Plant Library

Other Names:  Eastern White Pine

Description:

A dwarf evergreen garden shrub with a dense, flattened, mounded habit of growth and thin, slightly twisted, bluish-green foliage; hardy and slow growing, excellent for form, texture and color detail in the landscape or rock gardens; needs full sun

Ornamental Features

Soft Touch White Pine is a dwarf conifer which is primarily valued in the landscape or garden for its interestingly mounded form. It has bluish-green evergreen foliage which emerges chartreuse in spring. The twisted needles remain bluish-green throughout the winter.

Landscape Attributes

Soft Touch White Pine is a dense multi-stemmed evergreen shrub with a mounded form. Its relatively fine texture sets it apart from other landscape plants with less refined foliage.

This shrub will require occasional maintenance and upkeep. When pruning is necessary, it is recommended to only trim back the new growth of the current season, other than to remove any dieback. Gardeners should be aware of the following characteristic(s) that may warrant special consideration;

• Insects
• Disease

Soft Touch White Pine is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Mass Planting
• Rock/Alpine Gardens
• General Garden Use

Planting & Growing

Soft Touch White Pine will grow to be about 5 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 6 feet. It tends to fill out right to the ground and therefore doesn't necessarily require facer plants in front, and is suitable for planting under power lines. It grows at a slow rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for 50 years or more.

This shrub should only be grown in full sunlight. It is very adaptable to both dry and moist growing conditions, but will not tolerate any standing water. It is not particular as to soil type, but has a definite preference for acidic soils, and is subject to chlorosis (yellowing) of the foliage in alkaline soils. It is quite intolerant of urban pollution, therefore inner city or urban streetside plantings are best avoided, and will benefit from being planted in a relatively sheltered location. This is a selection of a native North American species.