Mugo Pines in Nature and the Landscape
Dwarf Conifers for the Garden and How to Select Them
Jan 26, 2009
Have you ever planted a mugo pine Pinus mugo with the intention of it growing into a minute, two-foot tall foundation plant and been disappointed years later because it grows into a six-foot tall misshapen and ugly plant? Inconsistency in growth habit can also occur when planting more than one mugo in a garden setting, where uniformity is desired. Plant shape, needle size and ultimate size can vary between each plant, which disrupts landscape continuity.
Variability in the growth of the mugo pine should be a concern of the well-intentioned landscape designer and homeowner who wish to plan a landscape that will look groomed for years to come. To understand why there is so much variability between individual mugo pines, we have to look geographically in the Swiss Alps – the native habitat of the Pinus mugo.
Horticultural explorations of these mountains have brought us interesting facts about the growth habits of the Swiss Mountain Pine. Starting at the base of the Alps one would find the pine growing to 35 feet tall with the occasional older specimen reaching 70 feet or taller. These trees often have massive trunks and spreading crowns. The lack of strong wind and heavy snow-pack, allows for optimum growth, provided by a longer grower season and nutritional needs.
Proceeding up the mountain, where snowfall and winds increase, and temperature drops to 40 degrees below, the characteristics of the mugo pine begin to change as well. Genetic structure of the plant is altered to withstand the harsh conditions found at these higher elevations. This is where the true dwarf forms of Pinus mugo- some measuring 3 feet tall and 20 feet across.
These shapes develop for the same reason automobiles are aerodynamically streamlined, in order to allow wind and snow to pass with the least resistance. Needles become shorter and are wax-coated in order to conserve moisture. Growth rate is extremely slow in order to balance the plant's needs to the small quantities of nourishment available, and short growing season.
Unfortunately, many nurseries will offer for sale mugo pines grown from seed. This means that the offspring will each vary in characteristics. Therefore you may end up with a mugo that has the genetics of a 20-foot tall tree – exactly what you don’t want for your foundation planting under a low bay window.
The way to avoid the unpredictable nature of the mugo is to purchase a named variety. These are grafted cloned selections, which will always grow in predetermined growth forms. You can be assured that they will grow into a tight mounding form. A few nice selections to look for are: ‘Mops’, ‘Gnom’, ‘,Compacta’, ‘Slow Mound’, and ‘Sherwood Compact’.
