Twisted Pine

Twisted pine (Pinus contorta) — evergreen coniferous tree growing in the west of the North American continent, along the Pacific coast.

Variety advantages: unpretentiousness, drought resistance, does not require a haircut

The tree is tall, grows up to 50 m tall in the wild, its more compact forms (10-12 m) are used in landscape design. Trunk – straight or curved, up to 90 cm in diameter. Crown – sprawling. Branches – thin, multi-whorled, rough, located horizontally or raised up. Bark – scaly with furrows, brown, may have a red or gray tint.

Needles stiff, dark green. The needles are sharp, with a finely serrated edge and white stomatal stripes, curved on the sides. Length – 2-8 cm, thickness – 0.7-2 mm. Collected in bundles of 2 pcs. Kidneys – ovoid, resinous, dark red-brown color.

Cones. Men's – cylindrical shape, orange-red, 5-15 cm long. Women's – cone-shaped or ovoid, 3-6 cm long, shiny. Color – brown with a red or yellow tint. They ripen in 16-20 months, grow in bunches. Seeds – ovoid-flattened, about 5 mm long, black.

Destination. Twisted pine is widely used in landscape design, the peak of the tree's decorative effect occurs in the summer. The view goes well with fir and pseudo-hemlock.

Growing conditions. Hardiness zones of lodgepole pine – 5a (– 28… –23°C) and warmer. The tree is demanding on the purity of the air, grows well on deep, drained soils. Undersized forms of pine are less whimsical – taken in swamps, sand dunes, low lake shores.

Beware of fakes and contaminated planting material, purchase lodgepole pine seedlings in specialized nurseries.