Shore Pine and Conifer Sizes
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Verena
Location: Oregon, Willamette Valley
Posted: Jan-25-2005 at 2:49pm
Hi, I planted 200 shore pines, Pinus contorta contorta, to act as a wind and dust break from the main road in 1980, thinking they would take forever to reach the power lines which are, unfortunately, on my side of the road. The seedlings were not Pinus contorta latifolia, the lodgepole variety of shore pine. So now they're well over the power lines, constantly break from the weight of ice storms, and are basically a pain in the ____. They were bushy and very pretty when young (weren't we all?). I also planted two C. nootkatensis 'Pendula' in 1981 far, far from the house; they now form a nice framework for the house---they're HUGE. It's hard to predict the perfect size native tree in 20 years, so I've just taken to structural pruning, more or less informal bonsai, to keep the conifers in the rock garden and tighter spaces smaller.
JeanneK
Location: Oregon, Greater Portland Metro
Posted: Jan-26-2005 at 7:55am
Good point, Verena. Trees can get much bigger in a garden setting than in the wild. And shore pines do grow fast. How big are yours now, 25 years later?
Jeanne
Verena
Location: Oregon, Willamette Valley
Posted: Jan-26-2005 at 9:01am
Jeanne, my trees are about 10 feet over the power lines (distribution lines, not transmission lines which are higher). So, whatever that height is, that's about how tall they are. Portland General Electric has cleared out some of the branches. I'm so glad they didn't charge the idiot owner. Although in the future, I predict 'rules' will emerge what a homeowner may plant close to power lines. The interesting thing is, nobody really can predict the 'may be' of some trees. I don't know how many so-called 'dwarfs' I've bought over the years that were adamantly described as such by expert tree people, only to witness these little guys grow and grow and grow. I suppose a 30' 25 year old tree is still a dwarf variety compared to the 130' standard form! Well, it's OK with me that some of them just became bird real estate. Not too many birdies nest in bonsai.
Lisa A
Location: Oregon, Greater Portland Metro
Posted: Jan-26-2005 at 10:39am
Originally posted by Verena
'I suppose a 30' 25 year old tree is still a dwarf variety compared to the 130' standard form!'
Verena, a dwarf conifer, as explained to me by Don Howse, the owner of Porterhowse Nursery (specializes in conifers), is a conifer that will grow more slowly than the species form. The 3 size designations for conifers - miniature, dwarf and compact - indicate how much a conifer will grow in a year, not the plant's ultimate size.
Miniature - grows 1' or less per year
Dwarf - grows 1'-6' per year
Compact - grows 6'-12' per year
JeanneK
Location: Oregon, Greater Portland Metro
Posted: Jan-26-2005 at 12:14pm
Great info, Lisa. Thanks for the descriptions. Good to know.
Jeanne
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