Pinus densiflora 'Quarryhill' is a recently-discovered diminutive dwarf selection of Japanese Red pine. It's needles are bright and shiny and can act as a beacon drawing the observer closer to its place in the garden. They are somewhat shorter than those of the species and are carried on dense little branchlets that grow less than 2 inches (< 5 cm) a year in all directions, but primarily upward. Over time 'Quarryhill' is expected to become a small upright tree worthy of inclusion in a rock garden or an eclectic collection of rare conifers.
Tom Cox of Canton, Georgia discovered the witch's broom which was to become 'Quarryhill' while touring the grounds of Quarryhill Botanical Garden, Glen Ellen, California with the garden's Executive Director, Bill McNamara sometime before 2010. Gee Farms of Stockbridge, Michigan is credited with its U.S. introduction in 2012. Up until now, production of this fine and promising cultivar has been limited in the U.S., but nonetheless, it is worth seeking out among specialty growers.
