Norfolk Pine, or the closest thing.
My mother is a kiwi. Our family goes back to the early 1700s in New Zealand, hence I am a first gen American. As a child I spent many of my school breaks in New Zealand with my mother’s family. Some of my earliest memories are of the drive from the airport to my grandparents home or to the family sheep station. Along the way the foliage always amazed me as it was so exotic compared to my Georgia home in the states. Anyway there are a few trees that always got my attention. One was the Norfolk Pine, or Norfolk Island Pine. i did learn recently that it isn’t actually a Pine. The Latin name is Araucaria heterophylla.
I would love to find something with a similar form to plant here in zone 7a in the north Georgia mountains. A dwarf or mini in this shape would totally fit the bill. Any suggestions?
Comments (15)
Embothrium
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agoDeanW45
3 years agoRelated Discussions
Replacement for Norfolk Island pine
Comments (12)Those norfolk island pines are hard to get a hang on. I killed one last year when I didn't realize it was sitting in water, and even the one I got this year isn't doing so well - and I baby it. Fast draining soil, sitting on a pebble tray, the works! And I'm still getting browning needles near the 'trunks' Oh well. I definately think palms are your way to go. You can get pretty big rubber tree plants, and my mom's had one palm/tropical type thing around the house for a good 20 years or so - it's a monster! (And my hairdresser has a 10 foot ficus in his shop that's planted in a garbage can. Not sure if that's actually the best for it, but there you go.) Nice to meet you, ~BD...See MoreNorfolk pine is drying up - HELP
Comments (23)Here's my 2 cents: Contrary to other posters, I have a Norfolk Pine that is growing outside, in the shade, in the Arizona heat. That includes a distinct lack of any real humidity most of the time. Part of the year, yes, there is some humidity, but most of the year it's very low here. Exacerbate that with extremely high temps and one would consider this a climate that this particular tree could not survive in. I can only surmise the following for it's continued existence going on 4 years now: I planted it in the shade. I also planted it right next to the drain pipe for my central AC unit. Not intentionally, just that was the only place to put that tree left that I had out front of my house that was in the shade. We are in the "humid" time of the year here and the ground is saturated with water to the point of a small amount of standing water - which the tree is sitting in directly, water coming from that AC drain and I also have a drip irrigation system that is also watering it, lol. One would also think root rot, but again, the tree is healthy, with only a few brown spots where the sun has been able to hit it during the daytime....See MorePlanting Norfolk Island Pine (tree) Outdoors
Comments (15)Don't plant it within 100 feet of anything you care about. It's not invasive, but they're extremely brittle. One across the street came down in a mild March thunderstorm - not a hurricane - a couple years ago, crushing my boyfriend's car. The storm snapped it off at 10 feet above the ground. The ten-foot stump finally came down in a thunderstorm a few months ago, taking out a neighbor's fence. (these were planted in the right-of-way and the whole neighborhood had to beg the city to take its twin out.) They also tend to get kind of scraggly looking as they get taller. They don't keep that pretty conical shape down here. And because they get so tall, taking one out can require a tree guy with a cherry picker to top it several times in order to get rid of it without endangering nearby houses (had to do that in another house years ago, it's expensive.) I'd advise against anyone down here planting them. I know Geico would....See Moreplanting Norfolk Island Pine tree outdoors w/ multiple trunks?
Comments (18)it will need to be hardened off ..... moving from indoors.. to outdoors ... you can not take it straight into sunshine ... you could un pot ... separate.. repot in separate pots... and keep them in dark shade for a week ... light shade for a week ... then filtered light .. perhaps sun at dusk or dawn ... the time lengths also take into account the disturbance of the roots from potting .... and then into the sun ... and you could always keep one potted.. in case you kill the others... you will have a fail safe ... eric.. if you cool the grass around a house ... wind will bring the coolness into the house ... your roof and insulation ... are supposed to take care of what hits the roof ... and with the trees further away ... what will not hit the house.. is the leaves falling off and choking your gutters... seed pods ... roof rats who use trees to get up there.. etc .... ken...See More
davidrt28 (zone 7)
3 years agolast modified: 3 years ago
tsugajunkie z5 SE WI ♱
3 years agoDeanW45
3 years agoDeanW45
3 years agoAnnette Holbrook(z7a)
3 years ago
gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
3 years agoPinus thunbergii 'Thunderhead' looks like an Araucaria?? Boy, you are seeing something I am not!
Courtesy ACS:
Even when cloud pruned the resemblance to me is a BIG stretch!!
Embothrium
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agogardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
3 years agoAnnette Holbrook(z7a)
3 years agoEmbothrium
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agoUser
3 years agoAnnette Holbrook(z7a)
3 years agoSo chatting with my cousin after I started this thread. The conversation is this.
Cuz: So did you find another Norfolk Pine?
Me: Not yet. Wait. Another?
C: Like the one we bought last time I was there.
M: Holy Crap(as my memory wakes up)
So when she visited a few years ago we went to a local nursery and I bought a few houseplants to use in staging my house that was about to go on the market. One of which was a Norfolk Pine that I didn’t recognize as such as it looks very different when raised as a houseplant.
tsugajunkie z5 SE WI ♱