Kurly Top White Pine
Pinus strobus 'Kurly Top'
Height: 3 feet
Spread: 6 feet
Sunlight:
Hardiness Zone: 4a
Other Names: Eastern White Pine
Description:
A beautiful evergreen garden shrub with a dense, mounded habit of growth and curly, twisted blue-green needles; compact and slow growing, excellent for form, texture and color detail in home gardens or for rock gardens; needs full sun
Ornamental Features
Kurly Top White Pine is a dwarf conifer which is primarily valued in the garden for its decidedly oval form. It has attractive blue-variegated bluish-green foliage. The twisted needles are highly ornamental and remain bluish-green throughout the winter.
Landscape Attributes
Kurly Top White Pine is a dense multi-stemmed evergreen shrub with a shapely oval form. Its relatively fine texture sets it apart from other landscape plants with less refined foliage.
This shrub will require occasional maintenance and upkeep. When pruning is necessary, it is recommended to only trim back the new growth of the current season, other than to remove any dieback. Gardeners should be aware of the following characteristic(s) that may warrant special consideration;
Kurly Top White Pine is recommended for the following landscape applications;
Planting & Growing
Kurly Top White Pine will grow to be about 3 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 6 feet. It tends to fill out right to the ground and therefore doesn't necessarily require facer plants in front. It grows at a slow rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for 50 years or more.
This shrub should only be grown in full sunlight. It is very adaptable to both dry and moist growing conditions, but will not tolerate any standing water. It is not particular as to soil type, but has a definite preference for acidic soils, and is subject to chlorosis (yellowing) of the foliage in alkaline soils. It is quite intolerant of urban pollution, therefore inner city or urban streetside plantings are best avoided, and will benefit from being planted in a relatively sheltered location. This is a selection of a native North American species.
