Three Short Pine Species That Are Perfect For The Corners Of Garden Beds

Pine trees look elegant and enticing when placed in the corners or on ends of garden beds. The secret, however, is making sure you choose a variety of pine tree that will stay small, rather than eventually taking over your whole garden. Here's a look at three pine varieties that stay short with minimal pruning, and are therefore excellent choices for your garden bed corners.

Dwarf Norway Spruce

Carefully developed from the large, stately spruce trees of Scandinavia, this dwarf spruce variety is one of the smallest pine shrubs you can find. It only reaches about 2 feet in height when mature. Its needles are short with a gray-green tint.

Because of their unique shape, dwarf Norway spruce trees are sometimes known as birds nest spruces. They prefer full sunlight, but will tolerate a little shade if panted along the edge of a building. They are highly tolerant of an array of soil types ranging from clay to rocky, so long as the area where they're planted is well-drained.

Once established, this shrub requires little care. It can be pruned in late winter if desired, but pruning is not required because of its slow growth. Drawf Norway spruces should be fertilized each spring.

Colorado Blue Spruce

If you're looking for a more traditionally shaped pine tree with a pointed top, consider planting a Colorado blue spruce. There are several medium-sized cultivars that reach about 10 feet tall 8 years after planting.  These include Montgomery and Fat Albert Varieties. A common smaller variety, which reaches about 3 feet in height, is the Glauca Globosa.

Colorado blue spruce trees are named for the blue-green color of their needles. Most varieties have medium-length needles and retain their color all year long. Colorado blue spruce trees will tolerate shade, but they will not grow in overly wet soils, as the excess moisture may cause root rot. You can have your trees trimmed to maintain a precise shape, though pruning is not technically necessary.

Compact Mugo Pine

Mugo pines have a full, round shape with pointed tops. There are many varieties of Mugo pine, but the compact varieties tend to reach about 4 or 5 feet in height. They have very coarse, dark green needles that grow to between 1 ½ and 3 inches in length.

Mugo pines will tolerate droughts and do not require watering, but they must be planted in areas that receive full sunlight. They often require pruning to keep them from spreading out too much.

A pine tree planted in the corner of your garden bed adds a hint of greenery to your landscape all year-round. Talk to your landscape professional or a company like Arch City Tree Service about the varieties above. They're all pretty easy to find and grow.

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