I never knew this.. (Pinus pinea)

[stephenprudence]

and I thought these could not be grown here; too tender I thought!

http://www.gavinrymill.com/flaybrick/gr ... epine.html

[Dave Brown]

I've been growing this from seed collected in Spain for nearly 40 years.
http://www.hardytropicals.co.uk/page.php?id=58

[stephenprudence]

Impressive Dave, I still dont think it's hardy enough to guarantee survival in my garden but it shows it can be grown in UK at least. Good stuff.. does it still give the pine smell?

[Dave Brown]

Impressive Dave, I still dont think it's hardy enough to guarantee survival in my garden but it shows it can be grown in UK at least. Good stuff.. does it still give the pine smell?

It's reputed to be hardy to -18C Stephen, although I'm sure Conifers will correct me if I am wrong. Yes they give off the smell on the cones, or if needles or branches are brushed/crushed.

[Addictedtopalms26]

Did you sow the seeds 40 years ago then Dave? If so have you still got the plants? I've got a couple of 2 year old ones which are doing fine, gonna leave them out as long as I can this year!

[greendragon]

No pictures of the big one DB?

It is suggested to plant them out when very small as they do not like root disturbance. The optimum size being 10cm

Kew Gardens grew one as a Bonsai tree in a large pot then planted it out on the grounds, it is now a massive and healthy tree.

http://www.kew.org/plants/trees/stonepine.html

[Dave Brown]

Did you sow the seeds 40 years ago then Dave? If so have you still got the plants?icon_thumleft

My mum has the original tree from the 1970s sowing, as in the link.

I haven't got pics Greendragon, as I just can't get a decent shot of it. with a tree that size you need to be a long way away to to fit it in.

[stephenprudence]

Here's a picture of the Wirral one, it's reportedly been there since 1860

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff16 ... 00u500.jpg

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff16 ... 00u501.jpg

It's quite big.

OK it's pretty huge.

I'd say about 40 feet or so

The Kew one is much bigger than the Wirral one, showing the better climate there, with warmer summers, and a drier climate in general.

[cheshirepalms]

Theres 2 on the industrial estate in Ellesmere Port that are quite large at the entrance to a factory, theres also small new planted ones at West Kirby Morrisons in the car park.

[dk]

Those are some cracking stone pines Stephen. Must say I prefer the ones in Wirral to the one at Kew.

I grew a bunch of these from seed in spring and the tallest ones are around 20 cm already. They've grown quickly, and I can't wait to see how they get on once in the ground... Maybe next year?!

[billdango]

Loads of Pinus Pinia here in Southampton.

Also lots of gardens here have tall specimens of Cupressus Sempervirians or[Mediterranean cyprus].

rgds billdango

[Conifers]

Impressive Dave, I still dont think it's hardy enough to guarantee survival in my garden but it shows it can be grown in UK at least. Good stuff.. does it still give the pine smell?

No problem at all, it's perfectly hardy almost throughout Britain. There's some big old ones up near Dunbar in southeast Scotland, probably over 100 years old.

It's reputed to be hardy to -18C Stephen, although I'm sure Conifers will correct me if I am wrong.

That's about right, maybe a couple of degrees colder when mature. Seedlings up to 4 or 5 years old with juvenile foliage are less hardy though, around -10 to -15.

Here's a picture of the Wirral one, it's reportedly been there since 1860

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff16 ... 00u500.jpg

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff16 ... 00u501.jpg

It's quite big.

OK it's pretty huge.

I'd say about 40 feet or so

The Kew one is much bigger than the Wirral one, showing the better climate there, with warmer summers, and a drier climate in general.

Probably only about half that age, I'd guess 60-80 years or so. The ones near Dunbar are about twice the height of that one.

Also lots of gardens here have tall specimens of Cupressus Sempervirians or[Mediterranean cyprus].

Spellcheck: Cupressus sempervirens Mediterranean Cypress Yep, another species that's much hardier than often thought, again, unless you're somewhere like Braemar or Aviemore, no problems growing it at all.

[Dave Brown]

The advantage they have over most other forms of plant is they can take severe drought once established. This is borne out by the fact it a major part of the tree flora around Mediterranean coasts. Massive sun totals and little, if any, summer rain.

I really must plant mine out, after 19 years it is still in an 18 inch tub ..... but just shows how tough these are.

[Jo A P]

Do you get nuts on yours Dave?

[greendragon]

Cedars are a far more attractive alternative to pines in my opinion. I would take Cedrus Libani over this tree. : /