Norway spruce 'Little Gem'
Picea abies 'Little Gem' · Pinaceae
A tiny, dense, flattened bun of short, bright green needles that grows a finger's width a year.
- Size
- 18 in tall, 3 ft wide
- Zones
- 3 to 7
- Light
- Full sun
- Flowers
- Grown for its leaves
- Pets
- No toxicity recorded
- Job in a bed
- Drift
A bed built around norway spruce 'Little Gem'
The planner designed this bed around norway spruce 'Little Gem' when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) English border in zone 6, full sun. It chose the other plants from the 966 that suit those conditions, and says below why norway spruce 'Little Gem' stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Norway spruce 'Little Gem' × 1, green leaves
- 2 Mouse-ear coreopsis 'Nana' × 24, yellow
- 3 Striped bloody cranesbill × 6, pink
- 4 Hyssop 'Blue Fortune' × 3, lavender
- 5 Showy goldenrod × 3, yellow
- 6 Slender mountain mint × 3, white
- 7 Greigii tulip × 12, red
- 8 Star of Persia × 3, purple
Why this plant
- The only plant grown for its leaves. Leaf lasts all season, where a flower lasts a few weeks.
- The bed's only structure. Shrubs and grasses keep their shape when the perennials die down, and it is the only one here.
Why here
- In the middle. At 18 in it is the step between striped bloody cranesbill (6 in) in front and slender mountain mint (2½ ft) behind: each is seen over the one before.
- One plant, alone. A shrub is seen as an object, and needs clear ground around it.
Why now
- Here for its leaves, all year. They cover the 13 weeks between early March and late November when nothing on the plan is in flower.
- The only leaves in winter. From November to March it is what there is to look at.
Planned as an English border: 5 of the 7 groups (71%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. Mouse-ear coreopsis 'Nana' is planted in six places along the bed, which gives it rhythm. The flowering year starts with greigii tulip in mid April and ends with showy goldenrod in mid October.
The planner's own design check: 11 Excellent, 6 Good. It flags one thing to watch: Nothing on this plan is highly poisonous or an aggressive spreader.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where norway spruce 'Little Gem' goes in a border
At 18 in it belongs at the front of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is short (12 to 18 in).
Its job: drift. Planted in a small group of three or five, and repeated further along in the other number.
A true miniature, for a rock garden, a trough or the front of a conifer bed. It came from a witch's broom on a bird's nest spruce.
- Rock gardens and troughs
- The front of a conifer bed
- Year-round structure at small scale
What to plant with norway spruce 'Little Gem'
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Creeping thyme: adds the flowers, early June to mid July; low enough (3 in) to stand in front of it.
- Hens and chicks: low enough (4 in) to stand in front of it.
- Blue fescue: low enough (10 in) to stand in front of it.
Questions about norway spruce 'Little Gem'
Does norway spruce 'Little Gem' need sun or shade?
Norway spruce 'Little Gem' grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day).
It wants ordinary well-drained soil, of average fertility, and a good soak in dry spells.
What zones does norway spruce 'Little Gem' grow in?
USDA zones 3 to 7. It is hardy to zone 3, which means it survives winter nights down to about −30 °F (−34 °C).
Above zone 7 it struggles: the zones measure winter cold, but a plant's top zone usually means the summers are too hot or the winters too mild for it to rest.
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
How far apart should norway spruce 'Little Gem' be planted?
2½ ft (75 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 3 ft (90 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 18 in (45 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many norway spruce 'Little Gem' plants do I need?
At 2½ ft apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 2 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 5 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 6 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as a group of three or five, with a second group further along in the other number.
In the bed above, the planner used one in one group.
Is norway spruce 'Little Gem' poisonous to dogs and cats?
No toxicity is recorded for dogs, cats, horses or people, according to NC State Extension.
"Not toxic" is not "edible": a pet that eats a lot of any plant can be sick.
Is there a native plant like norway spruce 'Little Gem'?
Norway spruce 'Little Gem' comes from Europe. These North American natives come closest to doing its job:
- Inkberry 'Gem Box': the same job in a bed; belongs in the middle, not at the front, 12 in taller.
- Cliff green: a carpet, not a drift, 6 in shorter.
- Arborvitae 'Mr. Bowling Ball': the same job in a bed; belongs in the middle, not at the front, 12 in taller.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
Do deer eat norway spruce 'Little Gem'?
Mostly not. NC State lists it as resistant to deer. No plant is proof against a hungry deer in a hard winter, but this one is low on the menu.
What does norway spruce 'Little Gem' look like in winter?
Norway spruce 'Little Gem' keeps its green leaves all winter, so it is one of the plants that hold a bed together from November to March, when the perennials have gone.
Is norway spruce 'Little Gem' good for bees and butterflies?
Norway spruce 'Little Gem' is visited by songbirds.
More Picea
- Bird's nest spruce Picea abies 'Nidiformis'
- Dwarf Alberta spruce Picea glauca 'Conica'
- Dwarf blue spruce Picea pungens 'Globosa'
In these guides
Every fact on record
- Type
- Shrub
- Size
- 18 in (45 cm) tall, 3 ft (90 cm) wide
- Plant
- 2½ ft (75 cm) apart
- Height class
- Short (12 to 18 in)
- Place in the bed
- Front
- Flowers
- None: grown for its foliage
- Leaves
- Fine texture, evergreen; green
- Shape
- Mounding, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 3 to 7
- Light
- Full sun
- Soil
- Average, well-drained
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- None needed
- Family
- Pinaceae
- Comes from
- Europe
- Attracts
- Songbirds
- Stands up to
- Deer, pollution
Checked against NC State Extension and VASCAN (plants of Canada). Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.