Digging deeperPlant Library

Other Names:  Arolla Pine

Description:

A tough yet stately evergreen with a dense, conical shape and upswept branching; two tone needles produce bushy blue-green branches with a silver sheen; a beautiful, extremely hardy and vigorous tree to position in the landscape

Ornamental Features

Silver Sheen Swiss Stone Pine is primarily valued in the landscape for its distinctively pyramidal habit of growth. It has silvery blue foliage with green undersides. The needles remain silvery blue throughout the winter.

Landscape Attributes

Silver Sheen Swiss Stone Pine is a dense multi-stemmed evergreen tree with a distinctive and refined pyramidal form. Its relatively fine texture sets it apart from other landscape plants with less refined foliage.

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.

Silver Sheen Swiss Stone Pine is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• Vertical Accent
• Hedges/Screening

Planting & Growing

Silver Sheen Swiss Stone Pine will grow to be about 20 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 15 feet. It has a low canopy with a typical clearance of 1 foot 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 not particular as to soil type or pH. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone in winter to protect it in exposed locations or colder microclimates. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America.