Mountain Pine 'Gnom'

Mountain pine Gnom (Pinus mugo Gnom) - a popular cultivar, introduced into cultivation in 1890. It is a dwarf shrub with a dense, rounded crown when young and a broadly pyramidal crown at a more mature age. Average height 2-3 m, under favorable conditions can grow up to 4 m. Width 1.5-3 m. Slow-growing when young, reaching 1 m in diameter by 10 years. Annual growth about 15 cm in height and 10 cm in width. Root system is shallow, strongly branched. Shoots numerous, thick. Needles are in bundles of 2, 5.5 cm long, glossy, stiff, dark green. Cones brown, rounded, 2-6 cm long.

Location: prefers sunny, open sites; grows poorly in shade. Prefers fertile, moist, well-drained soil; grows well on sandy and sandy-loam soils. Does not tolerate waterlogging. Tolerates urban climates well.

Use: Used in group and solitary plantings, for edging woodland, slopes, retaining walls, Japanese, heather, rock gardens and alpine rockeries. Also suitable for container cultivation.