Piney Garden Sanctuary Photos by Scott Woodbury.
N
othing compares to the quietude within the grove: the ancient smell of resin, the stark red and black bark plates on tall trunks, the springy cushion under foot and the soft hiss of wind moving through a canopy of shortleaf pines (Pinus echinata). I’ve experienced this in planted shortleaf pine groves at Shaw Nature Reserve (SNR) and at the L-A-D Foundation’s Missouri’s Virgin Pine Forest near Round Spring in Shannon County. A grove is created when several evergreen trees grow close together, with tall tree trunks repeated far and wide. Over time, these trees form something greater than the sum of their parts: a sanctuary. A place where warblers hunt for caterpillars in spring. A place where monarch butterflies rest during their fall migration. A place where redcockaded woodpeckers once pecked holes (they no longer exist in Missouri). And now, a place where this author can retreat for a rare moment of silence. These are among my favorite places. They can be yours, right in your own yard. Shortleaf pine is a fast-growing evergreen. A 10-year-old seedling stands 20 feet tall in good soil near my office. Thirty-year-old trees in SNR’s Whitmire Wildflower Garden are 35 to 40 feet tall with lower branches 15 to 20 feet off the ground in shade. Several of them are planted together in a grove. I like to plant them close, at random distances apart ranging from 10 to 20 feet. To replicate a grove, I recommend planting 15 to 20 in the front or back yard of a half-acre lot depending on other existing trees. This may seem like over-planting, but it works well. On the other hand, a single tree fits nicely into narrow places because they grow strongly upright. Keep in mind that they have poorly developed lower branches, and so are not good for
screening. They can grow in the shade of existing mature trees or in full sun. In shade they grow taller and narrower, with fewer branches. In full sun they grow more densely. Short-leaf pines tolerate a wide range of soil conditions, from sand to clay and can grow directly on cliff faces, so are very drought tolerant. They will not tolerate poorly drained wet soil. They have relatively few rope-like roots that spread beyond the drip-line of the branches. Because of this, they are easy to garden under. Excellent companion plants that tolerate part shade and slightly acidic soil include purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea), hoary skullcap (Scutellaria incana), yellow wing stem (Verbesina helianthoides), littleflower alumroot (Heuchera parviflora) purple aster (Symphyotrichum/Aster patens), cliff goldenrod (Solidago drummondii), switchgrass (Panicum virgatum), beautyberry (Callicarpa americana) serviceberry (Amelanchier arborea) and mountain azalea (Rhododendrom prinophyllum). By allowing the needles to fall in place as a mulch, soil acidity will increase slightly over several years’ time, increasing the vigor of slow-growing, acidloving azaleas.
SCOTT WOODBURY Horticulturist 8
December 2020 | kcgmag.com
Pictured left is a 10-year-old and above is a 30-year-old, both short-leaf pines that I planted. Short-leaf pine is the only native pine species growing wild in Missouri and can be found scattered throughout the Ozark mountains. They grow as far north as the Labarque Creek area in Jefferson County, south of Eureka, Missouri. I’ve grown many of them without disappointment in the Whitmire Wildflower Garden. I can’t say the same for white pine (Pinus strobus), a non-native from the northeastern United States. White pine is more prone to wind and ice damage during storms because it has longer branches. It is sensitive to summer heat, urban pollution, salt spray in winter and performs poorly in compact clay soils. Short-leaf pine has none of these problems, plus it is an incredibly long-lived tree—some living three hundred years.
Investing in short-leaf pine pays big dividends for future generations, plus it’s satisfying in the short-run because it grows so fast and is easy to grow. Gardeners would enjoy a single tree or several plated in a grove. Whichever you choose, there are few nurseries growing it. Forrest Keeling Nursery and Missouri Wildflowers Nursery have offered it in past years in containers. So has Forest ReLeaf of Missouri, a non-profit organization. Lastly, for those planting on a budget, bundles of small bare-root tree seedlings can be ordered online in winter (delivered in spring) from the Missouri Department of Conservation. Be sure to get your order in soon before they sell out for the season. Happy gardening ya’ll!
Horticulturist Scott Woodbury is the Curator of the Whitmore Wildflower Garden at Shaw Nature Reserve in Gray Summit, MO, where he has worked with native plant propagation, design, and education for 27 years. He also is an advisor to the Missouri Prairie Foundation’s Grow Native! program. Find suppliers of short-leaf pines and other native plant resources at www.grownative.org, Resource Guide.
