Pinus virginiana 'Wate's Golden'

Other Names: Scrub Pine, Jersey Pine, Possum Pine, Spruce Pine, Poverty Pine

'Wate's Golden' is a glowing selection of Virginia Pine, a very hardy and rugged North American native coniferous evergreen tree. It is so adaptable that it can grow in areas where even other pines won’t, such as infertile slopes for erosion control or on rocky slopes where nutrients are scarce. It will also thrive in clay and sandy soils. This is why one of its common names is 'poverty pine.' Averaging 20 to 30 feet in height and 15 to 20 feet wide at maturity, the tree's branches twist with age, forming an irregular, rounded canopy. With pruning or shearing, it can be formed into a more dense pyramid, as Christmas tree farms do. Its 3-inch-long needles emerge chartreuse in spring, turning to bright green in summer, then turning to glowing golden-yellow during the fall and winter into spring. Attractive cones remain on the tree for years after they have opened and released the seeds, making the stems with cones attached fine for use in Christmas decorations. 

This Virginia Pine supports Imperial Moth larvae, which have one brood per season and appear from April to October in the south. Adult Imperial Moths do not feed. Birds eat seeds.

Growing 15 to 25 feet tall (depending on location and pruning) and 10 to 20 feet wide, the Wate's Golden Virginia Pine is ideal for use as a specimen, in groupings, or as a privacy screen in landscape borders and on slopes, embankments, and hillsides for erosion control. With pruning, you can create endless interesting topiary or Christmas tree forms for use as eye-catching focal point specimens in the landscape. A favorite of Christmas tree farmers in the South, and a fine addition to Asian gardens, conifer gardens, butterfly gardens, native plant gardens, yellow theme gardens, and wildlife gardens.

Suggested Spacing:  8 to 10 feet apart for privacy screens; 21 or more feet apart for space between trees