Pinus mugo Carstens Wintergold - Dwarf Mountain Pine

The Pinus mugo Carsten's Wintergold is a very beautiful compact form of mountain pine, which stands out for its particularly bright golden foliage in winter. Its needles are light green with yellow tips throughout the year. Due to its moderate growth and slow growth, it is well suited for small spaces. Extremely graphic, it is also an extremely hardy conifer, not requiring pruning. It thrives in well-drained but moist soil and a sunny exposure. One of the most spectacular golden conifers.

The Pinus mugo, also known as Mountain Pine or Pine of the Mountains, is an evergreen conifer of the Pinaceae family, endemic to the mountains of Europe. It can be found in the subalpine zone, avoiding summer heat, from the Spanish sierras, through the high Alpine and Pyrenean massifs, to the Balkans. It only descends to an altitude of 200 m (656 ft 2 in) in Central Europe. In nature, it slowly reaches a size of 3 to 4 m (9 ft 10 in to 13 ft 1 in) in all directions, adopting a wind-swept silhouette that reflects its habitat. It is a very cold-resistant species, perfectly adapted to the mountain climate.

The 'Carsten's Wintergold' variety has slow growth, around 15 cm (5.9 in) per year, and forms a dense and very rounded shrubby clump. A 10-year-old specimen will not exceed 1.50 m (4 ft 11 in) in all directions. Eventually, it will reach a height of 3 m (9 ft 10 in) and a spread of 4 m (13 ft 1 in). This pine develops into a flattened sphere, taking on a broad cushion-like habit as it ages. Its branches are tightly packed and its brown twigs are erect. They are covered with fine needles, 4 to 5 cm (1.6 to 2 in) long, arranged in pairs and grouped in brushes. The young shoots emerge in spring from light brown and resinous buds. The needles, green with yellow tips, turn golden yellow from October onwards, sometimes taking on a bronze hue in winter. The trunk has a brown-grey bark, while the twigs show a shiny green, then black, colour.

The Carsten's Wintergold Mountain Pine will find its place in a small garden, either as a standalone or in a large rockery. It works wonders in a Japanese garden and pairs well with large stones, geometric lines of pools, and masonry works. It can be associated with complementary grasses or with dwarf conifers with a creeping habit (Juniperus horizontalis Blue Chip), globose habit (Picea abies Little Gem), or columnar habit (Juniperus communis 'Sentinel'). The graphic qualities of conifers naturally dominate in a contemporary garden that prefers the aesthetics of shapes, silhouettes, and textures over the dance of blooms. These plants, with their reassuring permanence, structurally define a flowerbed, mark pathways, and border terraces, easily replacing the strong presence of trimmed boxwood or holly. It's all about playing with volumes and colours.