shrub
Dwarf Alberta spruce 'Conica'
Picea glauca 'Conica'
Preview: plant data is awaiting horticulturist review. A professional horticulturist hasn't reviewed our plant table yet. Lists still follow fixed rules for zone, sun, pets, deer and invasive status.
Dwarf Alberta spruce 'Conica' is a slow-growing evergreen shrub hardy in zones 3–7. Expect 6–10 ft of height and 3–5 ft of spread; our lists space it 3.5 ft apart. It does best in full sun to part sun with average water. It is grown for its year-round foliage rather than its flowers. In a FloraVista list it usually plays the structure role: a shrub that holds the bed's shape at the back all year. Deer usually leave it alone, and it is not listed as toxic to dogs or cats. Our rules leave it out of lists in the Southeast, Florida and the Gulf, Texas and the South-Central states and the Desert Southwest, where summer heat, humidity or mild winters hold it back even inside its zone range.
Facts from our plant table
- Botanical name
- Picea glauca 'Conica'
- Plant type
- Shrub, evergreen
- Hardiness zones
- 3 to 7
- Sun
- Full sun (6+ hours); Part sun (4–6 hours)
- Water
- Medium
- Soil
- Needs good drainage; spider mites worse in hot, dry spots.
- Mature size
- 6–10 ft tall × 3–5 ft wide
- Spacing
- 3.5 ft apart (centre to centre)
- Growth rate
- Slow
- Bloom
- Grown for foliage
- Roles in a bed
- Structure
- Styles
- modern, classic
- Deer resistance
- High: deer rarely eat it
- Pets
- Not listed as toxic to dogs or cats. Not on the ASPCA toxic list; chewed needles may cause mild mouth or stomach irritation.
- Native to
- Not native to the US (or a garden hybrid)
- Pot size and price
- 3-gallon pot, typically $30–$50 (easy to find)
- Plant in
- Spring or Fall
- First-year watering
- Water deeply once or twice a week through the first summer, more in heat waves, so the root ball never dries out.
- Pruning
- Needs no pruning; cut out any reverted green shoots that outgrow the cone.
Sources: Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder; ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant list; Rutgers NJAES deer resistance ratings (A-D); state noxious weed lists / Invasive Plant Atlas of the US; typical 2026 US garden-centre and big-box listings. Not yet reviewed by a horticulturist.
Guides that include this plant
- Modern planting for a sunny bed in zone 6 (as a substitute)
Good companions
The plants our list engine most often puts in the same bed as Dwarf Alberta spruce 'Conica', across the sun, zone, pet, deer and style combinations it fits.
- Spike speedwell 'Royal Candles'Veronica spicata 'Royal Candles'perennial · zones 3–8
- Lamb's ear 'Helen von Stein'Stachys byzantina 'Helen von Stein'perennial · zones 4–8
- Feather reed grass 'Karl Foerster'Calamagrostis × acutiflora 'Karl Foerster'ornamental grass · zones 4–9
- Siberian iris 'Caesar's Brother'Iris sibirica 'Caesar's Brother'perennial · zones 3–8
- Dwarf fountain grass 'Hameln'Pennisetum alopecuroides 'Hameln'ornamental grass · zones 5–9
- Stonecrop 'Autumn Joy'Hylotelephium 'Herbstfreude'succulent · zones 3–9
If you can't find it
Substitutes our engine offers for Dwarf Alberta spruce 'Conica': same role in the bed, passing the same rules. Some of them are flagged toxic to dogs or cats: check the pet note before you swap.
- Arborvitae 'Emerald Green'Thuja occidentalis 'Smaragd'zones 3–7 · flagged toxic to pets
- Dwarf mugo pinePinus mugo var. pumiliozones 3–7 · not flagged toxic to pets
- Upright juniper 'Spartan'Juniperus chinensis 'Spartan'zones 4–9 · flagged toxic to pets
- Inkberry holly 'Shamrock'Ilex glabra 'Shamrock'zones 4–9 · flagged toxic to pets
How this page was made
This page was generated from this plant's record in FloraVista's plant table by fixed rules. The companions and substitutes come from the lists our rules engine composes. No named expert has reviewed this page.
Data status: the plant table is awaiting review by a horticulturist. Check each plant with a local nursery or extension office before you buy.
Sources
- Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder, state extension services and the USDA PLANTS database (zones, size, sun, water, bloom, native range)
- ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant lists (dog and cat toxicity)
- Rutgers NJAES and regional extension deer-resistance ratings
- State noxious-weed and invasive-plant lists and the Invasive Plant Atlas of the US
- Typical US garden-centre listings (pot size and price band)
Generated . How FloraVista chooses plants
