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Hardiness: USDA Zone 4a: to -34.4 °C (-30 °F) USDA Zone 4b: to -31.6 °C (-25 °F) USDA Zone 5a: to -28.8 °C (-20 °F) USDA Zone 5b: to -26.1 °C (-15 °F) USDA Zone 6a: to -23.3 °C (-10 °F) USDA Zone 6b: to -20.5 °C (-5 °F) USDA Zone 7a: to -17.7 °C (0 °F) USDA Zone 7b: to -14.9 °C (5 °F)
Sun Exposure: Full Sun Sun to Partial Shade
Danger: Handling plant may cause skin irritation or allergic reaction Plant has spines or sharp edges; use extreme caution when handling
While some people do not like this tree's sometimes gnarled adult form, I am absolutely in love with it. Otherwise, the tree is hardy and tough, and so long as it is not planted in shade or in VERY saturated conditions, it should thrive.
On Jul 25, 2007, claypa from West Pottsgrove, PA (Zone 6b) wrote:
Pitch Pine is in the sub-genus Pinus, also called the yellow or hard pines, along with Loblolly Pine (P. taeda), Shortleaf Pine (P. echinata), and Pond Pine (P. serotina), with which this tree hybridizes. The name rigida refers to the stiff, thorny projections on the cones. The cones normally stay on the tree for a couple years.
The needles are in bundles of three, about 5 inches long. Pitch Pine and Pond Pine (P. serotina) can have epicormic shoots, needles or small twigs and branches growing from the mature trunk.
These trees will grow in a wide variety of soils, and are an important food source for small mammals and birds. The open branching habit provides perches for larger birds like eagles and herons, especially near water.
