How to Grow and Care for Japanese White Pines

Pinus parviflora

It’s obvious, in hindsight, why I fell in love with Japanese white pines (Pinus parviflora).

The long green needles often twist and curl, exposing their silvery-white undersides.

They appear in groups of five and can stretch over three inches long, contrasting beautifully with the mature gray-black bark that breaks into plates with age.

As they mature, the trees take on an irregular shape, often with a twisting, crooked trunk. The overall effect is that of an overgrown bonsai. And I’m a huge fan of bonsai.

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Young specimens tend to grow in a neat, conical shape, but as they age, they take on a flatter, more open crown. The shape is ever changing but always elegant and interesting.

Plus, Japanese white pine trees grow to a manageable 50 feet tall in the garden, with many cultivars staying much smaller.

The small, curved cones start developing when the tree is young, and persist on the branches providing a beautiful accent.

But enough singing its praises. Let’s jump into the details about how to grow Japanese white pines. We’re going to talk about the following:

Let’s dive into the details of this rugged yet refined conifer.

Also known as five-needle pine, P. parviflora is indigenous to mountainous regions in Japan and parts of eastern China and Korea.

Most garden cultivars are smaller still, with many remaining under 15 feet even after decades of growth.

This species belongs to the white aka soft pine group.

It is classified in the Strobus subgenus and Quinquefoliae section, which encompasses pines bearing five needles per fascicle, a classic identifying trait of this elegant evergreen.

Japanese white pine is extremely hardy once established and tolerant of urban conditions, poor soils, and salt spray.

How to Grow

Caring for Japanese white pines is really an undemanding task.

Once you get them in the ground, young plants need a bit more attention than established specimens, but even those youngsters aren’t too fussy.

They’re even fine in salty areas, so you’ll often see them growing along shorelines.

Climate

Japanese white pines do best in cool climates of USDA Hardiness Zones 5 to 7. They don’t do well in hot, humid regions like you find in the American South.

They’re tolerant of pollution, so as long as the temperatures are appropriate, you don’t have to worry about growing in an urban area.

Light

Japanese white pines, with their long, skinny needles, need lots of sun. Aim for a full sun location with six or more hours of direct light per day.

At the hotter end of its hardiness range, you can get away with providing a bit of afternoon shade.

Soil

These trees aren’t picky about soil provided it is well-draining. They are native to rocky, mountainous regions and poor drainage will quickly cause problems.

Ideally you’ll have loamy or sandy soil, with a pH of between 5.5 and 7.0.

Water

Japanese white pines prefer consistently moist but not soggy soil. It should feel like a well-wrung-out sponge at all times.

But the plant can’t handle wet soils, so if you need to err on the side of caution, let the soil dry out a bit between waterings.

When you water, do so at the base of the tree to keep the foliage dry.

Fertilizing

Unless you have extremely depleted soil, there’s no need to fertilize these plants.

It’s best to do a soil test to determine what nutrients are lacking and amend accordingly.

Cultivars to Select

The most popular types are those in the Glauca group, which are those selected for their blue needles. But there are many, many excellent options.

Adcock’s Dwarf

Graham Adcock, head propagator at the Hillier Nursery in England, found this itty-bitty conifer in the 1960s and it quickly became a hit.

It grows super slowly at just an inch or two a year, making it perfect for rock gardens, bonsai, or anywhere you need a petite specimen.

It only grows to about two feet tall and wide after 15 years and the blue-green needles are proportionally small.

When mature, which can take 30 years, it will eventually settle at five feet tall and wide.

But even though it takes a long time to mature, it looks aged with its craggy bark and twisted needles.

‘Adcock’s Dwarf’

‘Adcock’s Dwarf’ received the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit in 1993.

You can find plants available at Maple Ridge Nursery in one- and three-gallon containers.

Azuma

’Azuma’ has silvery-blue needles and a pyramidal shape that stays under five feet tall and two feet wide, which makes it an appealing option.

The tree also produces heaps of greenish-blue cones and the needles curl gently around the branches.

‘Azuma’

Sometimes listed as ‘Azuma Goyo’ it’s hard to beat for a petite, sturdy evergreen.

You can find ‘Azuma’ plants available at Maple Ridge Nursery.

Bonnie Bergman

The ascending branches covered in twisting blue green needles of ‘Bonnie Bergman’ make it a winner in any garden.

This cultivar maintains a rounded shape without pruning and eventually reaches 10 feet tall and wide.

The cones are a thrilling pinky-purple hue when young, so they look like large flowers.

It’s so reliably lovely that the Royal Horticultural Society gave it the Award of Garden Merit in 2012.

Maintenance

There is no need to prune or maintain these plants except for a few instances.

If you are growing as a bonsai, then you will need to prune in a specific manner. Learn more about pruning bonsai here.

Propagation

Pinus species are notoriously difficult to start from stem cuttings, and I’d advise you not to even bother trying.

Luckily, they’re easy to start from seed. If you’ve ever walked through a pine forest, you probably saw tons of little seedlings growing in the ground.

From Seed

Starting from seed is a rewarding way to grow a new tree. It’s certainly a slow way to get started, but it’s free if you get your seeds from a cone.

Note that seeds collected from cultivated varieties may not grow true to the parent plant and you’ll need quite a lot of patience!

If you’re interested, our guide to starting pines from seed has all the information.

Transplanting

The easiest way to get started of course is to transplant a young specimen you purchase from the nursery.

1. To start, dig a hole in the ground twice as wide and just a bit deeper than the growing pot.
2. Remove the plant from the growing pot and gently spread out the roots.
3. You want to encourage them to grow outward rather than tangling back in on themselves and potentially girdling the stem.
4. Lower the roots into the hole and fill in around them so the plant is sitting at the same height it was in the growing pot.
5. Water well and add more soil if the ground settles.

Maintain even moisture as the young plant becomes established.

Pests and Disease

While white Japanese pines are generally healthy, the trees can be susceptible to problems if they’re stressed.

You can avoid many of these issues if you plant in the right location and water appropriately.

These trees are rarely fed on by pests and when they are, it doesn’t usually cause much damage to the tree.

Adelgids and sawflies are the two most common pests, but aphids and weevils may make an appearance too.

Needle rusts and tip blight are common problems, as is blue stain fungus, a nasty disease spread by the American pinewood nematode and mountain pine beetles.

You can learn more about common pine pests and diseases here.

Needle cast is a generic term for various fungal diseases that attack Japanese pines. Fungi in the Lophodermium, Mycosphaerella, Ploioderma, or Rhizosphaera genera can infect trees and cause the needles to turn yellow or brown and fall from the tree.

Five-Needle Pines Deserve Five Stars

I actually didn’t fall in love with pines until I met Japanese black and white pines. Now, I can’t get enough of them. This particular species looks like a living piece of art.

Are you growing Japanese white pines? Let us know in the comments section below!

And for more information about growing pines in your landscape, have a read of these guides next: