Austrian Pine 'Spielberg'

Austrian Pine 'Spielberg' (Pinus nigra 'Spielberg') is a dense green globe that looks as though it were clipped every week, though in fact it grows that way on its own. The needles are dark green, soft, up to 12 cm long and slightly twisted, and so abundant that they hide the little trunks and lower branches entirely.

Gardeners use it as an evergreen sculpture for a small town garden, a patio, a rockery or a large container - wherever a single plant has to carry the whole composition. At 10 years the globe reaches about 1.5 m in height and 2 m across, noticeably wider than it is tall, unlike the columnar 'Green Tower'.

Key characteristics:

• What makes it special: So precise a globe can only be propagated by grafting - its shape simply cannot be reproduced from seed.
• Dimensions: At 10 years it grows to 1.5 m tall and 2 m wide.
• Hardiness: Hardy down to -34 °C (USDA zone 4).
• Light: Plant it in full sun only - it does equally well in an open spot and in a sheltered corner.
• Soil: It prefers well-drained loam or sand with an acid to neutral reaction.
• Watering: Moderate watering on well-drained soil is plenty, and a mature plant already stands up to drought.
• Care: The globe needs no clipping - it keeps its shape itself; adelgids, conifer aphids, sawflies and pine shoot moths may turn up occasionally.
• Landscape use: A striking accent in a city courtyard, a rockery, a flower bed or a container on the patio.