Blue-green pines

16 years ago

I'd like to plant some conifers on the rear lot line of my property to partly screen out the view of the neighbors. One the the trees I'd like to include is a blue green pine because I really like the look. I've seen many options at local nurseries but am trying to decide between them based on growth rate, how full they are as they mature, and habit. I'd like it to eventually be 30-45' tall.

Varieties I've been looking at:

pinus parviflora glauca - this would be my first choice but it seems to be more open & slower growing?

pinus sylvestris bonna _ I like the look of the small ones I've seen, but read online that it ends up more open in habit

pinus koraiensis 'morris blue'

pinus kwangtungensis

pinus sylvestris bonna

pinus cembra glauca

Any input on how these compare for habit (spreading/columnar, open/dense), growth rate, eventual size, disease issues, etc?

Thanks a lot for your help,

Steve

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Comments (6)

firefightergardener
16 years ago
Hi Steve,

I think pinus koraeiensis 'Vanderwolf's Pyramid' might be another good option as well. It's a nice blue-green and fast growing. Keep in mind that fast growing for conifers is a couple feet a year - and it might take a couple decades to reach your height request.

You can probably remove the parviflora, they are slower growing and only in great age reach 30-40'.
coniferjoy
16 years ago
Will, I think you mean Pinus FLEXILIS 'Vanderwolf's Pyramid'.

Steve, the Pius cembra 'Glauca' is the slowest from your list.
Other good one's and pretty fast growing at a later age are Pinus koraiensis 'Silveray', Pinus parviflora 'Tempelhof' and Pinus strobus 'Torulosa'.
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Greenthumb
16 years ago
If you want screening from the ground to that 45' tall level, keep in mind that most of the pines will lose their lower branches as they get taller.

I have a P. p. 'Tempelhof' and it's a very open tree and I would never consider it a "screening" tree.

A much better plant would be Thuja occidentalis 'Hetz Wintergreen'.

The P. cembra 'Glauca' is one of the most dense of the trees you've listed, but it will need to have some space between it and its nearest neighbor to keep its branches to the ground as it gets older.
My .02
Mike
Embothrium
16 years ago
Pinus strobus 'Fastigiata'. Like others more than 40' in time, but if you figure on somewhat less than 1' per year...
pdxcheesehead
Original Author
16 years ago
Thanks for the feedback.

I love Vanderwolf's Pyramid, and have been admiring it for years, but for some reason I had it in my head that it got very large (>100'). Looking online it appears that it won't get much larger than 45'. Is that correct? Are the eventual mature sizes of pinus flexilis Vanderwolf's Pyramid, pinus koraiensis 'morris blue',
pinus kwangtungensis, and pinus sylvestris bonna about the same?

I don't care too much of the bottom branches thin out. My property slopes down 10' so only the upper branches block the neighbors anyhow.

I was hoping to inter-mix some taller, narrower trees as well, Picea Omorika in particular because I love their look. The plan was to have them behind the pines. Will Vanderwolf's Pyramid outgrow Picea Omorika and shade it out?
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
16 years ago
cheesehead in OR??? i thought the heads were in WI or MN .... wherever green bay is ... lol ...

anyway.. see link.. all conifers have an annual growth rate...once established.. they will grow at the rate for just about forever ...

so if Pinus FLEXILIS grows say 2 feet per year .... the 'Vanderwolf's Pyramid' will probably do that .... that means ... presuming you start with a small one.. that in about 20 years.. it will achieve and start to exceed your 45 foot requirement ....

but the growth rate will depend on amount of sun ... and other variables...

in my world.. warped as it is... if i want it.. i get it.. and if in 10 or 20 years.. it outgrows the space.. i get rid of it.. i would rather spend that time enjoying the heck out of it.. rather than buying something mundane to fit a spot ...

though some of the smaller things kinda stop growing.. i would figure that anything that gets to 45 feet.. isnt going to magically stop anywhere near that size ...

good luck

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: link