Bristlecone Pine
Pinus aristata
Size: #15
20-30 feet high x 15-20 feet wide
Irregular shape
Zone 2
Full Sun
Out of stock
This pine has been documented to be one of the oldest living organisms in the world—some in the high Sierras are 6,000+ years old. We admire that kind of durability but we love its irregular, bushy growth habit with dark green needles dotted with white pitch. The branch form extends out from the trunk and then turns upward at the tips. A fantastic specimen in an evergreen cluster or as a back drop in a xeric garden. Do not plant this tree in a traditionally watered lawn area. May take centuries to reach maturity!
Throughout this site, the following are used as guidelines for watering established plants:
These truly xeric plants can live with our 12 inches of natural annual precipitation and only need a winter watering during a multi-year drought, but they will thrive with a monthly watering. Overwatering will kill some of these. These plants are adapted to intermittent deep
watering with soil drying to a depth of a few inches between waterings. Watering frequency may be every couple of weeks during the active growing season and maybe only one winter watering for optimal care. These plants need regular watering somewhat like a bluegrass lawn so that
they never dry to depth in the root system during the active growing season, and need occasional winter watering to prevent root dessication and resultant plant
death. About sizes of our plants:
Sizes indicated with a # are roughly the equivalent in gallonage; so a #2 is about a 2 gallon pot size; b&b stands for balled and burlapped.