Pinus mugo Varella - Dwarf Mountain Pine

The Pinus mugo 'Varella' is a dwarf form of mountain pine with particularly decorative foliage. Its light green needles are long and slightly undulate, giving it a charmingly tousled appearance. It has a very slow growth and forms a wider than tall globular habit, resembling a cushion. Very hardy and not demanding in terms of soil, it is a plant for full sun, or possibly light partial shade, and suitable for container cultivation. 

The Pinus mugo, also known as mountain pine, is an evergreen conifer from the Pineaceae family endemic to the mountains of Europe. It can be found at the subalpine level, avoiding the summer heat, from the Spanish sierras, through the high Alpine and Pyrenean massifs, to the Balkans. It only descends to an altitude of 200 m (656 ft 2 in) in central Europe. In its natural habitat, it slowly reaches a size of 3 to 4 meters (9 feet 10 inches to 13 feet 1 inches) in all directions, adopting a windswept appearance. It is a very hardy species, well adapted to the montane climate. It is also called "pin couché" (lying pine) due to its very knotty wood and often creeping branches.
The variety 'Varella' distinguishes itself from the wild species by its reduced size, its compact habit in a rounded cushion and its highly decorative foliage. This foliage is mostly composed of long light green needles measuring 7 to 8 cm (2.8 to 3.1 in), slightly undulate, alternating with some shorter needles (3 cm (1.2 in)) gathered in tufts at the ends of the branches. This relatively recent variety was introduced to the market in 1996 by a German nursery located in the locality of Varel, north of Bremen. It is a selection of Pinus mugo var. pumilo. With very slow growth, this dwarf shrub reaches a height of 70 to 80 cm (27.6 to 31.5 in) and a slightly greater width in 10 years. At maturity, it can grow up to 1.50 m (4 ft 11 in) in height, forming a large rounded cushion. This small conifer blooms around June (small yellow spikes) and then forms small cones (2 to 6 cm (0.8 to 2.4 in) long and 1.5 to 4 cm (0.6 to 1.6 in) wide), ranging in colour from light to dark brown.
This 'Varella' pine is very adaptable to different soil types, which can be acidic to calcareous, as well as moist to moderately dry. It prefers full sun but can tolerate light shade. Very resistant to cold (-30°C (-22 °F)) and wind, it is also not afraid of snow. 

The 'Varella' Mountain Pine will find its place in all gardens, urban or rural, even the smallest ones, whether planted alone, in beds, or in rockeries. It can also be used in a large pot on a terrace or balcony. It works wonders in a Japanese garden, and goes well with large stones, geometric lines of pools, and masonry work. It can be combined with complementary grasses or low and spreading dwarf conifers, such as Juniperus horizontalis 'Icee Blue' with its blue foliage or with foliage as graphic as its own, like Chamaecyparis obtusa Gold Drop which displays its feathery green-yellow foliage on multiple levels. Columnar conifers can also provide contrast in terms of shape and even colour, such as Taxus baccata 'Ivory Tower' with its yellow and then cream foliage in winter.