Blue Mound Swiss Stone Pine
Pinus cembra 'Blue Mound'
Height: 3 feet
Spread: 3 feet
Sunlight:
Hardiness Zone: 3
Other Names: Arolla Pine
Description:
A high caliber but little known evergreen garden shrub with a dense, rounded habit of growth, very compact and slow growing; adaptable and hardy, excellent for form, texture and color detail in home gardens or for rock gardens
Ornamental Features
Blue Mound Swiss Stone Pine is a dwarf conifer which is primarily valued in the garden for its ornamental globe-shaped form. It has attractive bluish-green evergreen foliage. The needles are highly ornamental and remain bluish-green throughout the winter.
Landscape Attributes
Blue Mound Swiss Stone 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 is a relatively low maintenance shrub. When pruning is necessary, it is recommended to only trim back the new growth of the current season, other than to remove any dieback. It has no significant negative characteristics.
Blue Mound Swiss Stone Pine is recommended for the following landscape applications;
- General Garden Use
Planting & Growing
Blue Mound Swiss Stone Pine will grow to be about 3 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 3 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 to a ripe old age of 100 years or more; think of this as a heritage shrub for future generations!
This shrub should only be grown in full sunlight. It prefers dry to average moisture levels with very well-drained soil, and will often die in standing water. It is considered to be drought-tolerant, and thus makes an ideal choice for a low-water garden or xeriscape application. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America.
