Pinus mugo 'Sunshine' / Sunshine mugo pine

Pinus mugo 'Sunshine' is a variegated dwarf form of mugo pine with rich-green needles variegated with yellow bands. This cultivar is fairly vigorous for a mugo pine; growing as tall as wide. The variegation is durable, not burning in full sun. Typical rate of growth in most areas is 2.5 inches (6 cm) per year resulting in a shimmering globe, 2 feet (60 cm) tall and wide after 10 years in the garden or landscape. It should be noted that in some climates, this cultivar has been reported to assume a pyramidal tree form, so as with any recently-introduced conifer, the collector should be prepared for anything.

Wiel Linssen, former owner of Libo Nursery, Baexem, The Netherlands is credited with the origin and introduction of the fine new cultivar. The original plant was a seedling selection that Wiel made at the nursery of Anton Roefs in Velden, The Netherlands in the early 1990s. Anton gave Wiel the seeding that he later planted in his private garden in Baexem to evaluate for a few years. By the mid 1990s, he named it and began introducing it to the nursery trade.