Pinus banksiana ‘Schoodic’ Jack Pine

Jack pine or scrub pine is an extremely cold-hardy, adaptable confer native to most of Canada, the Great Lakes region in the United States, and east to northern New England. The species banksiana was named to honor the English naturalist and explorer, Sir Joseph Banks. The prostrate ‘Schoodic’ variety was named after the Schoodic Peninsula in Maine, where it was found as a chance seedling. It shares the same cold-hardy and drought-resistant qualities as the species, but it is low-growing and can be used as a spreading ground cover or growing down over a wall.
‘Schoodic’ is a mounding dwarf pine with gnarled, twisted branches and short, dense, medium-green to emerald needles. It grows at a slow rate of 4″ to 8″ per year, reaching 1′ × 4′ in 10 years, and even a very old specimen will stand just 3′ high and 15′ wide. Curved, resinous cones grow along the branches and release their seeds only in high temperatures, such as in a fire. It is an excellent choice as a slow-growing ground cover on a slope or hillside to prevent erosion, growing over rocks, or spilling over a wall.
This tough little tree grows best in full sun in moist, well-draining soil. It will tolerate clay, loam, sand, or silt, including nutrient-poor, dry soil, but will not endure standing water or soggy soil. It is exceptionally cold-hardy in USDA zones 2 to 8 and tolerates heat, deer, and urban pollution. ‘Schoodic’ will need to be watered at planting and regularly for several months, especially during dry periods. Once established, it is quite drought-tolerant. In containers, it will need to be watered more frequently when the soil is dry down 2″ from the top. In addition to a ground cover, it is good in a grouping of conifers, in an Asian garden, a native plant garden, a rock garden, or an urban garden. Due to its slow growth, it can also be grown in containers or as a bonsai.
In cold-climate rock gardens, plants such as pinks (Dianthus), sedums, campanulas, saxifrages, and pasqueflowers can complement ‘Schoodic’ by providing color against the green needles. Bulbs planted nearby, such as tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, chionodoxa, or crocuses, do well in various climates and bring the garden to life in the spring. The addition of flowering shrubs, such as forsythia, abelia, weigela, roses, buddleia, English laurel, and nandina, brings a complement of color and texture to the little tree.