Big Tuna Mugo Pine

If you live in colder regions, it can be harder to find suitable ‘drop-dead’ specimens to give your garden an unique feel. One look at a mature Big Tuna Mugo Pine, though, and you will see this really is a big fish in a small pond. Ideal for a striking specimen, this unique selection of the well-known mugo pine grows about 8 inches a year to become a gorgeous, dense bush about 10 feet tall and 6 feet wide – so dense and bushy you could just about bounce a ball off it. All this quite naturally, without any trimming needed. The rich green needles give it a great look, and the good news is that this tree is hardy even in zone 2, and doesn’t enjoy hot, humid summers, so it’s a special gift to all you northern gardeners. Grow it among the foundation planting around your home – but allow enough room and don’t put it too close to a wall. Wonderful beside a gate, or perhaps a pair framing your front door? Tough, cold-hardy, reliable and yet spectacular, what more could you ask for?

• Upright dense bush reaching 10 feet tall and 6 feet wide
• Dense, rich-green foliage without needing trimming
• Very cold tolerant and ideal for northern gardens
• Handsome rounded bush from Day 1
• Ideal specimen for foundation planting or large rock gardens

Full sun is the best place for your Big Tuna Mugo Pine, which is hardy even in zone 2. Grows well in any well-drained soil of any type, including poorer, rocky soils. Moderately drought tolerant once established, and not eaten by deer. Although trimming isn’t needed, when young it can be valuable to shorten the new shoots (‘candling’) to build a dense structure to support future growth and give the best look to your mature specimen. Tolerates heavy snow falls without breakage.