Description of pine varieties

The most common coniferous species is pine. It grows throughout the Northern Hemisphere, with one species even crossing the equator. Everyone knows what a pine tree looks like; in Russia, Belarus and Ukraine, it is more often decorated with Christmas trees for the New Year. Meanwhile, the appearance of trees can vary greatly, as can the size or length of the needles.

But no matter how the plant looks, all varieties of pine have found application in industry, medicine, and park architecture. It is one of the main forest-forming species, prevents soil erosion, and can grow where other deciduous or coniferous trees simply cannot survive.

Where does pine grow in Russia

Russia is the natural habitat for 16 pine species. Another 73 are introduced, but grow mostly in culture, beautifying parks, public and private gardens.

The largest area is occupied by the Common Pine, which forms pure and mixed forests in the north of the European part and most of Siberia. It reaches almost to the Pacific Ocean, it is found in the Caucasus, in the northern part of Turkestan.

Common in Russia and Cedar Pines:

• Siberian grows throughout Western Siberia and part of the Eastern territory, in Altai and the highlands of the Eastern Sayan;
• Korean - in the Amur region;
• Dwarf cedar is common in Eastern Siberia, Transbaikalia, Amur Region, Kamchatka and Kolyma.

Other species have limited ranges and are not as well known. Some of them are included in the Red Book, for example:

• Cretaceous, growing in the Ulyanovsk, Belgorod, Voronezh regions and the Republic of Chuvashia;
• Dense-flowered or Red Japanese, which in Russia can be found only in the south of the Primorsky Territory.

We can safely say that different types of pine in Russia grow throughout the territory, and are one of the main forest-forming species.

Pine characteristic

Pine (Pinus) is a genus of approximately 115 species. Botanists did not come to a consensus, and their number, according to various sources, ranges from 105 to 124. The culture is part of the family of the same name Pine (Pinaceae), order Pine (Pinales).

Pine is a coniferous or deciduous tree

The Pine genus includes evergreen conifers, rarely shrubs. Biologists call needles modified leaves, although, from the point of view of an ordinary person, it would be correct to consider the opposite. After all, gymnosperms (coniferous) trees are more ancient than angiosperms (deciduous).

The bark of pine trees is usually thick, flakes off with scales of various sizes, but does not fall off. The root is powerful, the central is pivotal, goes deep into the ground, the lateral processes diverge to the sides and occupy a large area.

It may seem that the branches are grouped in rings on the tree, in fact, they form a spiral. Young shoots, often called "candles" due to their shape, are initially densely covered with whitish or brown scales and point upward. Then they turn green and straighten the needles.

The needles are usually green, sometimes with a bluish tinge, collected in bunches of 2-5 pieces, lives for several years. Very rarely needles are single, or grouped by 6. For example:

• double-breasted pines include ordinary pines, Belokoraya, Bosnian, Gornaya, Black and Primorskaya;
• three-conifers - Bunge, Yellow;
• among the five-conifers - all Cedar, Bristol, Armandi, Weimutova and Japanese (White).

The length of the needles is also very different. Of the species common in culture, the shortest in such pines:

• Bristol (Aristat) - 2-4 cm;
• Banksa - 2-4 cm;
• Japanese (White) - 3-6 cm;
• Twisted - 2.5-7.5 cm.

The longest needles in pine trees belonging to the following species:

• Armandi - 8-15 cm;
• Himalayan (Wallichiana) - 15-20 cm;
• Jeffrey - 17-20 cm;
• Korean cedar - up to 20 cm;
• Yellow - up to 30 cm.

The crown of a tree can be narrow, pyramidal, conical, pin-shaped, like an umbrella or a pillow. It all depends on the species.

The size of the pine crown most of all depends on the illumination. This is a very light-loving culture, if trees grow close to each other, the lower branches, deprived of light, die off. Then the crown cannot be spreading and wide, even if this is characteristic of the species.

What is the height of the pine

Depending on the species, the height of the pine varies from 3 to 80 m.The average size is considered to be 15-45 m.The shortest species of pine are Potosi and the dwarf cedar, not exceeding 5 m. Above others, Yellow can grow, for which 60 m - the usual size of an adult tree, and some specimens reach 80 m or more.

How the pine blooms

Most species are monoecious, that is, male and female cones appear on the same tree. Only some species are subdual - predominantly (but not completely) unisexual. In these varieties of pines, some specimens have most of the male cones, and only some are female, and others are vice versa.

Flowering begins in spring. Small male bumps, 1 to 5 cm in size, release pollen and fall off. For females, from fertilization to maturation, depending on the species, it takes from 1.5 to 3 years.

Mature cones are 3 to 60 cm long. The shape is cone-shaped, from almost round to narrow and long, often curved. Coloration is usually all shades of brown. Each cone consists of spirally arranged scales, sterile at the base and at the tip, much smaller in size than in the middle of the bump.

Small seeds, often winged, are carried by the wind or birds. Cones usually open up immediately after ripening, often remaining hanging in the tree for a long time. But this is not always the case. For example, in White Pine, the seeds are released only when a bird breaks the cone.

How many years does he live

Some sources call the average life of pines 350 years, others indicate the interval from 100 to 1,000 years. But these are very conditional values. Ecology has a huge impact on life expectancy - culture reacts poorly to air pollution.

The most long-lived is the Bristlepine Pine growing at an altitude of 3000 m in the White Mountains (California, USA), which will turn 4850 years old in 2019. She was even given a name - Methuselah, and recognized as the most ancient living organism on Earth. Sometimes unconfirmed information about specimens that have reached 6000 years old appears in different sources.

Photo of Methuselah pine tree

Types of pine trees with photos and descriptions

There are so many types of pine trees that it is impossible to present everything in one article.Therefore, the sample included only those that are most often used in landscaping and capable of growing in Russia.

Pine White (Japanese)

The natural habitat of Pinus parviflora is Japan, Korea and the Kuril Islands, where the tree grows at an altitude of 200-1800 m. Naturalized on the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus, where the pine was originally grown as an ornamental crop.

This species grows relatively slowly, an adult tree reaches a height of 10-18 m, sometimes 25 m, a trunk up to 1 m thick. Forms a broad-conical irregular crown, flattened on older specimens.

The young bark is gray and smooth, with age it becomes dull gray, cracks, the scales flake off. The needles 3-6 cm long are collected in bunches of 5 pieces, dark green above, gray-gray below. As you can see in the photo of a tree and leaves of a white pine, the needles are slightly twisted, like curls.

Male cones grow in groups of 20-30 on the underside of the branches, are colored red-brown, reaching 5-6 mm. Women, after ripening, have a length of 6-8 cm, a width of 3-3.5 cm. They grow in groups of 1 to 10 pieces at the ends of young shoots, have a conical shape, gray-brown in color, after opening they look like a flower.

Pine White (Japanese) is intended for cultivation in the frost resistance zone 5.

Weymouth Pine

Pinus strobus is the only pine with five needles growing east of the Rocky Mountains. It is also called Eastern White, and for the Iroquois tribe it is a tree of peace.

When it comes to Weymouth pine, first of all, long, soft, thin needles stand in front of your eyes. In fact, their size does not exceed 10 cm. But due to the rare arrangement, delicate texture, and the fact that the needles stay on the tree for only 18 months, therefore, they do not have time to get much hardened, it seems much more. The color of the needles is bluish-green.

Height in natural conditions reaches 40-50 m, it is considered the tallest tree in North America. There is information that specimens up to 70 m were found in the pre-colonial era, but this cannot be verified. It grows quickly, at home, at the age of 15 to 45, it can add up to 1 m annually.

It is a slender tree, in its youth with a narrow pyramidal dense crown. With age, the branches tend to move to a horizontal plane, the shape becomes wide. Young bark is smooth, greenish-gray, on old trees it becomes covered with deep cracks, becomes gray-brown, sometimes a purple tint appears on the plates.

Male cones are elliptical, numerous, yellow, 1-1.5 cm. Female cones are thin, on average 7.5-15 cm long, 2.5-5 cm wide. A good harvest happens every 3-5 years.

Weymouth pine is the most resistant to urban conditions and fires, but is often affected by rust. This species is the most shade-tolerant. Lives up to 400 years. Fully frost-resistant in zone 3.

Mountain pine

Pinus Mugo grows in the mountains of Central and Southeastern Europe at an altitude of 1400-2500 m. In East Germany and southern Poland, it is found in peatlands and frosty basins at a level of 200 m.

Mountain Pine is a rather variable species of coniferous multi-stemmed shrubs up to 3-5 m in height, in rare cases - small trees, often with a curved trunk, reaching a maximum size of 10 m.It grows rather quickly, adding 15-30 cm per year, to 10 in summer, the bush usually reaches 1 m in height with a width of 2 m.

This discrepancy between annual growth and plant size is caused by the fact that the shoots first lie on the ground and then rush upward. In older specimens, the crown diameter can be up to 10 m.

Smooth in youth, ash-brown bark, cracks with age and becomes gray-black or black-brown, darker in the upper part of the trunk than below. Dark green, dense, sharp needles, slightly twisted and curved, collected in bunches of 2 pieces, falls off after 2-5 years.

Male cones are yellow or red, dusty in late spring or early summer.Females are egg-like, purple at first, ripen 15-17 months and turn dark brown, 2-7 cm long.

Low sorts of mountain pine are always popular. Life span - 150-200 years, hibernates without shelter in zone 3.

Pine Dense-flowered (Grave)

The species Pinus densiflora is quite close to the Scots pine. It grows at an altitude of 0-500 m above sea level in Japan, China and Korea, occasionally found in the south of the Ussuri region.

The species is unsuitable for planting in most of Russia, since the trees are very thermophilic, they can winter only in zone 7. But numerous and very decorative varieties have shown great resistance to low temperatures. Some of the cultivars are intended for zone 4. They will feel great in the Moscow region or the Leningrad region, not to mention the more southern regions.

It grows like a tree with a curved trunk up to 30 m high and a spreading irregular crown, the shape of which is often called a "cloud". This is the best way to describe its shape.

Young branches are gray-green, then turn reddish-brown. The lower ones quickly fall off, even if the tree grows in an open place and does not lack sunlight.

The needles are gray or green, collected in 2 pieces, 7-12 cm long. Male cones are pale yellow or yellow-brown, female cones are golden brown, 3-5 cm long (sometimes 7 cm), collected in whorls of 2- 5 pieces.

Siberian Pine Cedar

Having edible seeds and better known as Cedar, the Siberian species Pinus sibirica is widespread in Russia. It grows in the Urals and Siberia, with the exception of most of Yakutia, China, Kazakhstan, and northern Mongolia. Trees rise to a height of up to 2 thousand m, and in the southern regions they have crossed the mark of 2400 m.

Unlike other species, Siberian cedar thrives on wet, swampy soils and heavy clayey soils. Lives up to 500 years, according to some sources, there are individual trees that have reached 800 years. Withstands cold winters in zone 3 well.

Siberian cedar is a tree with a height of about 35 m, the trunk diameter of which reaches 180 cm. In a young pine, the crown is conical, with age it spreads out to the sides, becomes wide and convex.

The bark of the Siberian cedar is gray-brown, the branches are thick, yellow-brown, the leaf buds are reddish. The needles are triangular in cross-section, dark green, rigid, curved, 6-11 cm long, collected in 5 pieces.

Male cones are red, female cone-oval, directed upwards, elongate after ripening. Their length is 5-8 cm, width is 3-5.5 cm. The seeds of the Siberian cedar are ovoid, slightly ribbed, yellow-brown, wingless, up to 6 mm long. Ripen 17-18 months after pollination.

The seeds of the Siberian cedar are usually called pine nuts, they have great nutritional value. Once removed from the shell, they are about the size of a pinky fingernail.

Korean Cedar Pine

Another species with edible seeds, Pinus koraiensis grows in northeastern Korea, the Japanese islands of Honshu and Shikoku, and the Heilongjiang province of China. In Russia, the Korean cedar, as the species is called, is widespread on the coast of the Amur. The culture grows at an altitude of 1300-2500 m, lives up to 600 years, it is quite frost-hardy in zone 3.

It is a tree with a height of about 40 m with a trunk diameter of up to 150 cm, with a gray-brown smooth bark, which turns black on old specimens and becomes scaly. Strong, outstretched, with raised ends, the branches of the tree form a wide conical crown, often with several tops. The needles are rare, hard, grayish-green, up to 20 cm long, collected in bunches of 5 pieces.

Male cones are located on the tree in large groups at the base of young shoots. Females are grayish-yellow at first, after maturing after 18 months - brown. The length of fruiting cones is 8-17 cm, the shape is ovoid, elongated, with bent seed scales. After ripening, they soon fall from the tree.

Each cone contains up to 140 large seeds up to 1.5 cm long and 1 cm wide. Harvest years occur once every 8-10 years. At this time, up to 500 cones are harvested from each tree.

Common pine

Among conifers, Pinus Sylvestris is second only to the Common Juniper in prevalence. It is a light-loving plant that can withstand frost and drought, preferring to grow on poor sandy soils. Scots pine is one of the main forest species in Europe and North Asia. The species has successfully naturalized in Canada.

Under natural conditions, it forms pure stands or mixed forests, where it grows next to birch, spruce, oak, aspen.

If the tree was not infected at an early age by the silkworm of the bud shoot, it forms an even, slender trunk, crowned at the top with an umbrella crown. The lower old branches usually die off as soon as they are shaded by the young ones.

The red-brown bark is rough, the old one cracks and flakes off in plates that differ in shape and size, but does not fall off. Grayish-green needles 4-7 cm long are collected in 2 pieces.

Common Pine is considered one of the fastest growing. Every year she increases her size by 30 cm and more. It has several geographical varieties that winter in zones 1-4, grow at an altitude of 0 to 2600 m.

At 10 years old, the Common Pine reaches four meters. An adult tree has a height of 25-40 m, but individual specimens growing mostly on the Baltic coast, when measured, show 46 m.The diameter of the trunk is from 50 to 120 cm.

Cones have the shape of an elongated oval with a pointed tip, ripen in 20 months. Most often they grow singly, have a length of up to 7.5 cm.The tree begins to bear fruit after 15 years.

There are many varieties of Scots pine, including the slow-growing dwarf ones.

Rumeli pine

Balkan, Macedonian or Rumelian Pine (Pinus peuce) is common in the Balkan Peninsula, naturalized in Finland. It grows at an altitude of 600-2200 m.

The height of an adult tree is about 20 m, in the population living in Bulgaria, the size is much larger - up to 35 m, and some specimens reach 40 m.The diameter of the trunk is 50-150 cm.

The Rumelian Pine grows rapidly, 30 cm per year. The branches begin almost at ground level or slightly higher, fold into a pyramidal crown with more or less regular outlines. At an altitude of more than 1800 m, you can find multi-stemmed trees that emerged from the fully germinated seeds of a cone lost by rodents.

On an adult tree, the lower branches are parallel to the ground, the upper ones are lifted up. In the middle of the crown, the shoots first go horizontally, then turn into a vertical plane. The higher a tree grows in the mountains, the narrower its contours.

Young needles are green, with age they acquire a silvery hue. The needles are collected in bunches of 5 pieces, have a length of 7-10 cm. There are many cones, they ripen one and a half years after pollination. Young ones are very beautiful, narrow, long, 9-18 cm.

Pine Thunberg

This species is called the Japanese Black Pine, its cultivated undersized forms are most often used to create garden bonsai. Pinus thunbergii is thermophilic, overwinters without shelter in zone 6, but there are varieties that are more resistant to low temperatures.

For the Thunberg pine, the natural habitat is the Japanese islands of Shikoku, Honshu, Kyushu and South Korea, where temperatures rarely drop below zero in winter. There, trees grow on poor, swampy soils, dry mountain slopes and ridges, climbing up to 1000 m above sea level.

Japanese black pine reaches a height of about 30 m with a trunk diameter of 1-2 m. The bark is dark gray or reddish-gray, scaly, with longitudinal cracks. The crown is dense, irregularly domed, often flattened.

Light brown branches are thick, large, often curved, horizontal on the tree. Dark green needles are sharp, collected in 2 pieces, 7 to 12 cm long, lasts 3-4 years.

Male cones are yellow-brown, 1-1.3 cm.Females keep on a short stalk, have the shape of a rounded cone, 4-7 cm long, 3.5-6.5 cm thick. Ripen and open at the end of winter.

Pine Black

This pine is called Austrian, the area is located in the mountain ranges of Central and Southern Europe at an altitude of 200 to 2000 m. Pinus Nigra has several varieties. They differ in the geographical position of the natural habitat and the height at which the trees grow. The species was naturalized in the USA and Canada. Winters in zone 5, some varieties are more resistant to low temperatures than the species. Black pine lives on average 350 years.

An adult tree reaches a height of 25-45 m, a trunk diameter of 1-1.8 m.At a young age, it grows slowly and forms a pyramidal crown, which eventually spreads to the sides, becomes wide, and by old age - an umbrella.

The bark is thick, gray-brown, on very old trees it can acquire a pinkish tint. The branches are even, strong, with dense needles. The needles are often curved, dark green, 8-14 cm long, live on the tree for 4-7 years.

Yellow male cones are 1-1.5 cm long. Female cones are conical, symmetrical, green at a young age, grayish-yellow after maturation after 20 months. Their size is in the range of 5-10 cm. After the seeds ripen, the cones can fall off or hang on the tree for 1-2 years.

Pine varieties

There are many types of pine, there are even more varieties. It is impossible to give preference to one and ignore the other, everyone has different tastes, the size and design of the sites, climatic zones differ. The appearance of pines also varies, and so much so that a person who is far from nature and has never been interested in plants will not always identify related cultures in them.

Nevertheless, it is necessary to give a general idea of ​​the varieties. Which one is best, most likely, connoisseurs and connoisseurs of conifers have their own ideas, but it will also be interesting for them to view the selection.

Low-growing pine varieties

Almost every type of pine for a summer residence can be found undersized varieties. They are very popular as they can grow in plots of any size, and are often used for planting in the parade area, rocky gardens and spectacular flower beds.

Pine Dense-flowered Lov Glov

The name of the variety, obtained from the witch's broom in 1985 by Sydney Waxman, an employee of the University of Connecticut, translates as Weak Glow. Some botanists believe that this is a hybrid of Pine Pine and Thunberg, but refer to the first species.

Pinus densiflora Low Glow is a slow-growing dwarf variety that gives an annual growth of 2.5-5 cm.At 10 years, the size of the tree is 40 cm in height with a diameter of 80 cm.

Pine of the Lov Glov variety forms a rounded, flattened crown, the color of which is subject to seasonal fluctuations. In spring and summer, the needles are light green, with the onset of cold weather it acquires a yellowish tint.

The tree grows without shelter in the fifth frost resistance zone.

Mountain Pine Mr. Wood

A rare, original cultivar of mountain pine, which is extremely difficult to propagate and bring before planting in open ground. The seedling that gave rise to Pinus mugo Mr Wood was found by Edsal Wood and given to the owner of the Buchholz and Buchholz nursery, Gaston Oregon, in the late 90s of the last century.

This pine grows extremely slowly, adding 2.5 cm annually. It forms a spherical irregular crown, the diameter of which is 30 cm by the age of 10. The needles are prickly, short, blue-blue.

Without shelter, the variety winters in zone 2.

Black Hornibrukiana Pine

The dwarf variety Pinus nigra Hornibrookiana is obtained from a witch's broom. At a young age, the crown is flattened, over time it acquires an irregular rounded shape, similar to a mound.

Old branches are located horizontally, young shoots are dense, grow upwards. Green needles are hard, shiny, 5-8 cm long, collected in 2 pieces. The decorativeness of the variety is added by “candles” of cream color.

This pine grows slowly, by the age of 10 it reaches a height of 60-80 cm and a width of 90-100 cm. The variety is undemanding to soils, it grows in a fully illuminated place.Winter hardiness - zone 4.

Pine White Japanese Adcox Dwarf

In Russian, the name of the Pinus parviflora Adcock’s Dwarf variety is translated as Dwarf (Dwarf) Adcock. The seedling was discovered in the English Hillers nursery in the 60s of the XX century.

This pine is a dwarf conifer with a squat, irregular crown. At a young age, it is rounded and flattened, then it stretches somewhat, and the shape begins to resemble a pyramidal one.

The variety grows very slowly, but after 25 years the tree reaches 1-1.3 m in height and width. The needles are small, blue-green.

This pine tree tolerates pruning well. If you start it at a young age, you can form a garden bonsai. The variety hibernates in the fifth zone without shelter.

Weymouth Pine Amelia Dwarf

The original, very beautiful variety Pinus strobus Amelia’s Dwarf, whose name translates as Amelia's Dwarf, was bred by the Raraflora nursery (Pennsylvania, USA) in 1979 from a witch's broom.

Pine grows slowly, adding 7.5-10 cm annually. Its spherical dense crown reaches a diameter of 1 m by the age of 10. The needles are fluffy, beautiful, blue-green in color. Pine looks especially beautiful in spring, when it produces many salad-colored candles.

Without shelter, the variety winters in zone 3.

Fast growing pine varieties

On large plots, it especially pleases the owners when yesterday the space that seemed empty was filled with beautiful flowers, shrubs and trees. Rarely what coniferous culture can compete in growth rate with pine, and its high decorativeness and unpretentiousness make it even more attractive.

Korean Dragon Eye Cedar Pine

The origin of the spectacular fast growing Pinus koraiensis Oculus Draconis is unknown. It was first described in 1959.

This cedar pine grows very quickly, adding more than 30 cm annually.At the age of 10, the tree reaches a height of 3 m and a width of 1.5 m.

Forms a vertical conical crown. A special charm is added to the variety by the long, up to 20 cm, blue-green needles growing with a slight break, which is clearly visible in the photo. The visual impression is created that the pine shoots are drooping, although in fact this is not the case.

The variety got its name due to the yellow stripes that can appear in the middle of the needles. At the base of the tips of young shoots, they fold into a golden multi-rayed star, really similar to the eye of an outlandish reptile. But the yellow color is not always manifested, and during reproduction, when the strict culling of seedlings that do not correspond to the variety is not carried out, it has become a rarity.

The pine hibernates without shelter in zone 5.

Pine Weymouth Torulose

The origin of Pinus strobus Torulosa is unclear; it was first cataloged by Hillier Nursery in 1978. It is believed that the cultivar originated in Europe.

Weymouth pine Torulose grows very quickly, adding 30-45 cm annually. In a young plant, the crown of an incomprehensible shape becomes wide with age, from oval to vertical, similar to a species tree. At 10 years old, the height of the pine reaches 4-5 m.

The variety is distinguished by slightly twisted branches and strongly curved blue-green needles. The needles are soft, long (up to 15 cm), very beautiful.

The Weymouth pine tree of the Torulose variety is completely frost-resistant in zone 3.

Common Pine Hillside Creeper

A very interesting variety produced by the famous American Hillside kennel, created in 1970. Seedling selected by Lane Ziegenfuss.

The variety is completely different from the species Scots Pine, as it is a creeping plant. Weak loose branches are strictly in the horizontal plane, only individual shoots rise slightly upward. With a growth rate of 20-30 cm per season, over time, they cover a large area. By the age of 10, the height of the pine is only 30 cm, but the diameter of the crown "masters" an area with a diameter of 2 to 3 m.

Dense grayish-green needles are prone to seasonal color changes.With the onset of cold weather, it acquires a yellowish tint.

Hillside Creeper Pine is hardy and does not require winter shelter in Zone 3.

Pine Thunberg Aoch

The original Pinus thunbergii Aocha was first mentioned in 1985, and its origin is unknown.

The tree grows rapidly, adding more than 30 cm per year and by 10 years stretching up to 4 m. This pine tree forms a wide vertical crown, the shape of which approaches an oval. Among others, the variety stands out for the color of the needles - most of the branches are green, some are yellow, and some are covered with needles of different colors.

In order for the pine to fully show its decorative qualities, it must be well lit. The tree hibernates unprotected in zone 5.

Pine Common Gold Nisbet

The variety originated from a seedling selected in the Dutch arboretum Trompenburg in 1986. It was originally named Nisbet Aurea, but was later officially renamed Pinus sylvestris Nisbet's Gold. Sold under both names.

This is a resistant variety of Common Pine, when multiplying, it gives little seedlings that do not correspond to the maternal characteristics. It grows very quickly - about 60 cm per year, at a young age it is somewhat slower, and after 10 years it reaches 3-5 m.

At a very young age, the tree looks like a small Christmas tree. Then it gradually acquires a wide oval or vertical crown shape, as it grows, it loses its lower branches, it becomes more and more like a species pine.

It stands out with short green needles, which change color to golden in winter, which becomes more intense as the temperature decreases. A tree hibernates without shelter in zone 3.

Pine varieties for the Moscow region

The Moscow region is located in frost resistance zone 4. This means that most of the best pine varieties can be planted there. Of course, it cannot be said that the choice is unlimited for Muscovites, but even thermophilic species have cultivars that are more resistant to cold than the parent breed.

Weymouth Pine Verkurv

From seeds obtained by cross-pollination of the Weymouth and Torulosa pines, three new varieties were bred by Vergon by Greg Williams in the middle of the 2000s. In addition to Pinus strobus Vercurve, Mini Twists and Tiny Kurls owe their origins to this crop.

Verkurv is a dwarf variety of Weymouth pine with a wide-pyramidal crown. The annual growth is 10-15 cm, and the height of a tree at 10 years old is 1.5 m with a width of 1 m.

An interesting variety with blue-green needles, long, soft, as if specially curled and disheveled. They can be clearly seen in the photo below.

The Verkurv pine tree without shelter can winter in zone 3.

Pine Scotch Gold Con

Of the currently available pine varieties that change the color of the needles in winter to golden, Pinus sylvestris Gold Coin is rightfully considered one of the best. Its origin and cultural introduction is attributed to RS Corley (Great Britain). In Russian, the name of the pine is translated as the Golden Coin.

The tree grows quite quickly, annually increasing by 20-30 cm. An adult plant reaches a height of 5.5 m and a width of 2.5 m. But after that it continues to grow. The size of the pine can be limited by trimming, which also makes the already dense branches denser.

The tree forms a conical crown, which expands with age. Differs in the color of the needles. In spring and summer, it is pale green, in winter it turns golden, and with a decrease in temperature it becomes brighter.

The tree overwinters in zone 3.

Pine Black Frank

The Pinus nigra Frank variety arose in the mid-80s of the XX century, represented by the Mitch nursery (Aurora, Oregon).

The tree is distinguished by a vertical, rather narrow for a pine crown, formed by straight branches raised upward, tightly adjacent to one another. Neat "candles" and white buds add decorativeness to the pine.

The needles are shorter than that of the original species, rich green, very prickly. The variety grows rather slowly, about 15 cm per year. To maintain the shape and size of the tree, it is recommended to do a light pruning every spring.

Pine Frank winters in zone 4. In late autumn, it is recommended to tie the crown of the tree with twine.

Mountain Pine Carstens

The Pinus mugo Carstens variety was introduced into the culture by the German nursery Hachmann in 1988. It arose from a seedling selected several years earlier by Erwin Carstens.

It is a dwarf pine variety.In youth, the tree forms a cushion-shaped crown, which with age becomes like a flattened ball. The annual growth is 3.5-5 cm. A ten-year-old pine tree has a height of 30 cm with a crown diameter of 45-60 cm.

In summer, the needles are the same as on the species plant, green or dark green, in winter they acquire a rich golden color. Another "highlight" of the variety is the appearance at the end of the growing season at the ends of the branches of short bristly needles.

Mountain pine Karstes has high winter hardiness, it does not need to be covered in zone 4.

Rumelian Pine Pacific Blue

A relatively new variety that emerged from a seedling selected at the beginning of the century by the Iseli nursery (Oregon). Pinus peuce Pacific Blue is a true blue pine, and this color is rare for culture, unlike blue.

The tree forms a wide vertical crown, consisting of dense raised branches topped with long, thin, bright needles. This Rumelian pine grows very quickly, adding more than 30 cm each year, and by the age of 10, under favorable conditions, it can stretch up to 6 m.The width will not differ too much from the height - 5 m.

The Pacific Blue variety stands out not only for its exceptional decorative qualities, but also for its rare frost resistance for the thermophilic Rumelian pine. The tree overwinters without shelter in zone 4.

Pine in landscape design

The use of pine trees in landscaping depends on their size and growth rate. Of course, it is possible to slow down, and significantly, the rate of development of a tree by skillful pruning, but not indefinitely. If a pine tree added 50 cm per year without cutting, but began to stretch "only" by 30 cm, it is still a lot.

Inhibits the widespread use of culture and low resistance to air pollution. If the description of the variety claims that it tolerates urban conditions well, then this is only in comparison with other representatives of the Pine family. All genera and species included in the taxon react poorly to anthropogenic pollution.

Tall varieties and species trees are planted in parks, in large areas and in the periphery of small ones. It is not recommended to make of them a fence between the outside world and a private territory - a hedge of bald diseased trees looks pathetic. Unless the owners want privacy from their neighbors, and not protection from the noise and dust of the road passing nearby.

There is a place for a dwarf pine in any area. Low-growing varieties are planted in the front area, rocky gardens, in flower beds to give greater effect.

Medium-sized pines are quite suitable for landscape groups and are used as a single focal plant. Flower beds look great against their background.

Whatever the size of the pine, it will decorate any site, and the winter landscape will make it less monotonous and boring.

The healing properties of pine

Large amounts of nutrients, for which a separate article will be required, are contained in pine:

• kidneys;
• pollen;
• needles;
• young shoots;
• green cones;
• bark.

Resins, obtained mainly from wood, namely stumps, since trunks are valuable lumber, contain a large amount of essential oils and are used to obtain turpentine. In medicine, only purified - gum is used.

Made from pine and tar. It is widely used not only by traditional medicine, but also by official medicine.

It is difficult to say which diseases pine cannot help alleviate. But that's not all. A stay in a pine forest in itself has a beneficial effect on the physiology and psyche of a person. For many diseases, walks in arboretums and pine forests are indicated.

Meaning and application

Pine has two main uses in the national economy. On the one hand, it is one of the main forest-forming species. Pine grows where other trees cannot survive, is used to prevent soil erosion, and is planted on sand and stones.

On the other hand, this is the most valuable timber. Only European Pine in Russia supplies more than a third of the timber used. It is exported, building, making paper, pencils, fasteners, barrels. Pine is irreplaceable in shipbuilding, chemical and cosmetic industries.

The tree is used almost completely - from the crown to the stumps. Turpentine, tar and essential oils are obtained from pine, even needles are used for vitamin supplements for animal feed. The bark of trees is treated with fungicides and insecticides, divided into fractions by size, and used in landscape design as mulch.

Some pines, including cedar and pinia, have edible seeds commonly referred to as nuts. They have a high nutritional value and contain a lot of nutrients.

Features of pine care

In general, pine is an undemanding tree to care for. But only if you place it in the "right" place, and do not rely on chance, planting a variety in an unsuitable frost-resistance zone for its cultivation.

All pines are very sun-loving, prefer moderately fertile drained soils, react well to stones and a large amount of sand in the substrate. It is a drought-resistant tree. Only one species requires regular watering - Rumeli Pine.

The tree tolerates pruning well, especially at a young age. If the "candle" is damaged, for example, cut off by a gardener or eaten by an animal, new buds appear below the wound surface, from which new shoots grow. This is often used in the formation of pine. If you cut the "candle" by 1/3, it will only slow down the growth of the tree a little, removing 1/2 will make the crown compact and dense. When creating garden bonsai, pluck out 2/3 of the young shoot.

Mature pine trees are always more winter-hardy than young ones.

Plants up to 5 years old can be transplanted without consequences. Large trees are moved after preliminary preparation of the root system, or with a frozen clod of earth.

When planting pine, the root collar must not be buried.

Reproduction

Pine cuttings usually fail. Even nurseries rarely practice this method.

Varieties obtained from the witch's broom, weeping forms, as well as especially valuable and rare varieties, are propagated by grafting. This procedure is beyond the power of most amateurs.

Amateur gardeners can try to propagate the crop with seeds that are sown after stratification. In pine, germination approaching 50% is considered excellent. But waiting for the seedlings is only half the battle. You need to carefully look after them for another 4-5 years before landing in the ground.

In addition, not all cultivars inherit varietal traits when sowing seeds, because most of them appeared as a result of mutation. Some of them will grow species trees, and of low quality. Others often "sport", mutate further, or, conversely, reverse. In biology, there is even such a concept - a resistant variety. This means that the offspring are more likely to resemble the parent culture.

What amateurs are definitely not able to do is to sort them out for varietal discrepancy. Firstly, small pines are not like an adult tree, and it is simply difficult for a layman to figure it out. And secondly, it's a pity to throw the plant away!

Diseases and pests

Pines have their own specific and common pests and diseases with other crops. In order for the tree to be healthy and not lose its decorative effect, preventive treatments must be carried out regularly. Insecticides will help to defeat pests, and fungicides will help to cope with diseases.

The following insects cause significant damage to pines:

• pine hermes;
• pine aphid;
• Scale pine common;
• pine moth;
• pine scoop;
• pine silkworm;
• pine shoots.

Among the diseases of the pine stand out:

• resinous cancer or blistering rust;
• shute;
• red spot of needles;
• dothystromosis;
• scleroderriosis.

Conclusion

Pine looks attractive, does not require special care, most species are undemanding to soil and watering. There are dwarf and fast-growing varieties, differing in crown shape, length and color of needles. This makes the culture attractive in landscaping and greening parks. The only thing that hinders the spread of culture is low resistance to anthropogenic pollution.

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