Japanese Red Pine 'Rainbow'

Japanese red pine 'Rainbow' (Pinus densiflora 'Rainbow') earns its name honestly. Every needle is banded with cream and gold, so the dense, bushy crown shimmers in the sun, and in cold winters a warm reddish tone comes through the variegation as well.

This is a plant to be looked at closely: a rock garden, the edge of a path, a large container by the door - anywhere you can see each needle. In 10 years it reaches only 1-1.5 m in height and width, which makes it twice as compact as its relative 'Oculus-draconis', of which it is in fact a seedling.

Key characteristics:

• What makes it special: The cultivar shows its brightest colours where the days are hot and the nights cool just as the new needles are growing out.
• Dimensions: At 10 years it is 1-1.5 m tall and 1-1.5 m wide.
• Hardiness: Hardy down to -40 °C (USDA zone 3).
• Light: Best in full sun; in a hot climate it happily takes light shade in the afternoon.
• Soil: Happily takes ordinary, moderately moist, well-drained soil; the one thing it will not take is standing water.
• Watering: Water moderately: neither letting the root zone dry out nor keeping it sodden.
• Care: The variegation blazes brightest where days are hot and nights cool while the new needles are growing.
• Landscape use: An accent you want to see close up: a rock garden, a path edge, a large container, a planting by the entrance.
• Origin: The cultivar was selected in the 1990s by John Emery of Berry, New South Wales, as a seedling of the pine 'Oculus Draconis'.