WHEN I CAME TO THIS GARDEN more than 20 years ago, I brought just two plants, tucked into the back of the moving van last-minute by movers who looked at me as if to say, “Really, lady?” One was a clump of dark purple Siberian iris tossed into a recycled produce-store bushel basket; the other a young Japanese umbrella pine I’d had for only a few years and just couldn’t seem to leave behind. Thank goodness I didn’t. Sciadopitys verticillata is the fourth in my series on beloved conifers.
That transplanting of the young umbrella pine will be 23 years ago this fall. At that time, I had never seen another except in botanical-garden collections; unusual or rare was the word. Now they’re at nurseries, but usually quite small and always quite expensive, and they’re pretty easy to kill, at least at first. But what did I know when I uprooted the tree and had it put in that truck?
I was just getting really serious about plants, and was a beginning garden writer, meaning I had the privilege of getting paid to visit gardens and nurseries and interview experts for stories. Those years formed my advanced education in horticulture—and also my downfall in self-control. Everybody showed me or told me about something I simply had to have. Or two or three.
An umbrella pine first spoke to me in a come-hither voice at Planting Fields Arboretum in Oyster Bay, Long Island, a place I’d visited a lot as a teenager that happily became part of my “beat” as garden editor of Long Island-based Newsday newspaper.
Its needles are arranged in whorls, like the spokes in an umbrella, hence the name (see detail photo). And there’s something else attention-grabbing about the foliage: Visitors to the garden often come to find me to ask about the “tree over there with the plastic-looking needles,” since they’re so thick and lustrous. (Technically, it also has another kind of leaf, the tiny scale leaves on the stems, but nobody notices those, at least not at first.)
That’s the umbrella pine, I say, and it’s not actually a pine at all.
It’s an ancient thing, and like Ginkgo has been around since dinosaur times, also forming the solitary species in its genus and family. Other odd bits: The umbrella pine’s cones take nearly two years to size up after pollination. When experts come here and see how many my tree bears, they always tell me that last fact, to make sure I am properly impressed.
The tree, whose foliage is much darker green and sometimes even bronzy in winter (bottom photo), grows to perhaps 30 feet tall in a garden setting and half or more as wide (much bigger in the wild), and has beautiful reddish bark you never see unless you crawl around beneath. (Which I just did 10 minutes ago to scavenge a couple of cones for that photo, since I cannot reach the ones way up in its topmost section with arm or even lens.)
One year, after very heavy snowfall threatened to disfigure the tree or even break off limbs, friends suggested shearing it one spring, just as the new growth or candles emerged. This gentle tipping back seems to have reduced the umbrella pine’s inclination to get more lax with age, at least for the moment. It also made it more pyramidal in shape.
Umbrella pines hail from cloud forests in Japan, where rainfall and humidity are both high, so don’t expect Sciadopitys to cooperate with drought. Baby it in the first year or two after transplanting, in particular. If you want to grow one in the warmer end of its range (Zones 5 to 7 or 8), protection from the midday sun would be appreciated. Oh, and one more “expert” tip: Skip the stupid moving-van caper I somehow got away with.
You’re not going to believe this. Last night the Nor’easter blew through Long Island and snapped my speciman Japanese umbrella pine at the BASE of the tree. I love this tree and I’m sick about it. I bought it in August of 2003, it was about 3.5 feet tall … I spent $350 on it (on sale!) … the tree had to be at least 12′. The JUP loved the spot. It really was the best outdoor Christmas tree in the neighborhood. I’m going to try to find some of the cones and see if I can get a new one to grow in the house. How do you think it would stay if I cut it down to about 6′ and used it as our Christmas tree this year?
Welcome, Mark. Yes, I can believe this. I have watched my very most precious plants at times over the last 25 years be cut down in freakish weather. Horrible. I am so sorry. I’d keep it very very cold or put it in a bucket of water and cross your fingers. As for growing from seed, ultra-slow (and then slower, even) so not for the home grower, I fear. That’s why they are so expensive I believe…slow. We need to find you a well-priced baby.
I was investigating which pine trees bear eatable pine seeds and if I might find them in my Maryland neighborhood. What I found was the Pinyon and the (Italian) Stone Pine AKA Umbrella Pine and was led to your site. I suppose the seeds are located in little pockets of the cone. Can you add anything to my findings? THANK YOU. Paul
Welcome, Paul. Yes, pine seeds are edible, but most are so small that they are more appealing to birds and animals (squirrels, for instance) than to us. And yes, the seeds are in the little pockets, exactly. The key is getting them out, since you don’t want to wait till the cone opens all the way (which would start to disperse the seeds)…timing is everything, catching them when they are still closed but ripe inside. I have never done this, and only see this one first-hand account of pine-seed harvesting online in a brief look.
I just heard about the Japanese Umbrella Pine today in my Master Gardener training. I took the cutting home to show its beauty and explain why I need one – I thought an example would help. I heard they were expensive but $350 is crazy! Maybe I’ll see if I can root my cutting and grow my own – think it’ll work?
Welcome, Angela. I think you are better off with a small one, which I am seeing more nowadays (not for $350, though larger plants are that much, yes). Try Broken Arrow Nursery for an inexpensive young plant by mail, like $30ish (they have various cultivars).
They can be propagated from cuttings in the dormant season, but I don’t think it’s easy (and I know it’s not fast). I have not tried and don’t readily find any details information anywhere that is very helpful, sorry to say.
I lost a 30′ high japanese umbrella pine in the storm that hit Long Island at the end of March(2010) It was a most important specimen. I have a 12′ JUP in an unfortunate site in the garden. Does anyone know about the odds of success in transplanting a JUP of this size ?
Welcome, Sue, and may I express my deep regrets? Oh, dear. I worry about my big one all the time in winter. I think if you want to tackle this it’s time to call in the experts with a tree spade (or at least a crew that can ball and burlap professionally and create a large, solid rootball, causing the least disturbance. There are nurseries that specialize in such procedures; not sure how far out on LI you are. Seems like it would be worth it (and that a DIY attempt would be a very bad idea). I think that only a firm who has tried it will have the first-hand experience to report that you are in need of; I have never moved one. You can email me at awaytogarden [at] gmail [dot] com if you want to ask about specific nurseries who might be able to answer this question better.
Hi
Im very happy to have found this thread. I bought a home in CT 6 years ago with a JUP planted almost against the house and about 12 ft tall. Every visitor to my home comments on it. I had never seen or heard of one and wasnt too concerned about it.The past six years it has grown a bit, added at least an additional 4-5 feet in height. As it is so close to my house, I worry about its survival as well as my foundation. The side against my house is stunted, so I am wondering if it is movable in its location, and will it survive? I have had one landscaper tell me to cut my losses and remove it. It is encroaching on my front entry and cannot stay where it is much longer. I appreciate any input!
Welcome, Christine. I’d get a professional company with substantial tree-moving experience to come assess and hopefully give it a try if it really cannot stay where it is. There is a house not far from here with one right against the corner of their house and it is well past the roofline and both house and tree seem happy. Yes, it’s missing a side…but where it’s positioned, it doesn’t matter.
Sounds like your tree is happy where it is (growing strongly), but also that it’s not in a place you are comfortable with leaving it. So the question wlll be the cost to move it versus your attachment to it I suspect.
I have a big JUP on Long Island (Long Beach). It came from the 1938 NY Worlds
Fair after it closed, so is over 70 years old and about 20′ tall. Not bad considering it is in about two feet of top soil over beach sand. Unfortunately, the heavy wet snow storm last winter ripped off two major branches. This was the most recent of many storm damages it has suffered and it no longer looks attractive so we are considering its removal. Not being in a rush to remove it, and being an avid do it yourself type and sentimental, I would like to try growing one from seed even though you have implied it is not easy. About 20 years ago a friend of a friend was successful and showed me several seedlings in pots which he had started from my JUP seeds taken the previous year. They were about 8″ tall.
What I need is step by step instructions. Any suggestions?
Welcome, Bob. Seems like the information on growing them from seed is usually in scientific articles, but this PDF from the USDA Forestry Service gives the basics. Worth a try.
Hello!!! I recently saw my first JUP in Beverly Ma at the Endicot College campus. I emailed the school and hey told me what it was. It’s great!!!! And then searched the internet and found this site. I would love to try growing a couple of these as Bonsai in my front yard but wonder how small you think I could really keep them. I was thinking hopefully about 3 feet tall. Maybe I should try a Gruene Kugel instead? Thanks!!!
I set a small umbrella pine in the center of a garden well around 8 yrs ago. It is now a beauty at around 6 ft tall. I would like to control the growth on one side of the tree and push it on the oppisite side. I’ve been told to cut the new growth by 1/2 on the side I’m trying to control the spread on. My concern is that if I only cut off half, the the remaining growth will only be be the branch, I’ll be cutting off the future swirl. My thought would be to remove all the new growth on the side that I want to retard the growth on until the symmetry of the tree is restored. Any suggestions??
Welcome, Diane. I can’t imagine keeping it tiny myself, but I am no bonsai master. :) Your question got me looking it up, and in fact there are old umbrella pine bonsais for sale online, so it must be possible. How easy is another matter.
Welcome, Ross. I have never done anything beyond pinching the so-called candles (the soft new growth, before the needles really lengthen) partway back, as you mention, on this tree, so I do not know. I would not cut them back all the way, but half to two-thirds…but again, this is based on personal practice, not specific expertise correcting the size to the degree you are suggesting.
Hello Margaret,
We just purchased a small (approx. 24″) umbrella pine and would like to use it as part of our foundation planting at the corner of the house. How far from the house would you recomend? What type of soil amenments if any? We are in NJ zone 7a.
Thank you!
Welcome, Nancy. When they grow up (as in someday) it can be 15 or maybe even more feet across at the base…meaning the trunk needs to be half that eventual distance from the house (or better yet, farther for good measure and to keep things alongside the house airy and so on). So 8-10 feet away?
That said, I understand what a strange notion that must seem like with this little creature. You will have to build a temporary landscape around it of things that will get moved to make it work visually while you wait for it to grow over the years.
As the story about it says, keep it from blazing, baking sun especially in a windy, exposed spot — but generally speaking, I think it will be fine (if slow).
I just bough one from a quantity nursery hear in Roswell GA on sale for $85; about 24″ tall to put in a container. It was a mark down and looks to have been around for a while and I was surprised to find it not root bound at all. I simply loosened the soil a little when I repotted it into the container. Any advice on container growing? Also the receipt identifies it as a Mitsch cultivar. Thank you
ps they have another on in stock at the same price!
Richard
Welcome, Richard. I have never seen a “Mitsch Select’ umbrella pine in person all grown up (which is to say not as big as the plain species, since it’s a dwarf of maybe 4 feet high and a bit wider). Lucky you. I’d be sure not to bake it in that pot — remember that the roots are more vulnerable to extremes of weather because they’re not benefiting from the insulation of being in the ground. I’d probably give it some shade as well in your hotter climate.
hi margaret – thank you for the article. I’ve been hoping to add an umbrella pine to my yard for the longest time. I found one today for $450, about 7′ tall. I thought it was a pretty decent price and may go back tomorrow to pull the trigger. Would you suggest waiting for the fall to plant? Or can I put it in the ground in 90+ heat in zone 5b? Thanks again!
Welcome, Dan. I am not planting right now, though of course you can — it’s just so much easier to carefully and consistently water a pot for another few weeks and then (as temps cool hopefully and rain increases) do the planting. Hot here, too. Yikes, what a summer. See you soon, and congrats on the great plant.
Hi Margaret,
I bought two Japanese umbrella pines this spring and planted them in my garden on the west side of the house. One is very happy there and the other is droopy and clearly not doing well. Since I planted them in the same area and handled them very much the same way I am not sure what happened or if my “droopy guy” can be saved. Any suggestions????
Welcome, Mary. Transplants (especially in midsummer) often show signs of stress. Keep them well watered; you might want to erect some kind of shade cloth as well (not sure how big they are) for more relief for the thing. But all you can really do is water and shade — definitely no food.
How lovely to find an entry on this tree… I’ve just been promised a young Japanese Umbrella Pine by a friend who put one too many in their own garden (I’m still working on accepting this idea that you can dig things /up/ and move them /around/, within reason, myself).
I wonder – do you have any thoughts on how far this should be placed from buildings? I have a spot in mind, but it may be too near the house.
Keep up the wonderful blogging!
I’ve had an umbrella pine for over 15 years, it grew to about 20 feet, from nothing but a twig, at the front of my japanese garden. The winds this morning snapped it at the base. Just sharing the sadness with those of you that lost them the same way…
Oh, Tom…that is so depressing, I am so sorry to hear. I worry about mine nonstop (she says, as 65 mph gusts are blowing outside today). All the time. Last year I lost a lacebark pine and some other things to late winter storms. Wondering what it will be this time. You have my (our) sympathies.
Just purchased an umbrella pine and getting ready to plant. It is about 2′ tall. Any suggestions as I have read it is tricky to keep alive????
Thank you.
Welcome, Susan. I think that it needs to be prevented from drying out throughout its first couple of growing seasons, so (without drowning it) regular watering now through hard frost and again next spring through fall. It is also susceptible in an open spot with lots of sun and wind to some burning, which is especially hard on a small young plant. Choose the site well.
Margaret
May 16,2011
We planted our umbrella pine approximately 35 years ago and it’s still thriving and growing . It was only 2ft’ tall when we bought it and we paid only $9.99 for it!! Hard to measure how tall it is now but we’re estimating at least 48 ft’ .We love our tree and would like to propagate it to give the young trees to our children before we leave our house in retirement. Someone told us to stake the lower branches into the grand, cover with peat and wait for rooting to take place before making the cutting. What do you think?
Welcome, Ann. I don’t know if umbrella pines can be propagated by layering, which is what is being suggested by your friend. I see one reference in a 1939 book that says that it can be propagated by
layers or by cuttings of half-ripened wood in summer, but don’t know what the time required for rooting is, and whether you have any “half-ripened wood” that will reach the ground to do this with, or whether it’s meant to be air-layered or … so many questions, sorry. The only references I have don’t give much detail.
Based on the fact that this plant has remained an expensive nursery plant even with so many advancements in propagation techniques in general in the industry I suspect it is, 1, not easy and 2, slow.
I have a young Umbrella Pine (sciadopius) approx 2 ft in eight. The new candles are starting to emerge. I have tried to find information online about how to pinch back and decandle the new shoots, but have not been successful in locating anything detailed about the Umbrella Pine. I understand that there is a difference between pruning 2-3 needle versus 5 needle pines, but I am not sure how the Umbrella Pine fits into this. Should I pinch back the side shoots first, followed by the main central leader in the middle? I would like to maintain the umbrella shape. Any guidance would be experienced.
Welcome, Gordon. It has been a long time since I did this, at the urging of more expert friends who got up on ladders and led the undertaking here. We pinched back the emerging candles halfway to make the plant denser and more able to stand up to snow loads in winter, and it helped…but the tree was big already. With a small one what you want it to make sure there is an identified leader and that no other stem starts to overtake it, so that’s more about training than pruning. It seems young to be pinching it — usually they do fine without, and are in fact known for not needing pruning — again, so long as the leader is clearly established (it’s often staked on young plants from the nursery).
Thank you for your advice, Margaret!
The tree is in a container, and I do want to keep it dense, so it doesn’t get too leggy. Each candle is about 2 inches. Each branch has developed about 5-6 candles at it’s end. How much growth do you think would result from each candles. I would post a photo of the tree, but I am not sure if this is possible on this site.
I have an JUP that is about 11 years old. I just love it, but we planted it near a walk way. Now the plant is growing onto the walk way. Can we cut it back by cutting it up the side so it won’t be in the way of anyone using the walk way?
Welcome, Michele. It won’t respond well to shearing, or at least will lose its graceful shape. The solution will be a judgment call one way or the other — disfigure it with shearing one side; limb it up to have no low branches that interfere with the walk; move the walk (and I am not kidding on the last one — I am considering that here in one spot, rather than disfigure an old woody plant). Tricky, tricky. And we all fall for this mistake. Trees like this get W-I-D-E at the base, and we never leave the room!
Finding this site gives me great hope that you can answer my questions about my JUP that was planted in 2005. The JUP was approximately 3 feet tall and is now approximately 8 feet tall. This summer the tree is not a dark green but is a lighter green with yellow showing at the base of some of the needles. The tree is full of new growth. I’ve just inspected it (with my reading glasses in place) and to my great dismay have found that it appears to have a lot of spider webs. I did not find active spider mites but the webs make me wonder if this is the reason the plant isn’t its normal dark green. How should I treat it? We’ve used the Bayer systemic for trees and shrubs on other trees in past years when they were attacked by various insects. Your thoughts would be most welcome.
In reading your blog, I have recognized that this tree may have another problem. The tree has multiple trunks. The heavy snow storms 2 winters ago were very hard on it as it was bent almost to the ground under the weight of the snow several times. The smaller but almost as tall trunk tends to move around the larger trunk breaking or damaging some of the growth. I haven’t cut it out because the smaller trunk carries a lot the mass of the tree. The heavy snow also caused damage to the lowest branches which I removed and immediately regretted. Thus, I’m hesitant to prune the smaller trunk out. Any thoughts on how to proceed?
FYI: In 2005 we had a new house, no topsoil just clay with absolutely no decayed plant material so we trucked in soil to create raised planting beds, then in 2006 bought the first tractor trailer load of mushroom soil that we began using in 2007, created more raised planting beds, we use layers of newspaper topped with several inches of hardwood mulch to improve the soil as it breaks down, fertilize twice a year with Hollytone. We planted trees, shrubs, perennials, Spring bulbs, a veggie garden and have a small pond creating a lovely secret garden behind a split rail fence. This year the plants are closing ranks even keeping the weeds away. As I type this, I’m looking at the picture of the smiling gal in a mature garden and can truly say that I understand.
Our JUP is at least 20 years old and very healthy. We have, like others, lost some branches from heavy snow and high winds, so it is not as pretty as is use to be. I have noticed that some of the cones are sprouting needles. Is this normal? Not understanding the various ways they may propagate, I have wondered if this is the beginning of a new tree? Happy to have found your site!
Welcome, Florence. Do you perhaps have spider mites? Read up here (and search elsewhere for spider mites on conifers). If this sounds right, the mites are VERY tiny…not like real spiders. Have a read and see if that’s it. My tree has multiple trunks, too, and it’s OK; you really have to make a judgment in person and I can’t see your tree from here! Sounds like cutting it out at this stage would be very drastic, though.
Welcome, Carolyn. The big seed cones (there are also smaller “pollen cones” on the plant) start out green and eventually ripen to brown — maybe you are just seeing them in their first year, when they look to have greenish portions? They take a couple of years to mature, until the seed is ripe…and seed is where a new plant would come from eventually if it germinated.
Hi Margaret, We have a 3 foot tall JUP. We have had it 3 years. We protect in the winter with a structure so the winds and snow don’t break the branches. We live in upstate New York. This year some of the needles have turned brown and are falling off. We have had plenty of rain so I doubt that is the cause. It gets morning and early afternoon sun and is in a fairly protected area. Do you have any ideas as to the cause of the browning? Thanks, Carol
Thank you, Carol — and welcome. Winterburn (winter wind, or sun followed by either wind or drastic temperature drop) will damage and kill off needles on many conifers, especially ones with such lush foliage as this. So will ice storms. I wonder if that’s what happened — even plants that are wrapped can be injured, and the injury will be worst on windy, exposed sites, or after a dry fall when plants are extra vulnerable. The innermost needles are meant to die and shed every three years (like other conifers, a percentage of old foliage shedding is normal) but this sounds more serious. Is it a windswept spot?
Re: broken trunk on JUP Many years ago my black lab broke the main stem on a small JUP that had been in the ground maybe 2 years and was about 3 feet tall. A gardening friend suggested that I gently “pull up” one of the remaining lower branches (over a period of several weeks so as not to break the branch off) and hold the “new trunk” in position tied to a stake. Well, it worked! The tree is now quite large and bushy. You would never know that it had had such severe damage. Oh, and now I know to use holly leaves/branches under prized plants to keep the dogs (and cats) away. Thanks for your above thoughts on my tree. I’m learning so much from your blogs! Even answering our questions about where our frogboys went and why!!!
I 1st saw the umbrella pine at our local arb. Love the succulent -like bright green needles. A very beautiful pine tree!
Welcome, Laura. It really is distinctive, a true beauty. Mine is my great treasure in the garden here, the first thing I planted 25+ years ago, brought from my former garden in the moving van.
Greetings from Edmonds, WA. Ayear and a half ago we transplanted a 20′ tall JUP that is 45 years. After a very cold abd Wet winter and spring it now has brown needles. There is still some green at the top. I mixed coir in at the roots in case the soil was too heavy. Any suggestions?
Such a marvelous tree! I encountered an enormous specimen a few weeks ago in Allen Haskell’s Nursery near New Bedford, Mass. They said he planted it during World War II. It was easily 30 feet wide and had two distinctive towers – and a wonderland inside.
And I thought the black bears did mine in. LoL It was 6 feet tall and beautiful. Two winters ago I lost about three feet of it. This past winter I lost 2 of the 3 new main braches
I love this site,
Doug
Hi Margaret, wonderful website! I’m also a fan of Planting Fields. My wife and I found a lovely specimen of this tree (only 3′ feet high) and have planted it in our tiny front yard. Is there any way to properly ‘prune’ this tree to keep it from growing more than 10′ high or so? Or would that just be asking too much of this tree? Worse case, we could find something similar and transplant it at a relative’s home. Thank you very much!
Hi, Sean. I don’t think you can keep it small without making a mess of it, no. Or at least I have never seen one pruned hard like that.
Did not see your message responding to my question about the cones spouting needles until today. Thank you for responding. Yes, I have noticed the large cones to have a greenish color when they are in their first year. But I am also seeing distinct needles protruding from the tops of the cones! My husband has clipped the candles in past years to try and keep the growth under a little control. Looking at the photo of your tree and its placement in a more open setting, I wish we had done the same. Ours is encroaching on our driveway!!!
Hi, Carolyn. I think the seed cones (which take 2 years to ripen) have bracts (leaves) in them. These are very primitive plants and fascinating, aren’t they?