'Vanderwulf's pyramid' limber pine I am looking for a medium-sized conifer to use as a border tree in my small, suburban yard. (I planted a sciadopitys verticillata, but it is not thriving, so I will probably have to remove it.) I recently saw an interesting alternative at one of the local nurseries : the 'Vanderwulf's pyramid' limber pine. It looks like a promising choice because it is supposed to grow to only 30 feet (excuse me, I mean 10 m) and be very adaptable to different soil conditions. (The latter is a great benefit here in the midwestern U.S., where the soil is all heavy clay.) Does anyone have any experience with this tree or a recommendation? Thanks, Jim
It won't stay that small, also has a broad (pyramidal) habit. Appears to be a Pinus reflexa selection with upswept (rather than level) branches. Japanese umbrella pine also becomes a full-sized tree, in time.
Re: 'Vanderwulf's pyramid' limber pine As long as it takes at least 20 years to exceed 30 feet in height, that's fine with me. (As Keynes famously said, "In the long run we are all dead.")
Re: 'Vanderwolf's Pyramid' limber pine Actually there are two forms of this Limber Pine. Pinus flexilis 'Vanderwolf' and Pinus flexilis 'Vanderwolf's Pyramid'. Note: There seems to be a convention using glauca for both of these Pines such as Pinus flexilis glauca 'Vanderwolf's Pyramid'. I learned them by how I spelled them. The 'Vanderwolf' is a more upright and a slightly faster grower for me. The needles are not quite as bright as a 'Vanderwolf's Pyramid' as the 'Vanderwolf's Pyramid' is more of a silvery blue color than my 'Vanderwolf' which is more of a blue green in color. The white stripe on the backside of the needle does not seem as bright on 'Vanderwolf' either. The needles of 'Vanderwolf's Pyramid' are slightly shorter in length than a 'Vanderwolf' and is a more of a compact growing tree. Both are very nice Pines and can handle wind, heavy soils and rocky slopes. It will be a long while before mine get up to 30' tall grown in a Western Garden Book zone 1, now considered a zone 1A. Mine have been putting out about 1/2' of growth a year with only one growth spurt (grow then stop and then grow then stop is 2 growth spurts. Mine grow then stop) at this location. I think for me the eventual sizes will be roughly 20-25' x 12' in 30 years for the 'Vanderwolf' and 16-20' x 16' in 30 years for my 'Vanderwolf's Pyramid'. There is not a whole lot difference in the two Pines but there was enough for me to see to justify my having both of them. Jim
We added a Vanderwolf's Pyramid last year and it is doing wonderfully. I have actually had great luck with all of the pines I planted last fall in conparison to other varieties of conifers. They seem much more adaptable. We have the tree in as a partial focal point in the corner of the yard, but in what you could call a mixed border. The growth this spring as about 12". The tree is not strictly compact as the "limber" branches seem to fall away from the tree to give it a beautiful windswept habit. I am leaving this tree behind in a move next week, but I would replace it in a second. The coloring Jim describes is very accurate for this tree and combined with the form makes it a realy beauty. I wouldn't hesitate to use it in your border application as it truly will stay compact when compared to many other pines and has a great deal of character. Michael
Commonly planted out here, on the North American market since 1972, I have seen this vigorous selection at least 30' wide.