Sciadopitys verticillata 'Picola' - Picola Japanese Umbrella Pine

A dwarf, slow growing evergreen with a distinctive conical shape and short, thin, dark green needles that are glossy; short branches help it maintain an attractive, dense appearance; a fine choice as an accent in the garden

Height: 4 feet. Spread: 3 feet. Sun: full sun. Hardiness zone: 4b.

Ornamental features

Picola Umbrella Pine has attractive forest green evergreen foliage which emerges chartreuse in spring on a dwarf conifer with a pyramidal habit of growth. The small glossy needles are highly ornamental and remain forest green throughout the winter.

Landscape

Picola Umbrella Pine is a dense multi-stemmed evergreen shrub with a distinctive and refined pyramidal form. Its average texture blends into the landscape, but can be balanced by a couple of finer or coarser trees or shrubs for an effective composition.

This is a relatively low maintenance shrub. When pruning is necessary, it is recommended to only trim back the new growth of the current season, other than to remove any dieback. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Recommended for: Mass Planting, Hedges/Screening, Rock/Alpine Gardens, General Garden Use, Container Planting.

Planting and growing

Picola Umbrella Pine will grow to be about 4 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 3 feet. It has a low canopy. It grows at a slow rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for 60 years or more.

This shrub should only be grown in full sunlight. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. It is particular about its soil conditions, with a strong preference for rich, acidic soils. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution, and will benefit from being planted in a relatively sheltered location. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone in winter to protect it in exposed locations or colder microclimates. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America.

Photo courtesy of NetPS Plant Finder.