Dragon's Eye Japanese Red Pine
Pinus densiflora 'Oculus - Draconis'
(PY-nus) (den-see-FLOR-uh)
I love this Pine tree. It seems to have several variations of habit and needle color. They are all quite striking and add a touch of class to the garden. This particular specimen had very white looking needles and was quite nice. I have seen needle color all the way to dark yellow. I usually use as an accent plant because it is slow growing to its final height of 25 to 35 feet. It can be maintained much lower if you want. Sometimes on a real bad winter the needles ‘muddy up’ to an unattractive brown color. These off color needles are shed when the new growth comes out, I don’t really understand why this happens as this tree is hardy to USDA zone 3 (which is really cold). I take care of several of these trees and find that pinching the candles really keeps them bushy. As an added bonus it cones quite frequently.
A short post today as my body is wracked with pain from all the masonry work I have been doing. It feels good in one way but in others it would be easier not to do it. I have to work all weekend because I am placing a Belgian block apron across someone’s driveway and they are out of town for a few days. I don’t mind doing it for these people because they are really nice and good people that work hard themselves. It is 14 blocks wide by 10 blocks deep and I hope to get it done in 2 days.
1 comment:
Do the needles muddy up toward the ends of the branches or as you go further down towards the trunk? Although they are "evergreens," pine trees do not keep all of their needles. Depending on the species, needles may only hold for 2 years or less. By the time needle cast is finished, the new flush has already replaced the needles that are to drop.
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