Pinus strobus Wendy - Eastern White Pine

Pinus strobus 'Wendy', is a dwarf form of the Weymouth pine with surprising foliage. This rounded conical bush is covered with dense, bluish vegetation composed of long, thin needles arranged in radiating skirts. It surprises with its bright yellow spring shoots, shorter than the rest of the foliage, giving the bush a unique personality and a little like a Hawaiian dancer. Its slow growth and moderate size make it a perfect conifer for small spaces, rockeries, or a large pot on the patio. It is a hardy variety, requiring well-drained, not too chalky soil, and is resistant to drought once established.

Pinus strobus, also known as White Pine, Weymouth Pine, is a conifer of the pine family, native to eastern North America, up to Newfoundland Island in Canada. This forest king is a monumental tree, a gigantic pyramidal Christmas tree reaching 90 m (295ft) in height in its original environment, but hardly exceeding 45m (148ft) in height at present due to the destruction of its habitat and massive exploitation. It is a very hardy species, often planted for reforestation in forests or as an ornamental tree in large parks. The bark of this tree is smooth, greenish-grey on young plants, becoming greyish-brown and fissured over time. The lower part of the tree, when mature, shows whitened bark, hence the common name 'White Pine'.

The variety 'Wendy', derived from this species, is distinguished by its reduced size and compact habit, initially rounded when young, then conical and wide with age. Its growth is slow, after 10 years of cultivation, it will occupy about 1.2 m (4ft) in height and 60 cm (24in) in width. Its branches are covered with very blueish-green, fine, soft, and flexible needles, 10 to 15 cm (4 to 6in) long. They are grouped in fives and arranged in tufts, radially around the branches, and hanging loosely towards the ground. The young shoots, on the other hand, are composed of shorter, bright yellow needles, before taking on a green-blue colour in summer. This contrast between the young shoots and the rest of the foliage is the uniqueness of this variety's foliage.

The Weymouth Pine Wendy is an exceptional subject, worthy of showcasing. It will find its place in all gardens, even the smallest ones, as its small size requires no maintenance and it adapts to various soils, except for highly calcareous soils, as well as to many climates. In small spaces, it will stand out when planted as a specimen and elegantly decorate a rockery or a bed. It will of course form a magnificent subject that will enhance balconies or terraces and create a lovely effect in an exotic-style garden. The geometric qualities of conifers naturally impose themselves in the design of a contemporary garden, which prefers the aesthetics of shapes, silhouettes, and textures over the presence of many flowers. These plants, with reassuring permanence, structurally define a flower bed, mark the paths, border the terrace, easily replacing trimmed boxwood or holly. The key is to play with volumes and colours.