Pinus mugo
Mugo pine tree ca n’t be beaten if you ’re looking for something to summate grain and year - round interest to the garden . The long needles are distinctive , even more so when they ’re vary or those that change color .
That ’s correct , some cultivars have needle that change color from summer to winter . Instead of spend from the works like deciduous leaf , the color alters from season to season .
Mugo pines come in a wide range of sizes , from itty - bitty dwarf shrubs to towering trees .
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Also know as creeping pine , wad true pine , or the rather uninspiring monkier of peat bog pine tree , part of what makes mugo pine such a stellar garden option is that it only sheds its needles once every four twelvemonth .
If you ’ve ever spent the weekend crease up phonograph needle from the lawn or picking them out of your foot when you walk out of doors barefoot , you appreciate what a treasure a pine that does n’t drop frequently is .
Thriving in USDA Hardiness Zones 2 to 7 , this species is bad as nails when it comes to the low temperature . It ’s not as fond of the swelter heat , though .
Whether you need something for a rock garden , to fill a pile on your terrace , or as a reliable specimen tree in your lawn , you know a mugo will have you cover .
quick to get word all about this evergreen plant stalwart ? Here ’s what we ’re going to go over :
What You’ll Learn
by the bye , mugo pine tree have a bit of a repute for not sticking to their advertised size . When you ’re plant a nanus tree , you desire it to stay gnome .
But more than one person I know has found themselves digging up a tree that turned out to be nothing like what they expected .
If you ’ve heard the stories and you ’re a short spooky , do n’t care . We ’ll discuss this and how to avoid it .
But first , allow ’s talk about this plant life ’s story .
Cultivation and History
Mugo(pronounced mew - go , not moo - go ) pines are indigenous to hilly region of Europe . You ’ll discover them grow wild in the Alps , the Pyrenees , the Carpathians , and other craggy regions in the Balkan Peninsula .
They have also naturalise throughout Scandinavia and Finland , where they were in the beginning spell to help with erosion restraint and as ornamentals . Now , the mugo pine is reckon invasive in some areas of Europe .
The mugo true pine typically grows from 3,000 feet above sea level to the tree note , though it is found in lower summit in modern Germany , Poland , and Bulgaria . It ’s also cultivated at much low elevations .
In the wild , it seldom reaches more than 20 feet tall , usually remaining much smaller .
It ’s no wonder that people started cultivating it to use in garden , since you could enjoy the evergreen luster of a pine without having to plant a massive Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree that consider up a raft of place .
The shrubs are typically about twice as panoptic as they are tall , but as there are many cultivar out there , there can be some variation in their shapes .
Underneath the three - inch - long stiff green needles , that raise in bundles of two , is grayish - brown , scaly bark . The cones are up to two in farseeing and may appear in clump or singly .
The reason that you’re able to find so many mugo pines in gardens across the ball owes itself to the fact that mountain climbing took off in the westerly human race in the mid-1800s .
As people surmount the challenging slopes of Europe , they came back with an admiration for the rocky alpine gardens and the plants that inhabit them .
Good onetime mountain pines were one such coinage . Their popularity start to spread rapidly throughout the quietus of Europe beyond their native range and across the pond to North America , where they first appeared in nursery catalogs around the turn of the 20th 100 .
Today , you’re able to ascertain them at practically every nursery .
Mugo Pine Propagation
It ’s possible to grow mugo pines from germ , though they might not grow as an accurate replication of the parent plant .
If you do n’t mind a surprisal , then call in ourguide to growing pines from seedto larn all about the process .
If you need to be sure about the results , you’re able to propagate pines from cuttings or purchase a plant from just about any nursery .
set off newfangled trees from cuttings is a slow cognitive process , but it ’s passably authentic .
During the winter , when the plant is dormant , take a six - inch softwood cut from the tip of a offshoot and place it in a container fill with moist potting sensitive . Keep the potting intermediate moist as you wait for origin to get .
Fall or spring is the good time to transplant a purchase tree . Dig a skillful - sized hole about twice the breadth and deepness of the container the plant is currently develop in . transfer the Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree from the container , loosen up the etymon , and invest it in the hole .
Fill in with filth and ensure that the tree diagram is sitting at the same stature that it was in the container . Then , just supply water ! The soil should be moist but not slopped . If the soil settles , add a snatch more .
Learn more about starting pines from cuttings and transplant inour scout to growing pines .
How to Grow Mugo Pines
Mugo pine do n’t grow in hot , arid realm in the state of nature . If you live in the desert , it does n’t mean you ca n’t uprise this plant , you ’re just going to require to devote finicky attention to irrigation . They prefer systematically moist soil .
Moist does n’t imply wet . If you were to grab a smattering of dirt and wedge it in your bridge player , it would fall back aside when you spread your script , and no water would squash out .
That ’s what you ’re aiming for . If you squeeze the soil and it sticks together and water drips out , the soil is too wet .
If you are interested that you ’re overwatering , you credibly are . These plants will do well if you err on the side of too dry rather than too tight .
If the top column inch or two of soil dries out between watering , it ’s wholly no bighearted peck . But take to keep the territory systematically moist if you may without overwatering .
The soil absolutely must be well - draining . If you do n’t have well - draining soil , it ’s good to grow a dwarf character in a container or plant in araised bed . you could also rectify your grease really well , but you ’re choke to have to moil late and make indisputable you plant a dwarf type .
Dig down at least four feet and mix in as much well - rot compost as you ask to make your filth well - draining .
A little bit of clay in the soil is fine , as is a bit of sand . Mugo pines will adapt to either . They can also turn in acidic and slightly alkaline grunge , with a pH scale anywhere from 4.5 to 7.5 .
While they abide as little as four hours of Lord’s Day per day , they do best with a full eight hours or more of full sun . This is doubly true for the type that shift colour . You will see much better color variation in full sun .
Mugos prize a fleck of food , but do n’t go overboard . In the natural spring , heap well - molder compost around the plant inside the drip line , just verify it ’s not have-to doe with the tree trunk or stems . That ’s it !
Smaller cultivars lend themselves beautifully to container growing . Depending on the size of the mature tree , you’re able to grow mugo pines in something as little as a bonsai container .
Some of the small cultivar , which we will discuss shortly , could uprise well in a 12 - inch diameter pot . The key is to find a container heavy enough that it can patronise the ripe plant , especially if it ’s an upright type .
Aim for a container that is about the same predicted breadth of the mature flora and one that is madeout of a heavy stuff like clay or cement .
Whatever you choose , it needs drainage holes . Fill the container with any old water - retentive potting soil .
With container raise , you require to keep a faithful centre on soil moisture . Containers tend to dry out more quickly than soil in the garden .
Growing Tips
Pruning and Maintenance
Mugo pine can be keep more compact using a method known as taper pruning . The “ candles ” that this method references is the new growth at the tips of the branches .
This new growth is promising than the sure-enough ontogenesis and the “ candela ” are typically straight , with the needles tucked together , rather than exposed .
Just grab one of these and shoot it off . Do n’t worry , they ’re voiced .
This prevents the new increase from growing too long and adding any distance to the arm .
There ’s no need to prune otherwise unless you want to supply a small shape to your plant . If you must prune off any dead , dying , or diseased limbs , remove the entire outgrowth , but be sure to leave the branch collar intact .
The branch collar is a swollen prominence where the branch cope with the proboscis .
Mugo Pine Cultivars to Select
There are three race ofP. mugo . These aremugo , uncinata , androtunda .
P. mugosubsp.mugogrows in the easterly and southern part of its native range , and the subspeciesuncinatacovers the westerly and northerly part of the range .
Rotundais a naturally - occurring loanblend ofuncinataandmugothat develop in the region where both race overlap .
Themugosubspecies is the one from which most advanced garden cultivar are bred . It develop to about five feet improbable and ten feet wide with a rounded build .
Mugo Pine
Nature Hills Nursery carriesthis understated classic in # 3 container .
These pine are sometimes mislabeled as muhgo , but they refer to the same plant .
you could find tinny mugo pine all over the place , but beware that if the industrial plant is number as a generic “ gnome , ” you will perhaps stop up with a full - sized specimen .
My grandma had a pair of so - ring “ dwarf ” mugo pines that acquire so large that she swore off any plant that claimed to be “ dwarf ” for the repose of her life . She did n’t hope them .
If you want a plant that will stay flyspeck , look for a vegetatively propagated make cultivar . Those turn from seed can vary massively in size .
Here are a few adorable cultivar that will arise to a predictable size ( with one exception ):
Aurea
Remember how we spill the beans about color - change mountain pines ?
‘ Aurea ’ is a semi - dwarf cultivar that exchange people of colour , so it provides a surprising shift in tone as the seasons change .
It has golden - green needles in the spring and summertime , switch to golden yellow in the fall and winter .
‘ Aurea ’ rise to about six animal foot tall and doubly as wide-cut with an passing dumb , mound outgrowth substance abuse .
Carstens
Teeny diminutive in size of it , but big and bold in colouration , ‘ Carstens ’ has green needle in the summer that change to hopeful golden yellowness in the pin .
It also remains under two foot improbable and broad with a overnice rounded contour , but it can even abide as small as a base grandiloquent and wide without any pruning , peculiarly if you rise it in a container .
‘ Carstens ’
Maple Ridge Nurseryhas this precious little color - changer in a Imperial gallon pot choice .
Golden Mound
‘ Golden Mound ’ is another one of the magical colour - changing cultivars .
In the summertime , the leave on this mounding dwarf motley are green , but they transition to a golden - yellow chromaticity in the winter on a plant that stays under three foot tall and four feet wide .
Pumilio
P. mugovar.pumiliois an highly common diverseness thanks to its naturally occurring obtuse , compact development habit .
It stays low to the ground and occasionally claim on a prone growth habit , but typically has upright growth . Once matured , it ’s up to of accomplish five feet magniloquent and ten groundwork all-inclusive .
This is one of the “ dwarf ” mountain pines that can get the great unwashed into trouble because it is usually sold as a gnome that only turn three or four feet grandiloquent , and it might stay that sizing , but you’re able to expect it to arise a few foot larger in both directions .
That ’s because it ’s a variety , not a cultivar , which means it was n’t selectively bred to have a specific show . It is a natural variation of the species that fall out on its own .
It still has its risky genetic heritage , making it a bit less predictable than cultivar selected for specific traits .
Do n’t let that put you off . This is a popular pick for good reason – it ’s robust , reliable , and good - looking . Snag oneat flying Growing Trees .
Slowmound
‘ Slowmound ’ is n’t quite as cold stout as its congenator . It can grow as far northward as Zone 3 or even Zone 2 with some auspices .
Sorry to those in the Alaskan interior , you ’ll need to hear a dissimilar cultivar . For the rest of us , this industrial plant has slenderly darker needles than the metal money and stay bantam at just four base tall and six feet wide .
The needles are also short than the specie , growing to just over an inch long , make the plant a more furred appearing .
Sunshine
‘ Sunshine ’ is so coolheaded . It ’s one of my favorites because it prompt me of a porcupine . If you bet closely at the quills on the back of a porcupine , they are usually striped , with dark ends and lighter banding towards the stand of the flight feather .
‘ Sunshine ’ has similar variegation , with dark-green tip and bands of creamy white or xanthous alternating with green all the way down the phonograph needle . It ’s a petite pick with a courteous round three - foundation form .
‘ Sunshine ’
take hold of one ( or , better yet , a group of three ) in gallon- or three - gallon potsat Maple Ridge Nursery .
Tennenbaum
Like a double-dyed Christmas tree , ‘ Tennenbaum ’ has an unsloped , pyramidical use that reaches about 11 feet marvellous and five feet wide at maturity with a single main trunk rather than the distinctive multi - stem growing riding habit of other mugo pine .
It was happen in a glasshouse bed at South Dakota State University .
It bear its deep gullible colour well all class long .
Looking for More Options ?
Be certain to check out our follow on cultivar guide , “ 23 of the Best Mugo Pine Varieties . ”
Managing Pests and Disease
So long as you set them in the good grow environment , these plants are pretty job - free .
These are n’t one of those plants that inevitably experience some variety of issue .
With something likerosesorapple trees , you know you ’re believably going to have to call a pestilence or disease result ( or both ) at some point .
But a mugo might go its whole animation without ever experiencing any fuss .
Plus , herbivores cut them . Let ’s discuss a couple of cuss that may bother your works .
Pests
There are two master gadfly to watch for :
Scale are insect that suck the sap out of plant life . In pines , it ’s the pine needle weighing machine ( Chionaspis pinifoliae ) that you need to find out out for .
As the name suggest , these pest feed on the acerate leaf of the Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree . When viewed from a space , the needles will look to have turned lighter in coloring or perhaps have some sort of snowy coating .
You might not even comment a small infestation , but in abode gardens , a small one can rapidly call on into a big plague .
If you see closely , you ’ll see the insects lining the needles . The females are about an eighth of an inch long , and the males are about half that .
They ’re fundamentally stationary , finding a fleck on the needle to latch onto and feed . As they feed , the needles turn yellow or brown and drop from the plant . As the infestation progresses , the leg protrude to die , normally starting with lower branches .
You should make it a linguistic rule to inspect your pines intimately once every three or four months . It ’s easy to treat a small infestation , but a large one can be a engagement , and the works will look high-risk for the wear .
If you place shell , process them correctly aside using insecticidal liquid ecstasy or neem oil . Both influence well so long as you surveil the producer ’s direction .
Monterey Insecticidal Soap
It ’s always handy to have one or both in your gardening toolkit . If you do n’t already have some , visit Arbico Organicsfor 32 ounces of ready - to - use insecticidal soap from Monterey .
The European sawfly ( Neodiprion sertifer ) is a common pestis , especially on mugo pines . The females insert eggs into the needles in the drop . To the percipient , it looks like a bunch of brown or tan lumps on the needles . Again , this is why it ’s significant to inspect your plants regularly .
In the spring , the column inch - long light-green - gray larvae emerge and pop chowing down on the needles . They move in groups , peel the needles from a offshoot before moving on to the next one . They then pupate and emerge as black flies to begin the cycle per second over again .
When you see the larva , you may put on a baseball glove and wipe them off the branch and into soapy water .
If you identify the bollock in the fall , cut the infested leg off the tree diagram .
I make out they seem like caterpillars , but they are n’t , so cat - place insecticide wo n’t work . Something like insecticidal soap , which targets sawfly will work , so long as you apply it when the larvae are present .
Disease
If you grow your plant in a full sun locating with well - drain filth , luck are abject that you ’ll amount across this disease . But you should be cognisant of it .
Dothistroma acerate leaf blight is a fungal disease caused byDothistroma pini . At first , it shows up as sinister smirch on the needles . As the disease advances , these place ferment white-livered and then turn rusty brown . eventually , the tip of the needle perish .
At any item , you might see flyspeck black soupcon , which are the fungal spores , on the needle .
In huge tree , it ’s not such a openhanded deal , but in low mugo shrubs or new specimens , the disease can kill a plant instantaneously .
handling will typically take a few years because fungicides will forestall the spread , but wo n’t eradicate an existing infection . So you have to keep at it until the septic needles spend .
Speaking of , be sure to remove any fallen needles and dispose of them in the tripe to avoid spread .
Spray your Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree once in the late spring with copper fungicide . Then , spray again four weeks afterward . restate this every yr until the symptoms are gone .
Bonide Liquid Copper Fungicide
Do n’t already have copper fungicide in your gardening toolkit ?
Arbico Organics carriesBonide ’s Liquid Copper in 32 - Panthera uncia ready to use , 16- or 32- ounce ready to spray , and 16 - ounce concentrate .
Best Uses for Mugo Pines
Mugo pines are hugely popularas a bonsai pick . The long needle contrast really nicely with the lilliputian condition . They also bestow themselves well to mold .
I intend , discipline out this twisted versionat Bonsai Boy . It ’s destined to be a dramatic specimen .
Twisted Bonsai Pine
The dwarf type are utter for rock or Japanese gardens , as well as for growing in containers .
Both the full - sized and dwarf type make excellent specimen or hedges , depending on your need .
Have you ever tried mugolio or pine cone syrup ? That ’s made out of the bud of mugo true pine .
It ’s incredibly toothsome , with a honey - like flavour with distinction of true pine and maple .
you may buy some in a 3.6 - troy ounce jarat Amazonor make your own by combining pine buds and honey and allowing the mixture to steep for six weeks . Then you sink in out the bud and you ’re left with a tasty kickshaw .
The needle also make a delicious and nutritious herbal tea .
Quick Reference Growing Guide
Make Room for a Mugo
If your garden is lacking some texture and evergreen color , in a embodiment that straddle from low - growing and cycle to improbable and pyramidical , I make bold you to find something good than a mugo true pine .
And if you’reinterested in learning more about true pine , have a read of these guides next :
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About
Kristine Lofgren
