The buds and leaves of this plant are golden-yellow in the spring and early summer.
Although a lot of literature shows strobus to be hardy in zone 3 it has been my observation in my area which is zone 3a that the species and cultivars winter burn badly if they are not protected from winter drying. Yellow forms are even more prone to this than the green forms.
Pinus strobus 'Golden Candles' This picture was taken in 2000 during an ACS tour of the Harper Collection in Michigan.
Photo by Ken Church
Comments
Jack Schumaker
How do you get Eastern White Pines to fill in and become denser. Would candeling help this?
David Olszyk
candle-pruning and removing dominant shoots in the ONLY way to keep this species dense. Gotta start with a small plant. Once it's taken off, you're not going to bring it back.
Jack
Mine are about 36-44”. Is it too late?
David Olszyk
I don't think so. Just be aware that if they're already lanky, you've got a project ahead of you. Aesthetic pruning is generally a twice-a-year project, basically forever. It's a relaxing hobby, but one that shouldn't be neglected ever.
Jack
The bottom half of my trees are thick and full of branches.As you go up the tree, the branches thin out and there is more “open spaces” between them. This is the part I want to fill in. Will candling the top half of the tree accomplish that? Thanks!
David Olszyk
the branching is thick toward the bottom because of candling that was done at the nursery when then the plant was young. It opened up in the middle because nobody pruned the candles for a few years. If you start candling again, the branching will become denser toward that point upward. That's how pines work.
Jack
Thanks again! Some of the candles range from 1/2” on the small end to 2+” on the longer end. How do I know when they are done growing and should be candled?
David Olszyk
the prime time for candle pruning is when the new needles have extended 1/4 - 3/16th of an inch from the fascicles. I've been candle-pruning for the past few weeks. Just about done. If you wait until they're "done growing," it's possible that you'll be removing next years buds.
Jack
If I candle those on the leader, will that stop the upward growth?
David Olszyk
if you totally remove the lead shoots, you plant will grow no taller, but you'll get 10 new lead shoots replacing the one you removed. You'll get to deal with those 10 next year and get 100 more in return. The result after 25 years, will be a really broad, densely branched tree with 1000s of lead shoots.
Comments
How do you get Eastern White Pines to fill in and become denser. Would candeling help this?
candle-pruning and removing dominant shoots in the ONLY way to keep this species dense. Gotta start with a small plant. Once it's taken off, you're not going to bring it back.
Mine are about 36-44”. Is it too late?
I don't think so. Just be aware that if they're already lanky, you've got a project ahead of you. Aesthetic pruning is generally a twice-a-year project, basically forever. It's a relaxing hobby, but one that shouldn't be neglected ever.
The bottom half of my trees are thick and full of branches.As you go up the tree, the branches thin out and there is more “open spaces” between them. This is the part I want to fill in. Will candling the top half of the tree accomplish that? Thanks!
the branching is thick toward the bottom because of candling that was done at the nursery when then the plant was young. It opened up in the middle because nobody pruned the candles for a few years. If you start candling again, the branching will become denser toward that point upward. That's how pines work.
Thanks again! Some of the candles range from 1/2” on the small end to 2+” on the longer end. How do I know when they are done growing and should be candled?
the prime time for candle pruning is when the new needles have extended 1/4 - 3/16th of an inch from the fascicles. I've been candle-pruning for the past few weeks. Just about done. If you wait until they're "done growing," it's possible that you'll be removing next years buds.
If I candle those on the leader, will that stop the upward growth?
if you totally remove the lead shoots, you plant will grow no taller, but you'll get 10 new lead shoots replacing the one you removed. You'll get to deal with those 10 next year and get 100 more in return. The result after 25 years, will be a really broad, densely branched tree with 1000s of lead shoots.