Plant field guide
White Pine
Graceful native evergreen with soft blue-green needles. Fast growing and excellent for windbreaks, screens, or specimens.
Growing requirements
- Scientific name
- Pinus strobus
- Sun
- full sun
- Water
- moderate
- Height
- 360 in (914 cm) – 960 in (2438 cm)
- Spread
- 240 in (610 cm) – 480 in (1219 cm)
- Spacing
- Not recorded
- Hardiness zones & minimum temperature
- USDA 3–8; average annual extreme minimum from -40°F (-40.0°C). Hardiness does not predict local frost dates.
- Difficulty
- easy
Planting & seasonal timing
Northern Hemisphere planting months: not yet verified in our database.
Northern Hemisphere pruning months: June.
For the Southern Hemisphere, these seasonal windows shift approximately six months. Check your local frost forecast, soil temperature, and species requirements; calendar months are not a guarantee of planting safety.
Soft, flexible needles make it friendlier than other pines. Susceptible to white pine blister rust. Salt intolerant.
Pruning
Prune candle growth (new shoots) in spring to control size. Shearing creates denser growth.
Fertilizer
Acidic evergreen fertilizer
Early spring if soil is poor
Mulch
3-4 inches of pine needle or bark mulch.