Hardy Tropicals UK

I saw an eastern white pine tree at a nursery yesterday and I really liked the long soft needles. it said 3m after ten years so I left it behind.
needless to say it grows into a massive tree and was unsuitable.

are there any pine trees with long ,really soft needles that only grow to a max of ,say, 4m?

Not really, no! Long, slender needles go together with warm, humid climates, which go together with vigour and large mature size.

Though I'd not say that Pinus strobus has very long needles, only around 8-10 cm; some others like Pinus wallichiana have needles up to 15-20 cm. If 10 cm is long enough, you could give Pinus pinceana a go, that does have very nice drooping needles around that long, and doesn't get large. Very hard to find though.

eastern white pines grow all over here..one in my front yard even. there are many dwarf forms avaliable over here as well as some that just grow slower. I am looking for a variegated white pine which only gets to about 4m in 10 years..white pines grow fast but with your climate I would take off at least a meter per 10 yrs with out the heat so it might be a good option for you

Conifers wrote:Not really, no! Long, slender needles go together with warm, humid climates, which go together with vigour and large mature size.

Though I'd not say that Pinus strobus has very long needles, only around 8-10 cm; some others like Pinus wallichiana have needles up to 15-20 cm. If 10 cm is long enough, you could give Pinus pinceana a go, that does have very nice drooping needles around that long, and doesn't get large. Very hard to find though.

it was less the overall length but more how soft to the touch that I liked.

I think they would need to be in a pot or planter if I ever get one.

If the length doesn't matter too much, look out for Pinus pumila, that has the same soft touch. Very slow-growing, though.

No idea if it is soft, but Pinus palustris has long pines

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File ... -stage.jpg

Am growing from seed bought from US.

Blairs wrote:No idea if it is soft, but Pinus palustris ....

It isn't

How do the ones with soft longer needles respond to pruning and shaping? Are they used as bonsai trees?

I've got a P. wallichiana growing in my garden but so far the needle length isn't that impressive, perhaps 10 cm. But they are very soft to the touch and have a beautiful green color!

I'm thinking of reducing mine in height at least by a foot to slow it down a bit. Slow growing pine trees have more character in my opinion.
Now take a look at this P. sylvestris growing in hardly any soil at all on a small "cliff". I've pruned this every odd year to keep it small and as a result it has become a lot bushier. Might have to thin it out a bit more...?

dk wrote:How do the ones with soft longer needles respond to pruning and shaping? Are they used as bonsai trees?

Not very well. Among those with soft needles, only the shorter-needled species like Pinus parviflora are used for bonsai.

dk wrote:I've got a P. wallichiana growing in my garden but so far the needle length isn't that impressive, perhaps 10 cm. But they are very soft to the touch and have a beautiful green color!

It doesn't look right for P. wallichiana; likely a hybrid, as this group of pines hybridise among themselves readily.

dk wrote:I'm thinking of reducing mine in height at least by a foot to slow it down a bit. Slow growing pine trees have more character in my opinion.

I'd advise not to do so.

Conifers wrote:It doesn't look right for P. wallichiana; likely a hybrid, as this group of pines hybridise among themselves readily.

Could the appearance have anything to do with growing conditions? It only receives afternoon sun, and all the rain we get washes away the silvery hue the leaves used to have when I first got it. It doesn't really get much attention either and it can get fairly dry in this spot during the summer months, and it's never received any fertilizer and the soil is fairly poor.

Regardless it is fully hardy here and and has grown more than a meter in the last three growing seasons!

dk wrote:Could the appearance have anything to do with growing conditions? It only receives afternoon sun, and all the rain we get washes away the silvery hue the leaves used to have when I first got it. It doesn't really get much attention either and it can get fairly dry in this spot during the summer months, and it's never received any fertilizer and the soil is fairly poor.

Possible; maybe try adding a little ground phosphate rock and see if it improves.