SPRUCE YEZO

Yezo Spruce has a broad upright to oval habit, similar to Norway spruce. Can grow to 120 feet, with glossy dark green needles with a silver underside. Recommended hardiness zones 3 – 7. Native to Russia, North Korea, China and Serbia. Intolerant to the heat and humidity of the deep south.

This species is native to Japan — the southern Kuriles and Hokkaido; in China — Heilongjiang province; North Korea; and Russia — Ussuri, Sakhalin, the Kuriles, and central Kamchatka. In Japan, it is found growing in subalpine forests at elevations of 125 to 3,500 feet (40 – 1,000 m) above sea level; in Russia, it occurs north along the Sea of Okhotsk coast to Magadan as “an ecological counterpart of Sitka spruce.”

Hardy to USDA Zone 5 — cold hardiness limit between -20° and -10°F (-28.8°C and -23.3°C). Plants with Russian or North Korean provenance will undoubtedly be up to 2 zones hardier.