Spanish fir

Spanish fir: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Dense, broad cone with horizontal branches down to the ground. In gardens it grows slowly, reaching 10–20 m tall and 6–8 m wide after several decades.

Needles

Short (1–2 cm), stiff, thick and blunt, set all round the shoot; dark green to blue-grey with fine greyish-white lines.

Cones

Upright, cylindrical, 10–15 cm long, at the top of older trees. They break up on the tree in autumn.

Bark

Smooth and grey on young trees, later darker and cracked into plates.

Roots

Young trees form a deep taproot, which helps them through drought. So move it while it is young.

Plants: April–May and September–October

Why grow it?

• One of the few firs suited to chalky, rather dry soil.
• A dense green or blue-grey focal point all year, even in the depths of winter.
• The short, stiff needles all round the shoots give it an unusual, bristly texture.
• Older trees carry upright cones, green or purplish brown at first, later brown.
• The dense branches give birds shelter and a safe place to nest.

Spanish fir: where does it grow best?

• Full sun: in shade it grows sparse and loses its lower branches.
• Any well-drained soil: sand, loam or clay, neutral to chalky.
• Dry to moderately moist; it will not tolerate wet feet or standing water.
• Avoid frost pockets: the young shoots break early and can be killed by late frosts.
• Allow 6–8 m of space and plant it at least 5 m from buildings. It looks best as a specimen in a lawn.

Light

Sun

Soil type

Sand, loam or clay

Acidity

Neutral or chalky

Moisture

Dry or normal

Size

20 m tall, 8 m wide

Hardiness

Hardy (to -20 °C)

Goes well with

• Lavender: A blue-grey, scented edging for the same sunny, chalky spot.
• Blue fescue: Low blue tufts that echo the colour of the needles.
• Catmint: Long blue flowering at the base, also happy in dry, chalky soil.
• Thyme: A low, scented ground cover for the sunny edge.

Spanish fir: when and how to plant it?

Plant in April–May and September–October.

1. Plant in April–May or in September–October; in autumn the soil is still warm and it establishes easily.
2. Dig a hole twice as wide as the root ball and loosen the bottom so that water can drain away.
3. Set the tree at the same depth as it was in the pot or root ball: the top of the ball level with the soil. Cut the string on a hessian-wrapped root ball; the hessian can stay.
4. Secure larger trees to an angled stake against the wind and firm the soil well.
5. Water straight away with 20–30 litres and repeat every week in dry spells during the first summer.
6. Spread a mulch of wood chips or bark round the base, keeping it off the trunk.

Care

Water

Water in dry spells for the first two to three years. After that it copes well with dry summers.

Feeding

Not needed. On poor soil, at most a little compost in spring.

Mulching

A layer of wood chips keeps the soil cool and weeds down while the tree is young.

Lower branches

Leave them on: they clothe the tree down to the ground, and bare patches do not regrow.

In a pot

Young trees can spend a few years in a large pot of free-draining compost. Water regularly if so.

Tip: Give it enough room from the start and keep the lower branches: a Spanish fir branched right down to the ground looks its best as a specimen tree.

Spanish fir: when to prune it?

When: No pruning is needed: a fir naturally grows into a handsome cone shape.

How:

• If a double leader forms, cut out the weaker one so that a single leading shoot remains.
• Remove dead or damaged branches back to the trunk or to a healthy side branch.
• Never cut into bare old wood: it will not grow new needles.
• Do not top the tree: without its leader it loses its shape for good.

Caution: If space is short, choose a slower-growing form rather than pruning every year.

Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Seed

Sow in spring, after keeping the seed in the fridge for a few weeks. Seedlings grow slowly for the first years and like light shade.

Grafting

Cultivars such as ‘Glauca’ are grafted onto a rootstock by nurseries. Fir cuttings root poorly.

Spanish fir: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −20 °C.

• Hardy to about −20 °C: in Belgium a mature tree needs no protection.
• The young shoots are sensitive to late frosts in April and May; on a young tree a fleece for one night helps.
• Shake heavy, wet snow off the branches so that they do not break.
• In a pot: stand it in a sheltered spot against a wall and wrap the pot in hessian or bubble wrap.

Diseases and pests

• Late frost damage: Brown, limp new shoots after a cold spring night. The tree usually recovers the following year; avoid planting in a frost pocket.
• Woolly aphids: White, woolly tufts on needles and shoots, sometimes with yellowing needles. Hose off with a strong jet of water; in a heavy attack, cut out the worst shoots.
• Root rot: The needles turn dull and brown from the bottom up, usually because of waterlogged soil. Prevent it with a well-drained site: an affected tree is hard to save.
• Needle drop from drought: Young trees shed inner needles in a dry summer after planting. Water in dry spells for the first years.

Through the year

• January: Rest. Shake heavy snow off the branches.
• March: Top up the mulch round young trees.
• April: Plant. Protect young shoots on frosty nights.
• May: Plant. New shoots break; watch for woolly aphids.
• June: Water young trees in dry spells.
• July: Water in dry spells, especially in the first year.
• August: Check for woolly aphids. Water in dry spells.
• September: Plant while the soil is still warm.
• October: Plant. Ripe cones break up on the tree.
• December: Rest. Shake snow off the branches.

Did you know?

• The Swiss botanist Edmond Boissier described the species in 1838, after a journey through the mountains around Ronda.
• In the wild it now grows in only a few mountain ranges in Andalusia; the species is considered endangered and those forests are protected.
• As with all firs, the cones stand upright and break up on the tree: you almost never find whole cones on the ground.