Mature Height/Spread: White pine (Pinus strobes) reaches 50 to 80 feet in height and 20 to 40 feet in spread. Sometimes, it can grow to 150 feet and more.

Growth Rate: This is one of the fastest growing landscape pines, growing more than 2 feet per year.

Ornamental Features: White pine needles are delicate, soft, and light bluish-green. White pine is easily recognized because it is the only commonly grown five-needled pine.

Landscape Use: Suggested uses for this species include border, screen, windbreak and specimen plant. It transplants easily because of its wide-spreading, moderately deep root system. It grows best on fertile, moist, well-drained soil and in full sun. On favorable sites, white pine sometimes grows too fast to retain its dense foliage, but this can be overcome by pruning one-half of the new growth tips in spring.

Problems: White pine is extremely intolerant of air pollutants (ozone, sulfur dioxide) and salts. It is not a good plant for city conditions or along roads.

Iron chlorosis (yellowing of the needles) may develop in high pH soils. Two very serious pests include the white pine blister rust, a bark disease, which eventually kills the tree, and the white pine weevil, which kills the young top of the tree, seriously deforming it.

Cultivars: There are many cultivars available. A few are mentioned here.

* ‘Compacta’ is a dense, rounded, slow-growing type.
* ‘Fastigiata’ (pyramidal white pine) is a narrow upright form with narrow branch angles.
* ‘Pendula’ (weeping white pine) has drooping branches.
* ‘Nana’ (dwarf white pine) is a dwarf globe shaped form.