Hi All, I am looking for a pine tree to recommend to my dad. There are so many out there, any help is appreciated! - He wants a strong pine scent. - I am assuming fast growing is good. - Both medium and large sizes are worth considering, the primary requirement is the good pine scent! Thanks in advance! Jeremy
Does it have to be a pine, or will any conifer be suitable? What growing conditions will it need to tolerate?
Subalpine fir Abies lasiocarpa. Very fragrant, evocative of trips to the mountains. Commonly sold and planted here in the past. Apt to deteriorate and become pest-infested after some years in lowland gardens, but maybe this one would not have to hold up over the long term to be satisfactory. Or maybe spraying it would not be considered a hardship.
I thought he was stuck on a pine, but these replies are interesting. The Abies lasiocarpa sounds like something worth following up on. Thank you so much for your replies. Jeremy
Pinus jeffreyi has a pretty good scent to the needles. Its native to the USA so it should be fairly easy to get hold of.
Jeffrey pine fairly frequent in local plantings. May have to look a little to find one in a nursery at this time. Some specimens here probably originating as seedlings or seed from cones brought home from trips to Oregon or California. Flipping through a few periodicals recently at Miller Library, CUH, Seattle I came across an article ~on your topic. Think it was in Pacific Horticulture, a publication one can find fairly easily at local independent garden centers and other outlets that sell gardening magazines in the Seattle area. Maybe it is also available down your way.
