(Pinus pumila)
Known also as Dwarf Siberian pine, Japanese stone pine is a shrubby evergreen conifer that grows slowly and is extremely cold-tolerant. Native to eastern Russia as well as Japan, it can easily survive in cold climates such as northern Alberta. Its needles are blue-green, 4-6cm long, white on the underside, and in bundles of five. The cones are small, 3-4cm, ovoid, red-brown when mature and contain pea-sized wingless triangular obovate seeds. Mature trees grow to 6m in height with greyish brown flaky bark. A very slow-growing tree, it is often used as an ornamental in parks and gardens for colder climates, or as a bonsai. It prefers full sun and moist, well-drained loamy soils for best growth conditions.
Germination: Soak in water for 24 hours. Cold stratify for 180 days. Plant 1-2cm deep in a moist sterile potting mix.
Packet contains 25+ seeds.