One of the most overlooked conifers for North Dakota is the Scotch Pine.

When you think of evergreens for North Dakota you probably think of the Colorado Spruce or the Ponderosa Pine. You may also think of the Black Hills Spruce or the Rocky Mountain Juniper. Maybe you know of some particular cultivars of one of these that you really like.

One that you may not be familiar with is the Scotch Pine (Pinus Sylvestris). This conifer is native to northern Europe and Russia, and seed selections from those areas are of the hardiest. This species has been grown in North Dakota for quite a few decades in both state and private farms and nurseries with great success. It has been found to be one of the fastest growing conifers for North Dakota. If not THE fastest growing evergreen for North Dakota.

This tree has a very dense pyramidal form when they are younger, becoming flatter or round topped and more open when mature. This makes them a great selection for fast growing North Dakota evergreen with great form, that will provide a great wind block or shade tree in its maturity.

These pines have a shorter, and somewhat softer needle than a Ponderosa Pine. Much more dense form when young and keep a bit denser through maturity. Needles 1.5-3.5" long that persist for 3-5 years. They also have a bark that has an interesting orange-brown color and peels on older, larger branches. This peeling orange-brown bark adds a lot of character and interest to the tree. Showing these traits more as they mature and open up some.

Scotch Pine prefer similar soil to what other North Dakota Pine trees like Ponderosa or Limber Pine prefer. pH in the range of 5.0-7.5, hardy to USDA hardiness zone 3. They do not tolerate flooding (normal Spring melt off is fine, so long as it does not persist after the ground has thawed out and growing season starts). They prefer a well-drained loam but are not very drought tolerant. So, if you are looking for a fast-growing North Dakota evergreen tree, have good well-drained loam soil, and are able to make sure they get adequate water in times of drought, this may be the tree for you.

Scotch Pine have had great success in North Dakota tree planting both in bare root or larger container or B&B plantings. Bare root is a great choice if you have a large quantity to plant, and are patient enough to wait 15-20 years for them to grow to 10-15 foot tall trees. If you need to have something larger in size as soon as they are planted, North Dakota grown Scotch pine can be found in containers or balled in burlap (B&B) from under 3' up to 8'+ trees. Remember that evergreen trees larger than 3' can get heavy. A 5'+ B&B Scotch Pine will weigh 300-350 pounds, and an 8'+ B&B Scotch Pine will be 850-1000 pounds. Sizes up to 5'+ can be found in Wooden Baskets that are a bit easier to handle at around 200-250 pounds. If you are concerned bout the weight and being able to move them nurseries and landscapers are often equipped with machinery that can handle transport, loading, and planting of these larger sized heavier trees.

Thank you for reading, and I hope that you have found this information on the Scotch Pine interesting and helpful.

Helping you Grow, Row by Row

If you are interested in Scotch Pines for your Bismarck Tree Planting or North Dakota Landscaping project, we have North Dakota Grown Scotch Pine trees available in small bare root size. We also have them available in 3'+ Wooden Baskets, 4'+ WB, 5'+ WB, 5'+ B&B, 7'+ B&B. Along with many other tree species for North Dakota available for your Spring tree planting.

To contact us to order trees or to inquire about having us plant trees for you:
Tree Rows 4 U