[kinnanscaping]

I am seeing these all over in newer developments here in Omaha. They are not a typical blue/green colorado spruce, nor are they Fat Alberts. My old landscaping buddy thinks it is some sort of grafted spruce. Thanks for any suggestions.

[Lanelle]

Possibly it could be a Black Hills Spruce?
http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/trees/handbook/th-3-175.pdf

[TrickyDick]

If anyone can tell definitively from the picutre I will be pretty impressed. It's probably Norway Spruce.

[TrickyDick]

That Black Hills Spruce is interesting. Is that available in the trade?

[VoodooChile]

Black Hills Spruce is a cultivar of White Spruce, Picea glauca 'Densata'. It is slower-growing, denser, and more ornamental than the species, according to Dirr. We use them a lot in barrier plantings and harsh conditions, for example new subdivision windbreaks. Black Hills Spruce is very definitely available in the trade.

No clue what's in the pictures...

[agla]

They could also be fir trees.

They are less likely to be anything too funky if they are in large numbers.

Norways typically hang more than those in their form.

Tricky is right, no one will be able to tell you whether they are fir or spruce from those pictures let alone a variety.

If I had to guess I'd go with Fraser Fir, Douglas Fir, Colorado Spruce, or Serbian Spruce.

When you pull the needles off, do you get a hole left in the twig or a raised bump? Does the trunk have bumps that are full of pitch if you press down on them?

[kinnanscaping]

So you're saying you need a better picture!? If you notice, it wasn't the nicest day to be out looking at trees, but what else should I do when it is 45 and rainy? I am leaning towards the Black Hills.

thanks to all that posted.

[Nebraska]

Because of the narrow width I would guess Serbian Spruce. A Black Hills Spruce is much wider. There are a lot of both in the newer neighborhoods of Omaha.

[TrickyDick]

If you look high up on the left side of the tree in the first picture you can see some pendulous cones. Hard to judge scale in the pic but Norway cones are 2-3 times the size of serbian or white spruce. If they are 2 inches or less its probably one of the latter. 4 inches or more and it's probably a norway.

I don't have any experience with white spruce, a little too warm here, but I had heard that serbian spruce browned out quite often in zone 4. Are they common there?

[kinnanscaping]

Here is a close up of a branch from trees photographed above.

[agla]

Does that have a thin white stripe parallel to the middle of each needle on the bottom side of the needles or is that just the way the light is hitting it?

[Nebraska]

Serbian spruce will have dark green needles with silver undersides.

Take it up to Heritage Nursery and let us know what they say.

[kinnanscaping]

NE: Tim at Heritage is going to take a look for me.

In the meantime, the original designer for that landscape got back to my client that started this whole search. The main reason the client liked the tree was a) it is at the entrance of his development and he wants to match the look, and b) it is the spacing of the branches, that tiered look. Anyway, the designer told him that they were plain old Colorado Spruce, he just hand-picked those that had that unique look!

We planted trees for the client yesterday...Vanderwolf Pines (he didn't want a tree that gets so big).

Thank you all for your help and ideas.

[Nebraska]

What did he say it was?

[kinnanscaping]

He, being Tim, never got back to me. Like I said, though, planted Vanderwolfs, so the "long hard search" was all for not. He gave up on the idea after I just took him to the nursery and we walked around for 20 minutes.