{"product_id":"picea-smithiana","title":"Himalayan Spruce - Picea smithiana","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePrice includes everything:\u003c\/strong\u003e the plant, free delivery and professional installation by our planting team. One price, whole job done.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eHimalayan Spruce - Picea smithiana\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFew conifers hang their foliage the way this one does. \u003cem\u003ePicea smithiana\u003c\/em\u003e carries the longest needles of any spruce, held radially on branchlets that trail in long ropes from level limbs, so a mature tree reads as a dark green curtain rather than a stiff cone. It is a cold climate specimen for large properties in the tablelands, the Adelaide Hills, highland Victoria and Tasmania, chosen where an ordinary spruce would look too upright and formal.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003eWhy Himalayan Spruce\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eWeeping branchlets\u003c\/strong\u003e: Secondary shoots hang 30 to 60cm below the main limbs, giving a draped outline that deepens with age.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNeedle length\u003c\/strong\u003e: Needles reach 3 to 5cm, longer than any other spruce, and hold a deep grey green through winter.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCold tolerance\u003c\/strong\u003e: Hard frost and snow load are no problem, which makes it one of the safer conifers for high country plantings.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSingle leader\u003c\/strong\u003e: It holds a strong central trunk without ongoing staking, so the pyramid stays symmetrical.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eLong lived structure\u003c\/strong\u003e: A slow builder that becomes a landmark tree rather than a short term filler.\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003eIdeal Applications\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCool climate lawn specimen\u003c\/strong\u003e: Given open ground on all sides, the skirt sweeps to the turf and the weeping habit shows from every angle.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eRural windbreak backbone\u003c\/strong\u003e: Planted behind a lower shelter row it adds height and density on exposed highland boundaries.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eEstate gateway anchor\u003c\/strong\u003e: A single tree at an entry or turning circle gives permanent evergreen scale.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eConifer collection\u003c\/strong\u003e: Sits well beside cedars and firs where foliage texture is the point of the planting.\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003eSpecimen \u0026amp; Installation\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSpacing (screening\/hedge):\u003c\/strong\u003e 5 to 7m\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSpacing (feature\/avenue):\u003c\/strong\u003e 10 to 15m\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBest Planting Season:\u003c\/strong\u003e Autumn or early spring in cool districts, avoiding midsummer\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSoil \u0026amp; Drainage:\u003c\/strong\u003e Deep moisture retentive loam that never waterlogs, slightly acid to neutral; it dislikes shallow alkaline ground\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eEstablishment Care:\u003c\/strong\u003e Water deeply once or twice a week through the first two summers, because spruce roots run shallow and wide and will not tolerate a dry root plate. Keep 100mm of coarse mulch over a 2m circle, clear of the trunk, and shelter young trees from hot dry northerlies.\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003ePlant Details\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eHeight:\u003c\/strong\u003e 10 to 20m in Australian gardens over several decades\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eWidth:\u003c\/strong\u003e 5 to 8m\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eGrowth Rate:\u003c\/strong\u003e Slow\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFoliage:\u003c\/strong\u003e Evergreen\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eLight:\u003c\/strong\u003e Full sun with a cool root run\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNative to:\u003c\/strong\u003e Western Himalaya, from Afghanistan and Pakistan through northern India to Nepal\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFlower Colour:\u003c\/strong\u003e Insignificant; interest comes from pendulous brown cones to 18cm\n\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Nursery Direct","offers":[{"title":"400mm","offer_id":59795325485342,"sku":"ND-1356-400MM","price":800.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1000\/2536\/8862\/files\/0hmS7Oz_azcVJ1VU4qejX_BH1MbQDS.jpg?v=1787313362","url":"https:\/\/nurserydirect.com.au\/products\/picea-smithiana","provider":"Nursery Direct","version":"1.0","type":"link"}