Sea Urchin White Pine
Pinus strobus 'Sea Urchin'
Height: 3 feet
Spread: 4 feet
Sunlight:
Hardiness Zone: 3a
Other Names: Eastern White Pine
Description:
A dwarf evergreen garden shrub with a dense, rounded habit of growth and silver blue foliage; extremely compact and slow growing, excellent for form, texture and color detail in home gardens or rock gardens; tends to show more blue than other cultivars
Ornamental Features
Sea Urchin White Pine is a dwarf conifer which is primarily valued in the garden for its ornamental globe-shaped form. It has attractive silvery blue evergreen foliage. The needles are highly ornamental and remain silvery blue throughout the winter.
Landscape Attributes
Sea Urchin White Pine is a dense multi-stemmed evergreen shrub with a more or less rounded 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;
- Insects
- Disease
Sea Urchin White Pine is recommended for the following landscape applications;
- Mass Planting
- Hedges/Screening
- Rock/Alpine Gardens
- General Garden Use
Planting & Growing
Sea Urchin White Pine will grow to be about 3 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 4 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.
