There are red spruce native to parts of New Jersey. You can order red spruce from the New Hampshire State Nursery. I am going to try it and see how they grow compare to the one Smoky Mountain spruce I got recently.

Great to see more people trying red spruce. It was my first boreal conifer infatuation. It tends to grow slowly in areas warmer than its normal habitat. Ironically, although white spruce's native range is farther north, I think it's a bit more adaptable.

Do you have a reliable source for red spruce seedlings other than the NH state nursery?

I don't per se, although you could try ForestFarm (https://www.forestfarm.com/product.php?id=3490) , Green Tree (http://www.greentecnursery.com/picea-rubens-red-spruce-new-york-strain-2-25-rootmaker-plug-seedling/), or Sheffield Seeds (https://www.sheffields.com/seeds/Picea/rubens) if you're very patient.

james, white spruce is more adaptable -- a few good specimens in my area. Red spruce is almost a sub-alpine tree needing higher elevations. I have to say, there were some wild red spruces growing at 4000' at Mountain Lake, VA, and, tho distinctive were coarse-looking & lacked the elegance of a (mature) Norway spruce. Maybe it was the soil (poor) or some other factor.

I might be able to get some surplus trees from WV in additon to the seedlings I am growing from internet ordered seed. You can find red spruce growing at Cranesville Swamp in Maryland.

Here in WNC even though red spruce is found wild nobody grows it as a specimen tree. Plenty of people grow and plant fraser fir though.

Out of curiosity, why are you guys looking for a source other than the NH nursery? I ordered 10 red spruce seedlings from them for spring. Is it that their supply is limited, or are they unreliable in some way?

No. I am looking to compare different trees from different areas for growth as ornamental plants. Are more northern red spruce more hardy than southern red spruce in your yard?

Here in WNC the Norway spruce grows just fine even at 1200 feet. Will the red spruce do the same?

doskil, if anything, the opposite is likely true -- as a generalization, you'll want individuals from the population closest to where you are/closest to the conditions you've got. In other words, the Picea rubens growing at the lowest altitude in the the southernmost locations are likely best adapted to what you've got. Localized variation w/in species is itself variable, and I'd guess that Red spruce has relatively less variation than many others -- pretty much anywhere it grows has notably cool summers. Norway spruce is immensely more adaptable than Red, so unfortunately I don't think it's a good barometer. The heat -- especially the hot nights that don't let the roots cool down -- is going to be your enemy. If I had to guess (based on my personal tree-killing experiences), I'd say that your trees will survive several years, maybe 5+, albeit growing slowly, before succumbing to something or other. But hope this prediction is conservative, and good luck!

I've ordered from the New York State Nursery and the New Hampshire State Nursery. Neither has rules against out of state purchases. I like both, but prefer the NH state nursery...their minimum order size is smaller and I've had a bit higher success rates. Of course, the NY State Nursery is closer to you. Both only take orders in Winter & Spring and ship in Spring.

New York said they would not sell out of state. I have some seeds I am growing but I think they are from Nova Scotia

Odd. I've ordered from the New York State Nursery and had the trees shipped to a Massachusetts address. Did they change their policy?

Sorry for the late reply but they told me they do not ship out of state. That was this past fall.

I had some shipped to Massachusetts the Fall before last.

So I got my 6-8" red spruce from NH nursery and planted them a few weeks ago. I read that they break bud late (june-july). They are in part shade/dappled sun.

What kind of growth should I expect in the first year? I know most bare roots don't really grow the first year, but these came with dirt on the roots still and I planted them immediately. If anyones got red spruce seedlings that have a year or two of growth on them, I'd love to see a picture! Thanks!

I got a couple young trees putting out buds. I'll see if I can get a picture.

One is from here in the mountains of NC, one is from Nova Scotia seed.

They grow all right here in Central Indiana - We've got a fairly diverse amount of landforms and soil types being right at the southern edge of past glaciation. This one is in an area of fairly well-drained silty loam, soil PH around 5.8-6.0 - We have mostly red oak, hickory, beech, cherry, red maple and sugar maple around here.

They do appreciate cool nights, for sure - Night temps are usually in the upper 50s/low 60s from June to August, with the occasional sultry night above 70. Heat waves don't usually last long, with pretty reliable cold fronts bringing in cool, dry air. Daytime highs are typically around 80-85, with some humid 90's. Very high humidty from late May through early July, but it dries out fairly well by mid-July.

In general, if you have a lot of mornings in the summer with fog or heavy dew (We sure do!), Red spruce does fine. Growth is slow for spruce, only about 1 foot to 16 inches per year once established.

I am growing some from different sources here in the North Carolina Mountains. Native red spruce grow 3900 feet + here (usually 4500 feet or more) but I am growing trees at a shade less than 2400 feet. The West Virginia trees (15) and the 1 local (North Carolina) tree are doing pretty good. I will have to take and upload some pictures. Some of New Hampshire trees did not make it but some of them are doing good as well. The New Hampshire state nursery sells some nice spruce trees

Norway spruce are everywhere around Asheville/Hendersonville/Waynesville. It seems almost nobody plants or raises red spruce as an ornamental despite it being native.

My goal is to see if red spruce are as hardy or adaptable as norway spruce.

Looks good! Red spruce seems to put out much shorter than normal growth for a year or two, and then it resumes normal growth once established. I throw a half cup of pelletized chicken manure or hollytone around the trees as the buds break, and they respond really well.

Norway spruce establishes and grows much faster than red spruce, which is (i suspect) the main reason red spruce isn't planted more. Even in the Great Smokies, where red spruce is a climax species, it only grows about 12-18 inches per year. I've seen Norway spruce around here put on 4 feet of new growth in a single season.

It also seems to be norways are easier to start from seed.

But the US Forest Service here in Asheville is growing red spruce from seed for reforestation in the Smokies. They are having some good success.

Not so much for me but I have some trying (internet seed source)

Just checking in....I got my 5 red spruce seedlings from NH Nursery back in the spring and I planted them immediately. I liked that they left a lot of dirt on the roots and just threw them in the shipping bag, rather than wash everything off the roots and tie them up etc like other places. This seems to have helped them settle in because every single one survived, grew and handled all the stresses of season change without me watering them at all. Here in northern NJ, we had two heat wave/semi-droughts and they went through them with no problem. I attribute this to both the fact that they are native to my neighborhood and that they were all planted in part sun or almost full shade, depending. They each put on 2-3 inches of growth so they're still very tiny. I expect something similar next year. And honestly, I've read about 100 year old red spruce that are only a few feet high. They have high shade tolerance but will grow super slow in that deep shade, so it seems their growth is super dependent on sun intensity. So I look forward to seeing how each of my 5 grow differently depending on the different conditions I've placed them in. Very happy I skipped the norway spruce in favor of this beautiful native tree!

Good-looking spruce!