Hi , I have just returned from Italy and would like to purchase or order a large ( 4 to 5 ft.) Pinus Pinea tree: umbrella tree. Does anyone know where in Vancouver I should look? Thanks
Don't know of any Vancouver sources, but I've grown several from seed and found them easy to germinate, and reasonably fast growing (2 yr. seedlings= 2 ft. tall). I understand that a 4-5' tree straight out of the pot provides an immediate aesthetic presence, and will probably produce a few cones/nuts sooner, but it's much better (for the tree) to plant a smaller one and let it develop roots in situ; a potted pine that height is likely to be heavily rootbound. At the very least, watch for this in any stock you're considering. The seed is available from a number of sources; JL Hudson seeds usually has it in stock.
Commonly sold tabletop Christmas tree here: the little fluffy blue "spruces" are this species in its juvenile state. As is often the case with trees and shrubs, grows fast enough that paying considerably extra for one several feet tall - if you can find it locally - does seem an unnecessary expense. This is not a small-growing tree either, with the large, broad top that eventually develops on favorable sites perhaps being more important than possible difficulty with finding one already multiple years along at time of planting. And this far north hard frosts may singe the foliage and damp snows may break the branches, so I would start out with a smaller, cheaper seedling (with roots spread out at planting, as always with so frequently deformed roots of stock sold in this age of container growing) - and even then only if I had a warm, sunny sheltered site with plenty of room for long term development.
