White Pine, Evergreen Shrub Of The Day

Pinus strobus 'Pendula'

White Pine, Eastern White Pine

Type Shrub, woody plant

Hardy range 3B to 7A

Height 10' to 15' / 3.00m to 4.60m

Spread 25' to 30' / 7.60m to 9.20m

Growth rate Slow

Form Weeping

Exposure Partial shade or partial sun to full sun

Persistence Evergreen

Bloom Color Pink and yellow

Bloom Time Spring

Environment This plant tolerates some drought.
This plant will grow in dry soil.
Suitable soil is well-drained/loamy or sandy.
The pH preference is an acidic to neutral (less than 6.8 to 7.2) soil.

Leaf Color Blue and green
Fall Color No change in fall color
This plant has fragrant foliage.

Culture Notes White pine is a traditional favorite in northern landscapes that grows well in situations mimicking its native habitat. Unfortunately, few urban sites match this criteria. Try to provide loose loamy, acidic, moist soil with adequate organic matter. Young White Pines are quite tolerant of half-day shade while mature White Pines prefer a sunny location. They grow poorly and develop chlorosis and die on clay soil. Sites with an alkaline pH also causes decline. Trees appear to have little tolerance for drought, soil compaction and heat. Eastern White Pine suffers from application of roadside deicing salts and is sensitive to air pollution, especially ozone and sulfur dioxide.

Trees are probably best suited for zone 6B and north. Trees transplant easily but allow plenty of open soil space for root development. Trees perform poorly in restricted soil spaces. Needles in fascicles of 5.

Maintain adequate mulch areaBe sure to clear all turf away from beneath the branches and mulch to the drip line (the edge of the branches), especially on young trees, to reduce competition with turf and weeds. This will allow roots to become well established and keep plants healthier. Locate the tree properly, taking into account the ultimate size, since the tree looks best if it is not pruned to control size. The tree can enhance any landscape with its delightful spring flush of foliage. It can be the centerpiece of your landscape if properly located.

Like most pines, trees best recover from transplanting when moved balled and burlapped, not bare-root. They also grow fine when planted from containers provided plants are not root bound.
Planting and establishing shrubsThe most common cause of young plant failure is planting too deep. Plant the root ball no deeper than it was in the nursery. In most instances, the root flare zone (point where the top-most root in the root ball originates from the trunk) should be located just above the landscape soil surface. Sometimes plants come from the nursery with soil over the root flare. If there is soil over this area, scrape it off. The planting hole should be at least twice the width of the root ball, preferably wider. In all but exceptional circumstances where the soil is very poor, there is no need to incorporate anything into the backfill soil except the loosened soil that came out of the planting hole. Never place ANY soil over the root ball. If a row or grouping of plants is to be installed, excavating or loosening the soil in the entire bed and incorporating organic matter enhances root growth and establishment rate.

Weed suppression during establishment is essential. Apply a 3-inch thick layer of mulch around the plant to help control weed growth. Keep it at least 10 inches from the trunk. If you apply it over the root ball, apply only a one or two inch layer. This allows rainwater and air to easily enter the root ball and keeps the trunk dry. Placing mulch against the trunk or applying too thick a layer above the root ball can kill the plant by oxygen starvation, death of bark, stem and root diseases, prevention of hardening off for winter, vole and other rodent damage to the trunk, keeping soil too wet, or repelling water. Regular irrigation through the first growing season after planting encourages rapid root growth, which is essential for quick plant establishment.

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