Plant Encyclopedia

Other Names:  Balkan Pine

Description:

This magnificent cultivar has a sturdy upright pyramidal form and lovely long bluish-green twisted needles; produces an abundance of light brown cones and is an excellent choice as a dramatic color accent tree

Ornamental Features

Blue Macedonian Pine is primarily valued in the landscape for its distinctively pyramidal habit of growth. It has attractive silvery blue evergreen foliage. The needles are highly ornamental and remain silvery blue throughout the winter.

Landscape Attributes

Blue Macedonian Pine is a dense evergreen tree with a strong central leader and 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.

Blue Macedonian Pine is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent

Planting & Growing

Blue Macedonian Pine will grow to be about 45 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 30 feet. It has a low canopy with a typical clearance of 4 feet from the ground, and should not be planted underneath power lines. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live to a ripe old age of 100 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 somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America.