Mugo pine
Pinus mugo var. pumilio · Popular
The dwarf mountain pine: a dense, bushy, dark green mound. Plants sold simply as mugo pine vary widely in size, so choose a named dwarf form for a small space.
- Size
- 5 ft tall, 8 ft wide
- Zones
- 2 to 7
- Light
- Full sun
- Flowers
- Grown for its leaves
- Pets
- No toxicity recorded
- Job in a bed
- Anchor
A bed built around mugo pine
The planner designed this bed around mugo pine when this page was made: a 22 × 10 ft (6.7 × 3.0 m) English border in zone 6, full sun. It chose the other plants from the 966 that suit those conditions, and says below why mugo pine stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Mugo pine × 1, dark green leaves
- 2 Dianthus 'Kahori' × 13, pink
- 3 Leadwort × 16, blue
- 4 Indian grass × 3, tan
- 5 Brown-eyed Susan × 8, yellow
- 6 Eastern bee balm × 3, pink
- 7 Scarlet coral bells × 8, white
- 8 Meadow sage × 3, purple
- 9 Gloriosa daisy × 8, yellow
- 10 Rock cress × 22, white
- 11 Ornamental onion 'Purple Sensation' × 6, purple
- 12 Hardy gladiolus × 6, pink
- 13 Easter lily × 5, white
Why this plant
- The only plant grown for its leaves. Leaf lasts all season, where a flower lasts a few weeks.
- Part of the bed's structure. Shrubs and grasses keep their shape when the perennials die down. So does Indian grass.
Why here
- Anchors a back corner. At 5 ft it is one of the taller plants here, and the tallest close the ends of the bed, where they stand in front of nothing.
- A step in the back row. Next to brown-eyed Susan (4 ft): no two neighbours there are the same height, so the back steps up and down like a skyline.
- One plant, alone. A shrub is seen as an object, and needs clear ground around it.
Why now
- Here for its leaves, all year. They cover the 14 weeks between early March and late November when nothing on the plan is in flower.
- One of two evergreens. They are what the bed has to show from November to March.
Planned as an English border: 18 of the 20 groups (90%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. Something is in flower for 26 weeks, from mid April to early October. Rock cress is planted in six places along the bed, which gives it rhythm.
The planner's own design check: 13 Excellent, 4 Good.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where mugo pine goes in a border
At 5 ft it belongs at the back of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is tall (4 to 5 ft).
Its job: anchor. A shrub that gives the bed permanent structure. Planted singly, as soon as the front edge is laid; everything else is arranged around it.
The rounded, mounding shape is a good foil for upright conifers and grasses. To keep it compact, pinch the new 'candles' in half in late spring.
- Evergreen mounds for cold climates
- Rock gardens
- With heathers and dwarf conifers
What to plant with mugo pine
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Juniper 'Blue Star': low enough (24 in) to stand in front of it.
- Heather: adds the flowers, late July to mid September; spires rising out of its mound; low enough (16 in) to stand in front of it.
- Blue fescue: low enough (10 in) to stand in front of it.
Questions about mugo pine
Does mugo pine need sun or shade?
Mugo pine grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day).
It wants ordinary well-drained soil, of average fertility, and little watering once settled.
What zones does mugo pine grow in?
USDA zones 2 to 7. It is hardy to zone 2, which means it survives winter nights down to about −40 °F (−40 °C).
Above zone 7 it struggles: the zones measure winter cold, but a plant's top zone usually means the summers are too hot or the winters too mild for it to rest.
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
How far apart should mugo pine be planted?
6 ft (180 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 8 ft (250 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 5 ft (150 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many mugo pine plants do I need?
Usually one. At 6 ft (180 cm) across, it is a plant you place, not one you mass. For a hedge or screen, set them 6 ft apart: two plants for a 10 ft run.
In the bed above, the planner used one in one group.
Is mugo pine poisonous to dogs and cats?
No toxicity is recorded for dogs, cats, horses or people, according to NC State Extension.
"Not toxic" is not "edible": a pet that eats a lot of any plant can be sick.
What does mugo pine look like in winter?
Mugo pine keeps its dark green leaves all winter, so it is one of the plants that hold a bed together from November to March, when the perennials have gone.
More Pinus
- Dwarf white pine Pinus strobus 'Nana'
- Mugo pine 'Mops' Pinus mugo 'Mops'
In these guides
Every fact on record
- Type
- Shrub
- Size
- 5 ft (150 cm) tall, 8 ft (250 cm) wide
- Plant
- 6 ft (180 cm) apart
- Height class
- Tall (4 to 5 ft)
- Place in the bed
- Back
- Flowers
- None: grown for its foliage
- Leaves
- Medium texture, evergreen; dark green
- Shape
- Mounding, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 2 to 7
- Light
- Full sun
- Soil
- Average, well-drained
- Water
- Low
- Feeding
- None needed
Checked against NC State Extension. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.