‘Macopin’ Eastern White Pine (Pinus strobus ‘Macopin’)

Pinus strobus ‘Macopin’, commonly called ‘Macopin’ Eastern White Pine, is a broad upright, irregular, compact, shrubby form that grows at an intermediate rate (15 to 30cm per year) to 1 metre tall by 1 metre wide and sometimes larger. Discovered as a witch’s broom in Macopin, New Jersey in 1979 by William Gotelli and George Erhle, this dwarf, globose form tends to grow irregularly with age and get “shrubby.” If given the room to grow it makes a nice focal point. The needles are silvery blue-green in bundles of 5 and are soft to the touch. Macopin produces abundant, light brown cones at an early age. This dwarf eastern white pine cultivar is effective as an accent in rock gardens, as part of a foundation planting or in a shrub border foreground.

It is easily grown in acidic, medium moisture, well-drained soil in full sun. It prefers fertile soils and cool, humid climates. It is intolerant of compacted, heavy clay soils, alkaline conditions, and many air pollutants such as sulphur dioxide and ozone.