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Banks pine, princess pine, blackjack pine, Hudson Bay pine, Labrador pine, northern scrub pine, Canadian horn and dapper pine are all names for the same plant that reflect its qualities. This beautiful coniferous tree with an unusual crown, which lives up to 150 and sometimes 300 years, has recently become popular in landscape design.
Description of Banks pine
This coniferous species received its name in honor of the famous breeder Joseph Banks, who studied botany at the turn of the 18th – 19th centuries. The culture is distributed from the northwest to the south in Canada and the northeastern United States. In the USA it is the northernmost American pine, but Black Jack pine can often be found in the southern state of America - Indiana. In Europe, the plant has been cultivated since 1785. In Russia, the plant is well adapted to the middle zone.
The Canadian horny Banks pine reaches a height of up to 20 meters. The thickness of the trunk is about 25 cm, in especially rare cases it grows up to 60 cm in width. In the forests of Canada, rare specimens of Banks pine, about 30 meters high, were encountered - real forest giants.
The crown of the plant is round and branched. The needles are short and twisted.One bunch contains two needles, up to 4 cm long. The color of the needles changes: young needles are yellow, but over time they become dark green. The tree blooms in May.
In addition to its beautiful coniferous crown, Banks pine has red-purple bark. The cones are unusual: short, strongly curved and pointed downward. The scales of young cones shine in the sun, and over time they become dull gray.
The tree is quite resistant to low temperatures and plenty of snow.
Banks pine in landscape design
Pine trees are planted in gardens to decorate the landscape and as a hedge. Thanks to its beautiful crown, Banks pine looks great both as a single plant and in a group. This variety looks impressive in compositions with deciduous plants, shrubs, and other coniferous trees. In addition to its appearance, coniferous wood has a noble aroma. The shoots emit a pleasant smell of resin.
As a hedge, Banks pine will not only protect from prying eyes, but also delight with its amazing palette of colors.
Landscape designers use not only the majestic Banks pines, but also their smaller copies.
For example, dwarf varieties of Canadian Banks pine transform the garden without drawing attention to themselves. The miniature needles of the Arktis variety grow up to 2 - 2.5 m in their entire life, and the dwarf pine variety Manomet grows up to 60 cm. The seedling can be planted on an Alpine hill or next to an artificial pond, and the dark green branches will be complemented by a bright neighborhood with flowering shrubs. In addition to vertically growing trees, there is a unique variety of Canadian pines, Schoodic’, which spreads like a green carpet over the surface of the flowerbed.
Planting and caring for Banks pine
It is recommended to plant coniferous plants in the warm season. The optimal planting time is from early March to mid-May, when the rays of the sun begin to warm the frozen ground.
Minimal plant care:
- moderate watering as the soil dries out;
- feeding young seedlings with mineral fertilizers;
- protection from snow and rodents in winter.
Trimming the branches is not required, since the crown is formed in the correct shape. If desired, you can create the desired geometric shape or shorten shoots that are too long.
Beginners and inexperienced gardeners will appreciate this unpretentious evergreen plant.
Preparing seedlings and planting area
Strong young seedlings of Branks pine are planted in the spring. Before planting, it is important to carefully remove the plant from the container along with its earthen lump, without disturbing the integrity of the root system. To do this, water the pot with plenty of water and carefully remove it, holding it by the trunk.
Some nurseries of ornamental and garden plants offer seedlings for sale in organic, decomposing material. After purchasing such material, you can immediately plant it in the ground on the site. Over time, the packaging will rot naturally.
The plant takes root well in sandy and peaty soils. It also gets along well on loamy soils.
Landing rules
During planting, it is important to follow a simple rule: the coniferous seedling must be planted in a hole along with a lump of earth. A fragile root system without a protective shell can die even with the slightest injury.
The planting hole should be larger than the diameter of the earthen ball in which the roots are grouped.A palm should fit freely between the wall of the hole and the lump of earth: this distance is enough for the root system to adapt to new conditions.
The root collar of the pine tree should not hide under a layer of soil. For proper air drainage, the transition point from the stem to the roots must remain on the soil surface.
Mature Canadian Banks pine tolerates frequent replanting.
Watering and fertilizing
For normal development, young Banks pines require moderate, regular watering. Adult plants develop without spraying or fertilizing. In dry times, Banks pines can survive without water for long periods of time.
In early spring, it is recommended to feed young trees with a complex of mineral fertilizers.
Mulching and loosening
In order for young Banks seedlings to take root better, it is necessary to maintain moisture in the soil. Mulch is a material that is spread around the plantings on the surface of the earth. This gives a decorative look and helps combat weeds. Gardeners mulch with bark, gravel, sawdust, fallen needles, etc. Landscape designers recommend not decorating the ground, but first laying a special material - spandbond.
In addition to beauty, it is important to take care of the oxygen exchange of the plant. To do this, it is necessary to loosen the petrified soil, especially in young plants.
Trimming
Coniferous trees are so unpretentious that they do not require pruning, trimming or shaping.
For decorative purposes, it is possible to shape the crown according to the taste of the gardener. To do this, cut out and shorten the branches in the spring.
Preparing for winter
The tree withstands the winter season. Even in the harsh Canadian winters, Banks pines do not die.However, during heavy snowfalls, the spreading branches of the Banks pine are not able to withstand the snow mass. In the natural environment, many branches break after winter.
To help a tree survive the winter in the garden, you need to:
- in late autumn, carefully fix the branches at the top without damaging them;
- before frost, cover with cotton cloth or special covering material;
- wrap the tree trunk with material to keep mice and hares away.
A plant insulated in this way will withstand even the snowiest winter. The protective material must be removed in the spring with the first rays of sunshine.
Reproduction
Banks pine propagates by seeds. Small, inconspicuous seeds up to 2 cm long are transformed into a luxurious coniferous tree with powerful branches.
Seeds can germinate without human intervention. Under favorable conditions (moderate humidity and above-zero temperatures), seeds germinate on the 30th day after sowing.
Diseases and pests
Trees from the Pine family are susceptible to diseases typical of this species:
- Seryanka - from rust fungi;
- Hermes pine - from aphid larvae.
The pine scale insect is one of the difficult-to-remove insects that damage coniferous trees. Butterflies lay millions of eggs on pine needles, from which caterpillars emerge in the future. These larvae eat the crown of the needles, and the plant affected by pests inevitably dies.
The most dangerous pest for conifers is the pine silkworm. Its caterpillars are capable of destroying entire forest stands if the trees are not treated in time. Silkworm larvae penetrate the bark, young shoots, and buds and feed from the inside. The damaged tree dries out and dies over time.
Timely treatment will ensure the normal development of trees and protect them from insects and pests.
Conclusion
Banks pine is an evergreen large tree from the Pine family with a beautiful rounded branched crown. It grows naturally in the northeastern region of North America, but it is also well adapted to the climate conditions of central Russia. The coniferous plant is frost-resistant and undemanding in care. It is planted for garden landscaping and as a green hedge in landscape design. Banks pine grows very quickly, but after 30 years the growth rate decreases significantly.
