Pygmy Swiss Stone Pine
Pinus cembra 'Pygmaea'
Height: 10 feet
Spread: 6 feet
Sunlight:
Hardiness Zone: 3a
Other Names: Arolla Pine
Description:
A very special evergreen garden shrub with an upright columnar habit of growth and soft needles, compact and slow growing; adaptable and hardy, excellent for texture and color detail in home landscapes or to add interest to the garden silhouette
Ornamental Features
Pygmy Swiss Stone Pine is a dwarf conifer which is primarily valued in the landscape or garden for its rigidly columnar form. It has attractive bluish-green evergreen foliage. The needles are highly ornamental and remain bluish-green throughout the winter.
Landscape Attributes
Pygmy Swiss Stone Pine is a multi-stemmed evergreen shrub with a narrowly upright and columnar growth habit. Its relatively fine texture sets it apart from other landscape plants with less refined foliage.
This is a relatively low maintenance shrub. 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.
Pygmy Swiss Stone Pine is recommended for the following landscape applications;
- Accent
- Vertical Accent
- Mass Planting
- Hedges/Screening
- General Garden Use
Planting & Growing
Pygmy Swiss Stone Pine will grow to be about 10 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 80 years or more.
This shrub 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 is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America.
