Plant, Tree & Shrub Library

Other Names:  Arolla Pine

Description:

An excellent landscape evergreen because of its dense, compact and columnar habit of growth; keeps its lower branches longer than other pines, becoming more open and picturesque at maturity; hardy and adaptable to dry soils, but slow growing

Ornamental Features

Swiss Stone Pine is primarily valued in the landscape for its distinctively pyramidal habit of growth. It has dark green evergreen foliage. The needles remain dark green throughout the winter.

Landscape Attributes

Swiss Stone Pine is a dense evergreen tree with a strong central leader and a distinctive and refined pyramidal form. Its average texture blends into the landscape, but can be balanced by one or two finer or coarser trees or shrubs for an effective composition.

This is a relatively low maintenance tree. When pruning is necessary, it is recommended to only trim back the new growth of the current season, other than to remove any dieback. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Swiss Stone Pine is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Vertical Accent

Planting & Growing

Swiss Stone Pine will grow to be about 40 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 18 feet. It has a low canopy with a typical clearance of 3 feet from the ground, and should not be planted underneath power lines. It grows at a slow rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live to a ripe old age of 120 years or more; think of this as a heritage tree for future generations!

This tree should only be grown in full sunlight. It prefers dry to average moisture levels with very well-drained soil, and will often die in standing water. It is considered to be drought-tolerant, and thus makes an ideal choice for xeriscaping or the moisture-conserving landscape. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments. This species is not originally from North America.