Mugos tend to grow toward the light. Crowded together like this they look like more normal conifers. This is a 2 gallon tree about 20" tall
Two years earlier it was in a styroblock. These guys show a lot of the variation that is typical of the species. Some will be compact, some lanky. Some short, some tall.
This is how them come to me: A bundle of 15
This shot is taken in the mountains of Slovokia -- native stand of mugo pine.
Typical growth pattern in the open.
Mugo makes a good tree for a small scale garden. You can prune side branches to make it any shape you wish. To keep a compact growth pattern trim the candles in spring to the length of new growth you want to keep.
Mugo Pine
Pinus mugo
Have you ever been to a store where they had plain brown bags, $1 each? They were stapled or taped shut, and had labels like "Secret Treasures" or "Mystery Bag".
Mugo pines are mystery bags. Mugo pines have what geneticists call a 'plastic genome' meaning that there is a large variation in the genes from one to another. From wild mugo seed you will get shrubs that are 3 feet tall. Or 15 feet tall. Narrow outlines, wide outlines.
If you need a better known shrub, one that will be more certain to meet your expectations, then buy a named cultivar. They are cloned from specimens with known characteristics.
I couldn't resist the mystery bags. So I've got some mugos grown from seed. Want to share a surprise?
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Sherwood's Forests is located about 75 km southwest of Edmonton, Alberta. Please refer to the map on our Contact page for directions.