We are looking to plant an upright native (to BC or at least the PNW) 5-needle pine for our yard in Victoria, the idea being to eventually have a largish tree in 15-20 years. My initial interest was Pinus monticola, which is native to Van. Island. However, it is basically impossible to find commercially, and I suspect would be tricky to grow even if we found one (blister rust, fussy with soil, etc.). A local grower suggested P. strobus ‘fastigiata’, an upright cultivar of eastern white pine, obviously not native to the region, but an attractive looking tree nonetheless. Any other suggestions we might consider? I’ve started wondering about sugar pine (P. lambertiana), which is a beautiful tree when mature, native to southern Oregon and Cali., awesome cones, but I also have not encountered in local nurseries. Thanks for any tips.
The thread below gives suggestions of a few pines that resist white pine blister rust. Keep in mind that some nurseries will bring plants in for customers who request species they do not normally stock. British Columbia: - White pine blister rust
Pinus flexilis (limber pine). Native to the Rockies. I have seen seen cultivars of this species in nurseries.
Collect your own Pinus monticola seed and grow your own? They're not too difficult. Get on to local forestry officials to ask about locations of any noted blister rust resistant individuals to collect from. Also possible that forestry research stations might have access to planting stock that nurseries don't, so ask them too. Pinus lambertiana is worth a try, but again, you may need to collect your own seed, which means a trip down south - try the USDA Forest Service Dorena Research center, they have rust-resistant selections. True Pinus flexilis is very slow-growing, and won't make a worthwhile tree within the average human lifetime. But its close relative Pinus reflexa (Southwestern White Pine; syn. Pinus strobiformis Sudw. non Engelm.) is faster, and widely available as the cultivar 'Vanderwolf's Pyramid' (usually mislabelled as P. flexilis Vanderwolf's Pyramid'); this is a very nice tree, but is susceptible to blister rust.
