Handy tips for growing lacebark pine trees

Lacebark pine is a multi-trunked evergreen tree native to China that is grown primarily for its colourful peeling bark. Here are some handy tips to help you add the unique tree to your outdoor space.

•  Lacebark pine trees have a gray outer bark flakes off in irregular patches, revealing blotches of cream, purple, yellow and green. This marbled pattern is framed by rigid, gray-green, five- to 10-centimetre-long (two- to four-inch-long) needles that are held in groups of three.
• Plant lacebark pine in a prominent sunny place, such as near a terrace, pathway or house window, where you can view the patterns of its bark.
• As the tree develops, you can prune off the lower branches so that its lovely bark and multiple trunks become more visible. Or you can group several unpruned lacebarks to form a handsome windbreak, screen or background planting in the garden.
• Unlike some conifers, lacebark pine does not lose its green colour in extreme low temperatures.
• In winter, it makes quite a statement when grown alongside other trees with ornamental bark, such as river birch and serviceberry.

• Lacebark pine takes its time to reach maturity, but it attains a height of 1.8 metres (six feet) in 10 years, 4.3 metres (14 feet) in 20 years and 10.5 to 12 metres (34 to 40 feet) within 50 years.
• As the tree ages, its shape begins to open up and then spread out, and the bark begins to peel.
• The colourful bark is most prominent on the large, sprawling limbs of older trees.

Several other medium-sized pine species also exhibit ornamental bark, which can usually be found at specialty nurseries and from mail-order sources.

• Chil goza pine (Pinus gerardiana) is a close relative from the Himalayas with a rounded canopy, silvery bark that peels off in plates and long needles. It is hardy in Zone 7.
• Both Japanese red pine (P. densiflora) and American red pine (P. resinosa) earn their common names from their rust-coloured bark. On older branches, the thick, scaly outer layer cracks to show gray inner bark.
• Hardy to Zone 5, the Japanese species has one particularly graceful variety. 'Umbraculifera' grows slowly into a densely branched umbrella shape that rarely exceeds 3.5 metres (11.5 feet) in height.
• The American red pine grows robustly north into Zone 2, becoming a 30-metre-tall (10-foot-tall) tree.
• Bosnian pine (P. heldreichii) has ash-gray bark that splits, revealing yellow patches beneath. This egg-shaped tree grows slowly to 7.5 metres (25 feet), is hardy to Zone 6 and is tolerant of dry, alkaline soil.
• Montezuma pine (P. montezumae) is hardy only to Zone 7, but it makes a striking columnar specimen for warmer climates. The rough, reddish brown bark develops fissures that contrast with drooping, 20- to 25-centimetre-long (eight- to 10-inch-long), blue-green needles.

• Select a site where lacebark pine can bask in the sun. It grows best in well-drained soil, and will thrive in dry sites with poor soil and without supplemental irrigation. The trees transplant easily if they have a substantial root ball.
• Pruning should be done selectively, in any season, a little at a time as the tree ages to provide a view of the attractive bark. Cut back unwanted branches when they are still small to minimize the size of the pruning scar.
• Lacebark pine is resistant to many insects and diseases but not to the European pine shoot moth. Its larvae tunnel into tips of new stems, causing them to turn brown and die.
• Prune off and destroy damaged branches as you find them.
• Spray trees with a commercial insecticide that is labelled for controlling this pest on lacebark pine trees, applying it as directed on the package.

This colourful tree will suit any garden. Keep these handy tips in mind and plant a lacebark pine tree today!