An easily grown plant, it thrives best when growing in a deep well-drained soil in the western parts of Britain where it appreciates the higher rainfall. However, it succeeds in most soils and positions, being especially good on acidic sandy soils but also tolerating some lime so long as there is plenty of humus in the soil. Plants are very shade tolerant when young, but need more sunlight as they grow older. Plants are thin and poor when grown in dry or exposed places. A very slow growing tree in most of Britain but probably faster in the far west and in Ireland. Plants require hot humid summers and do not usually thrive in Britain. Plants are very liable to injury by late frosts, they are often shrubby in cultivation. Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus.

Inner bark - raw or dried, ground into a powder and then used as a thickening in soups etc or mixed with cereals when making bread. A herbal tea is made from the young shoot tips. These tips are also an ingredient of 'spruce beer'.

Seed - it germinates better if given a short cold stratification and so is best sown in a cold frame in autumn to late winter. It can also be sown in early spring, though it might not germinate until after the next winter. If there is sufficient seed, an outdoor sowing can be made in spring. Pot-grown seedlings are best potted up into individual pots once they are large enough to handle - grow them on in a cold frame and plant them out in early summer of the following year. Trees transplant well when they are up to 80cm tall, but they are best put in their final positions when they are about 30 - 45 cm or less tall, this is usually when they are about 5 - 8 years old. Larger trees will check badly and hardly put on any growth for several years. This also badly affects root development and wind resistance.

Forests, especially on steep cliffs, 2300 - 3000 metres. Mountains, mixed forests, valleys and river basins at elevations of 1000 - 3500 metres.