Other Names:  Scots Pine

Description:

An impressive columnar large evergreen shrub for the garden or landscape, needles are silvery-blue throughout the season; this columnar variety is a slow grower and dense, with strong ascending branches

Ornamental Features

Blue Fastigiate Scotch Pine is a dwarf conifer which is primarily valued in the landscape for its rigidly columnar form. It has attractive silvery blue evergreen foliage. The needles are highly ornamental and remain silvery blue throughout the winter. The shaggy orange bark is extremely showy and adds significant winter interest.

Landscape Attributes

Blue Fastigiate Scotch Pine is a dense multi-stemmed evergreen shrub with a narrowly upright and columnar growth habit. 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 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. Deer don't particularly care for this plant and will usually leave it alone in favor of tastier treats. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Blue Fastigiate Scotch Pine is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• Vertical Accent

Planting & Growing

Blue Fastigiate Scotch Pine will grow to be about 15 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 5 feet. It has a low canopy with a typical clearance of 2 feet from the ground, and is suitable for planting under power lines. It grows at a medium 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.