Well, let me add just a little to try to help. Last night I wrote a longer response, but my MS system with all its bugs ate my browser window. Sometimes it is Gardenweb that eats my posts. I have to remember to open a word processor window. Oh well. Anyway, I have had these weevils for years and years. They really "bug" me, so to speak. But, on the one hand, my NS trees have averaged about 28" growth per year in spite of these attacks. In the past, some years I would guess that up to 30% of my NS trees were weeviled. As an impact on my NS stands as a whole, the effect is minimal. They have caused some deformations, mostly forks, of individual trees, but in total, even with each tree being weeviled multiple times, this is less than 5%. I have climbed these trees and cut out a lot of these forks, but I couldnt get (or even see) them all. But on the other hand, if you have a few trees in your yard, having these weevils is more of a problem. In my forest stands, if one tree is really damaged by growing a fork, I have other trees growing next to it and can thin it out to favor other trees. In a yard planting, you dont have that option.. In addition to my forest stands, I Have some NS planted in my yard here at my timberland place (in Winchester, we dont have these weevils). Let me describe what has happened to three trees. One is a pendula major. This tree was weeviled three years in a rowaaarggh! But the last two years it was not attacked. In these last two years it has grown a little more than 7 feet. So looking at the tree now, I would say "no problem." I have another tree that this year was attacked for the third year in a row. The top is a messy cluster of leaders/would-be-leaders. I am just watching it. It may "resolve itself and put out a nice leader that will not be attacked the next yearI will wait and see. But in the meantime I dont enjoy this tree. The third case is an Oriental spruce. It has been attacked every other year for about 6 years. It has two leaders. One year one is attacked, the next time it is the other. When one is attacked I think, "OK, that will slow one and the other will take over as the leader. But then the next year that one is attacked. I dont like this and am considering a physical sticky barrier to see if that helps. (Not put directly on the bark of the tree, but on a wrap I put around the tree.) In your place, I would not let these weevils dissuade you from using NS in your screen/windbreak in whatever way you want. Most of the time the damage is slight in the long run, and much of the time if a real problem develops with an individual tree, it can be corrected. In some areas white pine weevil virtually destroys white pine trees, but spruce, with their internodal buds, are not so severely affected. Funny thing, though, my white pines are almost never attackedjust the spruces. Another factor you can consideras the trees get taller and taller, they are attacked less and less. In my area, apparently, they go higher than in some other areas. My trees in my forest stands are now about 80 feet tall, and I would say the attacks are down to less than 10% most years, and some years almost none. They also are more likely to attack individual trees or trees near the edges of a forest stand. In dense stands they are less of a problem. But I guess this would not help you with your kind of planting. --Spruce

Sorry I'm late on this post but I think Serbian spruce and Norway spruce look great together. We have several of each growing at the edge of our property line, and there's no problem so far with them co-existing. They are roughly 20-25 feet tall at this point. The NS are growing slightly faster but the SS are a very nice compliment to them. Just leave quite a bit of space since the NS will grow much wider than the SS. HTH, Dave

You want the best of both worlds built into one conifer. That is not possible with the two you have chosen. Picea a. 'Pendula' has a wondering growing habit. It will grow vertical on the stake as long as on the stake. When it reaches a height you can no longer stake it then the central leader will begin to wonder. It will need more room horizontally to grow then "Glauca Pendula'. The only favorable thing it has going for it is the dark green color you like. On the other hand Picea glauca 'Pendula' will grow straight as an arrow without the stake. It will not wonder and stay very narrow in growing width. A much more formal looking conifer then . Growing height is similar with 'Reflexa' the stronger.. Actually I have two of each growing in different areas of my garden. I would not grow them together. The look would not be appealing with the mismatched growing habit. I have enclosed two photos of 'Reflexa'. 'Pendula' in the nursery trade. This one on the stake only 2 years then left to free range. This one was staked for 10 years but now off the stake. The main leader is now some what unstable and reverting back to its wandering growing habit. This photo is two years old and does not reveal this. And of course Picea glauca 'Pendula'. A true champion growing in any garden. I hope I didn't totally confuse you in your decision making. Both are great focal point conifers. If you decide to mix and match go for it. You are the one who needs to be happy. Dave

Great tree choices-two of my favorites, so they must be good, right? So you've done your homework and yes, both are vigorous, fast growers. In my experience, white pine will shoot up a little faster a little quicker, if that makes sense. I've planted roughly 10,000 trees at my tree farm, of which nearly two thirds are these two types, and in the earliest stages of growth, the white pines win the race. A few years later, the spruce begin to put on amazing growth, some of mine in the last two years averaging nearly four feet of height increment per year. The spruce will hold its lower branches better than the pine, so is a better windbreak/screen plant, but both are good. Beyond that, it's really your call on how to arrange. I also like the three per grouping scheme. +oM