Pine, Pinus: “Faithful Old Retainer”
Photography by Britt Willoughby Dyer, except where noted.
Pine trees are distinct from fir and spruce, though they are all members of the Pinaceae family, better known as conifer.
There are more than one hundred varieties of the evergreen, resinous pine.
Holford pine (Pinus x holfordiana) at Westonbirt Arboretum in Gloucestershire, where it first appeared, a cross between Mexican White pine and Bhutan pine. Bringing greenery indoors is a way of reminding us of growth, during the shortest days of the year.
Photograph courtesy of Bob Vila.
Pine cones are so decorative in their natural state that they don’t depend on being sprayed or stuffed, or dipped in glitter. In the US, the pines most valued for food are pinyon pines, while in Europe it is sourced from the stone pine.
Cheat Sheet
• Pinus shares the needles and cones of the conifer group. The smallest pine is Siberian dwarf pine, Pinus pumila, which clings on mountains as an impenetrable ground cover, and can survive for 3,000 years.
A conifer alley, or allée, in an English formal garden, overseen by a leaning Scots pine.
Keep It Alive
• Conifers need to be established with care, with initial watering and an annual feed. • Young pine trees need to be protected from deer.
Stone pine (Pinus pinea) is a strong visual motif around the Mediterranean, accompanied by the sound of cicadas.
Photograph by Sarah Webster.
The profile of Scots pine distinguishes it as a periphery tree, and gives a place character.