Pines, firs and spruces
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The old saying, familiarity breeds contempt, is often most
true in gardening circles. It’s frequently used as the reason why native plants
are not as widely grown as they should be, not just here, but in many countries.
In New Zealand,
the plants that have suffered most from over-familiarity are the pines. It’s
hard for us to look beyond the seemingly endless hectares of Pinus radiata and see the beauty of
pines: their magnificent rough-textured bark, the wide variety of growth forms
and needle types and perhaps their most characteristic signature piece: the
cone.
Other large timber conifers, especially the firs (Abies spp.) and spruces (Picea spp.), though less common in our
forests, have suffered from their association with the pines, and that’s a real
pity because they are trees of grandeur.
So what’s to be done about these injustices? First, try to
forget about Pinus radiata, it’s
probably the species least suited to landscape use. Second, note the use of that
word landscape: with just a few exceptions, such as the Swiss mountain pine (Pinus mugo), pines are large trees that
are unsuitable for small gardens. To be seen at their best they demand an
expansive landscape; one with the room to allow visitors to step back and take
in the whole tree in all its majesty. For these are truly majestic trees that
don’t rely on tricks, either natural or introduced through breeding, for their
beauty. You won’t find many golden forms, variegated cultivars or ground covers
among these plants.
Granted, the firs and spruces include a large number of
dwarf forms, but these tend to be very dwarf plants best suited to rockeries. A
fir or spruce tends to be a large tree or a rockery dwarf; there’s not much
middle ground.
What you will find are trees with impressive bulk yet
graceful habits, perfectly symmetrical trees that look so perfect it’s hard to
believe they’re real and trees in shades of blue-green that cool even the
hottest summer days.
A visit to a well-planned garden or arboretum that features
conifers should provide plenty of inspiration and is the quickest way to
disabuse oneself of the idea that these are trees fit only for forestry. While
I don’t think there’s any doubt that American and Canadian arboreta are the best
places to see these trees used well, many of our towns and cities have large
public gardens that feature mature conifers. Golf courses too, make very good
use of conifers and often feature a variety of pines, firs and spruces.
Pines
They all look the same, so dull, so boring, so green. How
many times have I heard that line? Oh no they don’t, they’re a very diverse
lot. Found over much of the northern hemisphere from the Arctic
Circle to Central America and Southeast
Asia, the genus Pinus
includes around 110 species. Even the absolute neophyte pine spotter wouldn’t
confuse a Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris)
with a Mexican weeping pine (P. patula)
and could probably tell that a Japanese black pine (P. thunbergii) was a different species again.
Although pines are thought of as difficult plants to use in
a garden, provided the garden is large enough, many problems and difficulties
can be avoided by carefully preparation and planning. While a few species grow
in less favourable conditions, pines generally do best in well-drained, fertile
soil. Dig over and loosen the soil well in advance of planting, plant the tree
at the proper depth and incorporate some slow-release fertiliser. Above all,
make sure well in advance that the tree has plenty of room to develop and don’t
prune your pines except to remove dead or broken branches. We have enough
straight-trunked trees in the forests, so unless you really want a Christmas
tree let the natural character develop.
Provide ample water in the first summer after planting to minimise
moisture stress on new roots and shoots. Mulching is beneficial for around new
and old pines since it reduces water stress and weeds. Of course, pine bark or
pine needles are good mulching materials.
While this article is mainly about their ornamental value,
we shouldn’t forget the great importance of pines as timber trees and as
sources of resin, turpentine and other commercial products, such as bark chips
for potting mix manufacture. And heaven forbid, but what would happen to the
Christmas tree market without pines?
Favourite pines
Pinus canariensis
Canary Islands pine
This slow- to moderate-growing tree has been used as a
timber tree in Portugal
and though adaptable and drought tolerant, it prefers an open sunny spot where
the soil is rich and moist yet well drained. It becomes an attractive conical
tree with a spreading base and is 25–60 m tall with fissured red-brown
bark and densely packed, shiny, grassy green needles up to 30 cm long in
groups of three. The cones are chestnut brown, oval and around 20 cm long.
Pinus cembroides
Mexican pinyon pine or Mexican nut pine
Endemic to Mexico
and the southwestern United States,
this compact, shrubby tree grows 8–13 m tall and makes a neat screen. A
drought-tolerant, slow-growing, short-needled pine, it has silver-grey bark,
orange-brown branchlets and bears small, rounded cones that complement the
shape of the pine’s rounded crown. Its seeds are edible.
Pinus montezumae
Montezuma or rough-barked Mexican pine
Found in Mexico
and Guatemala,
this tree grows quickly to 35 m. It has a columnar crown when young, but
eventually becomes a round-headed tree. Its bark is deep red-brown to nearly
black and is deeply fissured. Its long drooping needles are the main feature;
they are 15–30 cm long, slightly blue-green are borne in groups of five.
The cones are buff-coloured and up to 25 cm long.
Pinus monticola
Western white pine
Used principally in the manufacture of matches and found
from British Columbia to northern
California, this large tree
reaches 60 m tall and enjoys considerable longevity, the oldest recorded
specimen being 500 years old. Its upward-growing branches are clad with dense
clumps of bluish green needles, held in bundles of five, and carry 25 cm
long, tapering, purplish cones at their tips.
Pinus mugo
Swiss or dwarf mountain pine
Found from the mountains of Spain
to the Balkans, this small tree grows very slowly to 8 m tall. It is very
frost hardy but not tolerant of extreme heat or drought. Densely foliaged and
compact, which reflects its alpine habitat, it is an interesting plant for
bonsai work. Its pairs of 5 cm long, bright green needles develop from
extremely resinous buds. The oval, dark brown cones are 2.5–5 cm long.
Garden forms are usually dwarf and very effective in rock gardens or tubs.
Pinus muricata
Bishop pine
This 20–40 m tree from California
and northern Mexico
is dense and compact when young, open and irregularly shaped when mature. It
has deeply fissured dark red-brown bark that splits deeply and pairs of
10–15 cm long, bright green needles. The cones are 5–10 cm long and
slightly glossy. It is usually at its best in coastal conditions.
Pinus nigra
Austrian pine
Originating from central and southern Europe,
P. nigra has a dense crown of dark
green foliage and can reach 40 m tall, though cultivated specimens rarely
exceed 16 m. It has an open, conical habit with a whitish brown trunk,
pairs of stiff, dark green needles up to 17 cm long, and 7 cm cones.
It grows in most soils and tolerates coastal conditions. Corsican pine (P.
nigra var. maritima) has a denser
crown, is slower growing and has twisted grey-green needles. It has a very
straight trunk suitable for timber. Harvested at around 180 years old in its
native Corsica, in New Zealand it matures in 50 years.
Pinus patula
Mexican weeping pine
Probably the most
elegant of the pines, this 15 m tree is always graceful. It has long,
drooping needles in threes, flaking reddish-brown bark, a spreading canopy and
branches low to the ground. The cones are clustered, around 10 cm long and
oval in shape. This tree is becoming very important as a source of wood pulp
for paper, and is being extensively planted in many parts of the world.
Pinus pinaster
Maritime pine
Grown as a timber tree in Portugal
and found from the Atlantic coast of France
to North Africa, this is an important resin-producing
conifer. It grows to 30 m tall, looks best when planted in clusters, is
intolerant of drought and severe frost, but enjoys coastal locations. The bark
is a beautiful bright reddish-brown and deeply furrowed in a jigsaw puzzle-like
pattern. The pairs of green needles are 15 cm long, stiff and shiny. Its
cones are rich brown, oval, 18 cm long and persist on the branches for
many years without opening.
Pinus pinea
Stone pine
From southern Europe and Turkey,
this is the species from which pine nuts are most commonly harvested. It has an
interesting flattened crown atop a straight, though seldom perpendicular trunk.
When established it copes with most conditions including extremes of drought
and heat and can reach a height of 25 m, though in the wild is often
stunted by harsh conditions. The trunk has furrowed reddish grey bark while the
rigid paired needles are 10–20 cm long and bright green. The globe-shaped
cones are a shiny nut brown.
Pinus ponderosa
Ponderosa pine
The ponderosa pine originates in western North
America where it is one of the most abundant trees. It has
distinctive bark that is deeply fissured with a mosaic of broad, smooth,
yellowish brown, reddish brown and pinkish grey plates. Considered the United
States’ third most important timber tree, it
is used in construction and furniture as well as more mundane items like
mousetraps. It grows to around 30 m tall and has dark brown cones. Its
needles are deep green, up to 27 cm long and held in bundles of three.
Pinus sylvestris
Scots pine
With an outline somewhat reminiscent of a sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum), this 30–40m
tree occurs naturally from Britain
to Siberia and East Asia and is
the only pine indigenous to the United Kingdom.
It has thick, deeply fissured red-brown bark and short, dark green to
blue-green needles in pairs. Being fast-growing and an excellent timber tree,
it is often used in forestry. It grows to over 40 m tall and has twisted
8 cm needles in pairs. The bark is a rich orange-red. Scots pine is not
drought tolerant.
Pinus thunbergii
Japanese black pine
Native to Japan and South Korea,
this is the pine of the Japanese prints: that graceful tree with rather
horizontal to slightly pendulous branches and a snaking dark-barked trunk.
While other trees may suffer from the ravages of wind, drought and a harsh
climate, the Japanese black pine simply gains character. Easily grown in any
well-drained soil, it is also very tolerant of coastal conditions.
Pinus wallichiana
Himalayan or Bhutan pine
This elegant tree, indigenous to northern India,
produces eye-catching 30 cm long cones on gracefully arching branches. If grown
in moist, deep soil it can attain a height of 45 m. It is a handsome
conical tree with a broad base and 15–20 cm long, drooping, grey-green
needles. It is quite cold and disease resistant but suffers in hot, dry
conditions.
Firs
Abies is a genus
of some 50 species of trees found over much of the northern temperate region
and in Central America. They are mainly trees of the
mountains, and even those from warm temperate regions do best in cool, moist
conditions. Most are very erect and tend to be quite narrow, even spindly when
young, though they soon develop into densely foliaged trees. As with the spruces,
they tend to have slightly blue-green foliage, an effect enhanced by the
silvery undersides of the short, flattened needles.
A cool, moist root zone is important. Though once
established most species will tolerate short periods of drought and may survive
prolonged dry condition, if too dry the foliage will drop and an open growth
habit and sparse foliage will forever mar the tree.
Favourite firs
Abies amabilis
Pacific silver fir
Found from southern Alaska
to western Oregon, this
slow-growing 35 m tall tree prefers a cool, moist climate. Its deep green
leaves have white undersides and the foliage has a citrus scent when crushed.
Its bark is smooth and silver-grey, especially when young. The cones, which are
over 15 cm long are a deep shade of purple-grey.
Abies balsamea
Balsam fir
The source of Canada balsam, once one of the most popular
adhesives, though now largely replaced by synthetics, this tree occurs
naturally over much of the cooler areas of North America.
Its growth is compact and the tree, seldom over 25 m tall, is densely
foliaged. The leaves are glossy dark green and the very resinous cones are
purple maturing to grey-brown. Dwarf forms such as ‘Hudsonia’ (syn. forma hudsonia) are popular rockery plants.
Abies chensiensis
Shensi fir
This species grows to around 55 m tall and is an
important timber tree in its native China.
It cones are bright green, as are the leaves, which contrasts well with the
dark grey to brown bark. Abies
chensiensis ssp. salouenensis has
longer leaves and is a better choice than the species as an ornamental.
Abies concolor
White or Colorado fir
Native to western North America and
over 30 m tall in the wild, this is the fir most tolerant of heat, drought
and city conditions. It grows very slowly and is well suited to container
growing as a Christmas tree. Its branches are horizontal and clothed with
aromatic blue-green needle-like leaves. The cones are green maturing to purple.
Abies delavayi
Delavay’s fir
Unlike most firs, this 25 m tall native of China, northern India and northern Burma
has upward arching candelabra-like branches when mature. Its leaves are small,
bright green above and silver-grey below. The cones are a most unusual colour:
dark purple-blue maturing to near black.
Abies nordmanniana
Caucasian fir
Native to the hills of the Caucasus
and northeastern Turkey,
this 25 m tall tree forms a broad-based pyramid. It has glossy dark-green
needle-like leaves with whitish-silver undersides. The cones are over
15 cm long and develop red tints as they mature. It is not drought
tolerant and prefers a cool climate, yet does very well as a container plant
and makes an excellent Christmas tree.
Abies pindrow
West Himalayan fir
A narrow, conical tree that matures to 40 m tall, this
Asian species has grey-brown bark and slightly drooping branches clothed with
stiff dark green leaves that have white bands on their undersides. The cones
are 15 cm long and purple-blue. The impressive full-sized specimen
(mislabelled Picea pindrow) in the grounds of Christchurch’s Riccarton
House is probably the best example in New Zealand.
Abies pinsapo
Spanish fir
Probably the most widely planted fir and a native of
southern Spain,
this tough, adaptable 35 m tall tree has a conical shape and smooth rust
brown bark. Its stiff dark green leaves have white bands on their undersides
and the cones are grey, developing pink or violet tints as they mature. The
Moroccan fir (Abies pinsapo var. marocana [syn. A. marocana]) has very fine needles.
Abies religiosa
Sacred fir
This 60 m tree is native to Mexico
and Guatemala.
It is not as hardy as most firs but is a beautifully shaped conical tree with a
dense covering of bright green leaves with silvery undersides. It has smooth
grey-brown bark and 15 cm long purplish cones. It think this is the best
of the firs for growing as an ornamental.
Abies vejari
This species from Mexico
grows to 40 m tall and is distinguished by its 15 cm long cylindrical
cones which are blue-grey with orange down at the base of each scale. Its
leaves are grey-green to blue-green and the bark is smooth and grey.
Spruces
Similar to Abies but
differing in small details and with one very noticeable difference, pendulous
cones rather than erect, the genus Picea
includes around 35 species. Apart from a few species they are cool climate trees
that rarely do well in warm, humid areas. They are among the most important
timber trees in North America, and while not extensively
planted here, some good stands can be seen in the forests between Nelson and
Murchison.
Spruces usually have a very formal, symmetrical character
that makes them ideal as specimen trees in lawns or as features in a large
rockeries. They include some of the most beautiful — no don’t hesitate, say it
— not some of the most beautiful, but absolutely the most beautiful blue-foliaged
conifers. Could anything surpass the magnificence of a well-grown P. pungens ‘Koster’? Well, only P. pungens ‘Thomsen’ and that’s all but
impossible to obtain.
Growing conditions are much the same as for firs. If
anything, spruces prefer cooler, moister conditions, though good drainage is
still very important. Nothing causes a spruce to drop foliage faster than
waterlogging. The objective should be to maintain a constant slow rate of
growth because any checks or spurts of growth increase the risk of destroying
the tree’s symmetry or decreasing its foliage density.
Favourite spruces
Picea abies
Norway spruce
As the Latin name suggests, this northern European native
resembles a fir. It has a columnar habit and grows 30–50 m tall. The
leaves are dark green and the cones purplish. It prefers cool, moist areas and
does poorly in hot, dry sites. It is an attractive tree that retains its lower
branches well as it ages. Dwarf forms, such as ‘Pumila’ and ‘Pumila Nigra’, are
popular rockery plants.
Picea brachytyla
Sargent spruce
One of the more tender spruces and a native of southwest
China and Assam, this 40 m tall species ahs fine, bright green,
needle-like leaves with striking white undersides. When young, the branches are
upward arching, but a mature tree has a dome-shaped crown. The cones are purple
ripening to dark brown.
Picea glauca
White spruce
Native to Canada
and the northern United States,
this 25 m tall tree has a pyramidal form with matt blue-green leaves and
small green to light brown cones. It tolerates extreme cold and heat and is
probably the most adaptable of the spruces. Many dwarf and brightly coloured
foliage forms are cultivated.
Picea jezoensis
Yezo spruce
This extremely hardy species is native to northern Asia
including Siberia and is an important timber and fuel
tree in its homelands. Growing to 35 m tall it has glossy dark green
leaves with blue-white undersides. Tough enough to survive far worse than the
coldest conditions ever experienced in New
Zealand, it suffers in warm, humid areas.
Picea likiangensis
Lijiang spruce
This is a species from southwestern China
is a broad-crowned tree that grows to 50 m tall. It has relatively smooth
grey bark and dark green to blue-green leaves with white bands on the
undersides. The cones purple maturing to red-brown and up to 13 cm long.
The blue-green forms are the best to grow as ornamentals.
Picea omorika
Serbian spruce
This very tough species from the Balkans grows to around 35m
tall with a slightly weeping effect. It is a narrow spire-like tree that
retains its lower branches well. The leaves are dark green with white bands on
the undersides and the cones are purplish maturing to red-brown. Several
cultivars of varying shape and size are grown.
Picea pungens
Blue or Colorado spruce
Native to the Rocky Mountains and
probably the most widely grown ornamental spruce, this fast-growing 30 m
tree tends to lose its lower branches with age but is very symmetrical when
young. The cones are brown with a purplish bloom and the foliage is deep green.
Blue-green- and silver-grey-foliaged forms are common and widely grown.
‘Glauca’ has blue-green foliage; ‘Koster’ is a glowing deep blue-green;
‘Pendens’, is a weeping form of ‘Koster’; and ‘Thomsen’ has foliage in a most
striking shade of metallic silver-blue.
Picea sitchensis
Sitka spruce
Found from Alaska
to California, this fast growing
tree grows 30–50 m tall and is widely grown as a timber tree in the Pacific
Northwest. It is also a very ornamental tree with slightly
pendulous branches, deep green leaves with silvery undersides and pale green
cones. It prefers cool, moist areas, with a humid climate.
Picea smithiana
Morinda or Himalayan spruce
This 55 m tall western Himalayan species has
delightfully soft, light to mid green foliage that contrasts well with its dark
purple-grey bark. The bark, grooved when new, splits into scales as it ages.
The cones are small, very resinous, pale green when young maturing to brown.
This species is particularly attractive in spring rain, which highlights both
the bright green new growth and the dark bark.
********
Given room to reach their full potential and used with care
these large conifers are without doubt magnificent trees. It’s a pity we have
to rely on municipal authorities, golf clubs and a few insightful private
gardeners to present them properly. Farmers and lifestyle block owners have
difficulty it seems, in breaking away from the macrocarpa hedge and radiata
woodlot mentality. When other large conifers are planted, they’re usually
golden Chamaecyparis or Cupressus and the occasional sequoia.
Why not give a few of the forest trees their due and let them grow the way
they’re meant to?
Copyright Geoff Bryant
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