Candling Pines

Some gardening activities are tied to the calendar.  When it's February, I prune roses.  In March, time to cut back the ferns.  And in April (though our cool spring has delayed the season), I am candling pines.

For those who may have not heard this term, "candling" refers to the very prominent terminal buds that emerge on pine trees and shrubs in spring, as they push out their new growth.  The upright, long slender buds appear like candles on a candelabra.  It is during this period that a gardener can take advantage of the soft new growth to restrict the size and create deliberate shape on plants of this genus.

On the coast, by far the most common Pinus species is the Shore Pine, Pinus contorta var. contorta.  It's worth noting for future gardening trivia games that it is the same species known in inland mountain regions as the Lodgepole Pine (Pinus contorta var. latifolia).  Which goes to show you what climate will do to cause adaptation in a plant's growth habit.  If you're not sure what pine you have, a key identifying characteristic on Shore Pines is the backward-facing cones on the branches, pointing toward the trunk.  But I digress.

Another common Pinus species on the coast is the Mugo Pine, frequently planted for its small stature, which varies from a low groundcover size to small shrub.  Not all Mugo Pines are alike: many folks select one hoping it will stay low to the ground like the one pictured here.  If this is your goal, choose a cultivar like 'Oregon Jade' which has very short internodal spacing (the length of stem between branches).

For both of these pines, and many others, candling is a technique which will allow a gardener to accomplish a couple important goals:  determine appearance and restrict size.

Mugo Pine, removing the candles

Essentially what you are doing is breaking off the terminal bud before it has expanded into a longer branch with smaller branches and needles.  The closer you break it off to the base, the shorter your eventual branch will be.  The goal isn't to remove every last bit of the bud, as you want the plant to experience a little growth each year for its health.

If you are candling for appearance, the goal might be to create a smooth, even look to the shrub, as if you had used the hedge trimmer.  Some readers might wonder, why don't we just use a hedge trimmer?  What happens with this tool is that instead of breaking off the terminal bud and allowing it to naturally finish expanding, you are cutting through everything including older growth, needles, etc.  The result in a month or two is a "burned" look on the top, where all those cut ends turn brown.

Shore pines at Wecoma Park in Lincoln City

Candling for a smooth look (you might have seen the "cloud"-style pruning favored in Japanese gardening) is simple.  Just start breaking off the soft growth on the uppermost part of your shrub, at the top of the selected plane or curve.  Then work your way along, breaking off the buds to match this general curve or plane as it suits your eye.  In a month or so the pine will have grown out evenly-- though there are always a few buds that stubbornly come out late, just remove them when you see them.

One of the nicest features of Shore Pines is the long internodal spacing between branches, which lends itself to "cloud" pruning.  Select a few widely spaced branches and remove those that are in between.  Then begin your annual regimen of candling to create the "cloud" effect.  As the tree grows too tall to reach, it will still maintain a general look of the pruning style, but if you are really fussy you can get up there on an orchard ladder and remove buds.

Cloud pruning, done less formally

If you have a lot of candling to do, one time saver is to use a pocket pruning saw blade to knock the buds off.  Once there is an established plane or curve, the buds will be easy to knock off with a swift lateral swipe of your saw blade.  You aren't trying to cut anything... but the teeth on your blade will catch the buds and break them off in large numbers.  To make cleanup easy, lay a tarp down under the tree before starting.

A final tip: use an old pair of gloves for this task, or designate some for dirty jobs.  The candles usually produce pitch that is very difficult to remove.

Champion Coastal Conifers

Winter is a great time to assess the bones of your garden. With all the deciduous plants bare and flowers removed or cut back, we can really see the structural evergreen plants.

Picea abies 'Pendula'

Evergreen plants fall mainly into two large categories: broadleaf and conifer. Technically "conifers" should indicate cone-bearing, but for our purposes we will simply consider those plants with needle-like foliage rather than leaves.

The gardener will find a wide variety of conifers available for successful landscape use on the Oregon coast. Do yourself a favor and start your search with a leisurely stroll (or hike) in one of our many public parks or open spaces, for the purpose of observation.  Many mistakes can be avoided, and great ideas discovered, when the gardener begins by observing successful plant communities. Which conifers prefer some shade? Which need shelter from wind? Which are especially resilient near the ocean, and which ones are snapped off in winter windstorms?

The primary coniferous trees on our stretch of the coast include Sitka Spruce, Shore Pine, Western Hemlock and Western Red Cedar. The spruces and pines are most tolerant of high wind, while the hemlock and cedar will thrive in shady and wetter conditions. All of these trees, in the right setting, are potentially very large (50' or more) specimens. The prudent gardener will plant and nurture them where they won't require extensive pruning to fit the space, and instead allow them to fulfill their potential.

Excellent examples of small landscape conifers can fill that next tier on the landscape hierarchy, the medium to tall shrub or small tree. Hollywood Junipers (Juniperus chinensis 'Torulosa') have become a favorite in the Lincoln City area, with high wind tolerance and a naturally "wind-sculpted" look, featuring deep green, non-prickly foliage (rare for a juniper). These fine plants also provide for wildlife, with dense clusters of juniper berries throughout fall and winter.

Picea abies 'Nidiformis' in foreground

The genus Picea (spruce) offers gardeners a vast array of landscape conifers, with some performing quite well on the coast.  Picea abies 'Nidiformis' or Bird's Nest Spruce offers a tidy, dense, dark-green foundation shrub that conforms to a roughly 3' square profile and rarely needs pruning. A focal-point can be achieved with Weeping Norway Spruce (Picea abies 'Pendula'), a medium-height (4-5') narrow shrub that gracefully drapes layers of cascading branches. It will tolerate some wind and only needs minimal pruning to keep from spreading too wide.

The coastal gardener should carefully site spruces that are adapted to inland conditions, like the Colorado Blue Spruce (Picea pungens var. glauca). Between sandy soils, persistent north wind and sparse rainfall in late summer, these alpine trees can really struggle for moisture. They should be given some shelter from summer winds and provided regular water.

Conifers for groundcovers are a popular choice, with two of the most successful coming from the genus Juniperus. The Shore Juniper, Juniperus conferta, is native to Japan but thrives here. A popular variety in our local nurseries is 'Blue Pacific.' If you want quick cover on a large slope that's exposed to ocean winds, this blue-green beauty is the ticket. Be sure to provide good drainage-- sandy soils are ideal.

A more compact groundcover juniper is Juniperus squamata 'Blue Star.' This tidy, composed juniper sports grey-blue foliage and is slower growing than Shore Juniper. Blue Star juniper is an excellent specimen groundcover for landscapes with a bit more shelter from the ocean and very good drainage.

Conifers can also be utilized for color in the landscape during what is an admittedly bleak season. A fine example of this is Cryptomeria japonica 'Elegans' or Japanese Plume Cedar. While the species tree in its native range is a towering timber tree much like our own cedars, 'Elegans' is a shrub to small tree, and on the coast it tends to grow more slowly, ranging from low shrub to 6-8' tall tree. The outstanding feature is the soft, ferny (hence the name Plume) foliage that in winter turns bronzy for nice contrast. New growth is a soft bright green, then darkens and turns with the onset of cold weather. A bonus: the needles never drop.

Another fine conifer for the role of small-colorful-shrub is Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Filifera Aurea' or Golden Threadleaf Falsecypress. This soft-textured weeping shrub (to 3-4') holds its golden foliage year-round, providing highlights in the mostly dark winter landscape and nicely contrasting against blue conifers.

A fine reference book for northwest trees including many of these conifers, is Arthur Lee Jacobsen's classic North American Landscape Trees. For specific information on landscape conifers including great photography and design guidelines, see Adrian Bloom's Gardening with Conifers.