Pinus strobus 'STOWE PILLAR'

White (Weymouth) pines are very popular for their soft needles which you want to touch over and over again. They are usually long, silvery blue-green and come in whorls of 5. Trees of this pine can be large and dwarf, wide or columnar, but this one is really special - possibly the most slender pine in northern hemisphere. It was discovered by an enthusiastic collector, grower, and Kate Brook Nursery owner Greg Williams from Vermont, USA. It was named Stowe Pillar after a ski resort Stowe near his home.

Stowe Pillar is an attractive and sought after variety of white pine. With no pruning or other help it makes a narrowly fastigiate habit which fits even the smallest of gardens because width is (or at least should be) commonly the issue from the practical point of view, not height. Evergreen needles are soft, light green with a silver stripe, about 10 cm long, and grow in whorls of 5.

It forms a very slender tree, yet it grows fast and relatively tall - annually it makes 20-30 cm, in 10 years it is around 3m tall, and 7-8 m in maturity. New shoots can be pruned (clipped) or even removed as the emerge if you want to control plant's size. Branches are well attached to the leader being reasonably resistant to bending under a load of wet snow.

Pines like sunny locations and well-drained, sandy soil, they usually do not require fertilizing unless they suffer from chlorosis in which case magnesium and ferrum-based agents should be used. They are practically maintenance-free. Fully hardy to about -37°C (USDA 3).

Last update 10-09-2018