Pinus sylvestris - Scots Pine

The Scots Pine, in Latin Pinus sylvestris, is perhaps the most ubiquitous, sturdy, and beautiful pine in Europe. This tall conifer with an elegant habit, is appreciated for its endless trunk covered with a salmon-coloured bark and the beauty of its light foliage, a beautiful green-grey-blue colour, capable of perfuming the air in hot weather. This pine, also known as the "Auvergne pine", "Geneva pine", "red pine" or "Scots pine", is a perfectly hardy species, not demanding in well-drained soil, and resistant to drought once established. Its significant height development is suitable for large gardens.

The Pinus sylvestris is a conifer of the pine family, widespread throughout northern Europe and Asia Minor. Its range is exceptionally vast, from southern Iberia to the Scottish Highlands, to Manchuria, the Turkish mountains and extreme northern Siberia. This testifies to its adaptability to many growing conditions. It is a common species in dry mountainous areas. It is a light-loving species, adapted to drought and the coldest winters, tolerant of poor soils, but disliking lime. This tree reaches 30-40m (98.4 - 131.2ft) in height in its natural environment and generally has a rounded crown on a very vertical long trunk. Depending on its habitat, this pine can take on a very diverse form. Its lifespan is around 200 years.

In cultivation, the Scots pine rarely exceeds 25m (82ft) in height with a spread of 7 to 10m (32.8ft). Its growth is quite rapid. During its youth, this tree shows a fairly wide conical habit. As it ages, it thins out, revealing a long, bare trunk covered with reddish bark in its upper part and a slightly sparse, generally conical, dome-shaped canopy. Its branches, brown-grey in colour, are covered with soft, pointed, non-prickly needles, slightly grey or bluish-green, measuring 4 to 7cm (2.8in) long. They are grouped in pairs, sheathed at the base, and arranged in dense spirals around the branches. The young bark is finely scaly and reddish-brown in colour. It takes on a salmon pink or orange-red colour on the upper branches and trunk of older specimens. The lower trunk, on the other hand, is covered with fissured grey-brown bark. Its deep taproot makes transplanting older specimens unwise. Flowering occurs in May-June, in the form of male flowers in small yellow catkins grouped at the base of the shoots, and small purple female flowers located at the terminal part of the branches. The fruits are ovoid cones, 3 to 5cm (2in) long, brown at maturity. They ripen after 2 years.

The Scots Pine will find its place in a large garden, either as a standalone tree or a background at the property boundary. This conifer, which thrives in conditions neglected by many trees, offers a very pleasant filtered shade while requiring very little maintenance. In hot weather, its foliage gives off a balsamic and resinous scent. It adapts to a wide variety of soils, except for very chalky or heavy and compact. Conifers, with their reassuring permanence, blend well together. They provide lasting structure to a landscape and are attractive throughout the year.

The wood of the Scots Pine, also known as "Northern Pine", was once widely used by ship carpenters. Nowadays, it is used in carpentry, construction, and the paper industry.