A fast-growing evergreen giant that builds a dense, year-round windbreak and privacy screen — and shrugs off the coldest winters. The Norway Spruce (Picea abies) is a classic, large-scale conifer with dark green needles and a strong pyramidal form that softens into gracefully drooping branchlets as it matures. It grows fast for a spruce, reaching roughly 50 ft. tall and 35–40 ft. wide, with branches that sweep low to the ground. That combination of speed, size, and density makes it a go-to for tall windbreaks, property-line screening, and a bold specimen on larger lots. Why growers choose the Norway Spruce Fast, dense screening. One of the quicker-growing spruces, it fills in to form a solid evergreen wall that blocks views and wind from the ground up. Year-round green. Dark green needles hold their color through all four seasons, so the screen never thins out in winter. Built for cold. Hardy all the way to Zone 2, it handles brutal winters, heavy snow, and exposed open sites that defeat many evergreens. Deer tend to leave it alone. Like most spruces, its stiff needles make it considerably more deer-resistant than arborvitae. Low maintenance once established. Tolerant of a range of soils and largely care-free in full sun, asking only for room to grow. Plant a single tree as a striking specimen or anchor, or set several in a row to build a windbreak or tall privacy screen along a property line — just give this big conifer the space it needs to spread.
