Plant of the week: Acrocona Norway spruce

Acrocona Norway spruce

Light: full sun

Height: 8 to 15 feet

Spread: 4 to 10 feet

USDA Hardiness Zones: 3 to 8

Origin: Northwest Europe, discovered in Sweden

The Acrocona Norway spruce (Picea abies ‘Acrocona’) is an enchanting conifer, sometimes called the red-cone spruce.

This spruce has new needles of bright green, which mature to a pleasant dark green.

In the spring, red cones emerge from the tips of the branches; they sit upright and look like candles. As the cones dry, the red color fades to a tan and the cones turn downward, hanging like icicles.

The Acrocona Norway spruce grows more like a shrub than a tree; it is short and multi-stemmed. As a young and small plant, it has an irregular growth habit, but as it matures, the branching grows and drapes in a more uniform fashion.

Acrocona Norway spruce can be grown as the thriller in a large container, a focal point in a garden border or even as a screening plant.

Visit the cones of the Acrocona Norway spruce in the Crane Ornamental Grass and Conifer Collection or in the Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation Children’s Garden at Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens.

— Barbara Arnold

Franklin Park Conservatory