Digging deeperPlant Library

Golden Ghost Japanese Red Pine foliage

(Photo courtesy of NetPS Plant Finder)

Description:

An interesting and very beautiful small accent shrub or small tree, featuring variegated green and yellow needles; needle tips are bright yellow in spring and persist through summer, fading to butter; ideal for general garden use, at its best in full sun

Ornamental Features

Golden Ghost Japanese Red Pine is a dwarf conifer which is primarily valued in the landscape for its distinctively pyramidal habit of growth. It has yellow-variegated forest green foliage. The needles remain forest green throughout the winter.

Landscape Attributes

Golden Ghost Japanese Red Pine is a multi-stemmed evergreen shrub with 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 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.

Golden Ghost Japanese Red Pine is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• Mass Planting
• Hedges/Screening
• General Garden Use

Planting & Growing

Golden Ghost Japanese Red Pine will grow to be about 20 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 15 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 70 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 not particular as to soil type, but has a definite preference for acidic soils. 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.