soil, Acidic
Hardiness	down to -40 °C (USDA 3, RHS H7)	down to -40 °C (USDA 3, RHS H7)
Heat tolerance	Low	Low
Foliage	Evergreen	Evergreen
Water need	Medium	Medium
Drought tolerance	Medium	Low
Maintenance	Medium	Medium
Planting distance	500 cm	500 cm
Typical price	about €25 (< 40 cm)	about €13 (< 40 cm)

Prices are rounded, indicative values. Toxicity data is for information only. If your pet or child has eaten a plant, contact a vet or a doctor. Data updated: October 17, 2026

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