Pinus sylvestris ‘Watereri’
Dwarf Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris ‘Watereri’) is a handsome pine with thick blue-gray foliage on an upright broad shrub. Growing to around 4 m/12 ft tall and wide, it is ideal for use as a specimen or in groupings on sunny hillsides and slopes.
This dwarf Scots pine is easy to grow as long as the soil is well drained and it is planted in a sunny spot. As with many conifers, constantly soggy or wet soils bring on root rot or other harmful plant diseases. Once established, dwarf Scots pine has a high tolerance to drought and a moderate growth rate.
An attractive pine, it makes a good focal point and is hardy and evergreen with year-round interest as well as low on maintenance. That is a lot of pluses. But there is something else about dwarf Scots pine. It has a magical side.
Come spring, the tree candles light up in the sun stretching and twisting to the sky. In pine trees, these shoots of new growth are called ‘candles’. They are found growing in clusters with a dominant candle surrounded by secondary candles. Close up you can see cones forming. And on a sunny day the needles look bluer than ever, while on an overcast day the whole shrub becomes silver-gray.
Dwarf Scot’s pine was discovered by Anthony Waterer in the early 1860s right near his nursery in England. The pictures of this pine (planted in 2017) were taken in bed 65 in the Heather Garden. It was April. The candles were soaring.
Text and photos by Hughie Jones.