• 40 pines

What Type of Pine Tree Should I Plant

Choose your region under the button, then press for a pine that grows wild there, with its hardiness zones.

What Type of Pine Tree Should I Plant

Show all 40
  1. Japanese black pineZones 5 to 8. From Japan and South Korea. Stands up to salt, drought, heat and sand.

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All 40 pines

Northeast and Midwest 8

  • Eastern white pine Zones 3 to 8. Native to central and eastern Canada and the central and eastern United States.
  • Jack pine Zones 2 to 7. Native to Canada and the Great Lakes and northeastern United States.
  • Pitch pine Zones 4 to 7. Native from Maine south to Georgia.
  • Pond pine Zones 7 to 9. Native along the eastern seaboard, from southern New Jersey to Florida.
  • Red pine Hardy to zone 3. Native from Manitoba east to Newfoundland, and south to Pennsylvania, Michigan and Minnesota.
  • Shortleaf pine Zones 6 to 9. Native from southeastern New York to northern Florida, west to Oklahoma and Texas.
  • Table Mountain pine Zones 5 to 7. Native to the Appalachian Mountains, from Pennsylvania south to Georgia.
  • Virginia pine Zones 4 to 8. Native from Pennsylvania south to Georgia and Mississippi.

Southeast 5

  • Loblolly pine Zones 6 to 9. Native to the southeastern United States.
  • Longleaf pine Zones 7b to 9. Native from Virginia south to Florida and west to Texas.
  • Sand pine Zones 9 to 10. Native to Florida and Alabama, on acidic sandy soils of the coast.
  • Slash pine Zones 8 to 11. Native to the southeastern United States, on sandhills and flatwoods.
  • Spruce pine Zones 8 to 9. Native from South Carolina south to Florida and west to Louisiana.

Mountain West and Southwest 9

  • Bristlecone pine Zones 4 to 7. Native to the southwestern United States.
  • Colorado pinyon Zones 6 to 8. Native to the Southwest, where it grows on mesas, plateaus and dry slopes.
  • Jeffrey pine Zones 5 to 7. Native from Oregon south through California and western Nevada.
  • Limber pine Zones 4 to 7. Native from southwestern Canada through the western United States.
  • Lodgepole pine Zones 4 to 8. Native from Alaska to the California coast and east to the Rocky Mountains.
  • Ponderosa pine Zones 3 to 7. Native from British Columbia to Mexico, east to North Dakota and Texas.
  • Singleleaf pinyon Hardy to zone 5. Native from southern Idaho and western Utah through Nevada to California.
  • Southwestern white pine Hardy to zone 4. Native to the mountains of west Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and southwest Colorado.
  • Western white pine Zones 3 to 7. Native to the northern Rocky Mountains and the Pacific coast south to California.

Pacific coast states 4

  • Coulter pine Hardy to zone 8. Native from the Central Coast of California south to Baja California.
  • Foothill pine Hardy to zone 8. Native to California, in the Coast Range and the Sierra Nevada.
  • Monterey pine Hardy to zone 8. Native to three stretches of the California coast. Low frost tolerance.
  • Sugar pine Hardy to zone 6. Native from the Cascades of Oregon south through the Sierra Nevada of California.

Garden pines from Europe and Asia 14

  • Aleppo pine Hardy to zone 8. From the Mediterranean. Takes poor soil, desert heat and sea coast.
  • Austrian pine Zones 4 to 7. From central and southern Europe. Tolerates clay soil, city air, salt and drought.
  • Bosnian pine Zones 6 to 8. From the Balkans, Italy and Greece. Does best where summers are cool.
  • Himalayan pine Zones 5 to 7. From the Himalayas. Wide-spreading, drooping branches and large cones.
  • Italian stone pine Zones 7 to 11. From the Mediterranean coast. Umbrella-shaped crown and edible pine nuts.
  • Japanese black pine Zones 5 to 8. From Japan and South Korea. Stands up to salt, drought, heat and sand.
  • Japanese red pine Zones 3 to 7. From eastern temperate Asia. Orange-red bark that peels off in plates.
  • Japanese white pine Zones 4 to 7. From Japan and Korea. Suits cooler places with good drainage.
  • Korean pine Zones 4 to 7. From Korea and Japan. Cold hardy, with large edible seeds.
  • Lacebark pine Zones 4 to 8a. From central and northern China. Bark peels in patches of white, olive and silver.
  • Macedonian pine Zones 4 to 7. From the Balkan peninsula. Prefers cold mountain climates.
  • Mugo pine Zones 2 to 7. From mountain country in southern and central Europe. A shrub or small tree.
  • Scots pine Zones 2 to 7. From northern Europe and Asia; naturalized in the Northeast and north-central states.
  • Swiss stone pine Zones 4 to 7. From central Europe. Narrow form; the South's humid heat does not suit it.

How it works

A pine that thrives in Georgia can fail in Montana, so the list is sorted by where each pine is native. Every card gives its hardiness zones and range. Garden pines from Europe and Asia have their own group.

Read the full guide

Find your zone first

The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map is based on the average annual extreme minimum winter temperature, drawn as 10-degree Fahrenheit zones. Look up your ZIP code on the map, then match your zone to the card.

A zone measures cold, not heat

NC State Extension says jack pine cannot tolerate heat, and that the South's humid heat does not suit Scots and Swiss stone pine. Loblolly pine performs best where summers are hot and humid.

Measure the space

NC State gives eastern white pine a height of 50 to 80 feet. Mugo pine reaches 20 to 25 feet, and its dwarf kinds average 2 to 5.

  • Near the sea or a salted road, look at pitch, Austrian, mugo or Japanese black pine: NC State lists all four as salt tolerant.
  • Wet ground? Pond pine grows in damp soil with poor drainage, and spruce pine needs soil that stays moist to wet.

Questions and answers

What is the fastest growing pine tree?

NC State Extension says no pine grows faster than loblolly. It also rates eastern white, Scots, slash, longleaf and shortleaf pine as rapid growers.

What pine tree is best for privacy?

NC State’s plant toolbox marks eastern white, loblolly, Austrian, Scots and mugo pine for screening or privacy. Eastern white pine can serve as a hedge too.

What is the best small pine tree for a yard?

Mugo pine: a tree as tall as 25 feet or a shrub, with many dwarf kinds. Colorado pinyon and bristlecone pine also stay small. NC State lists both at 20 feet or less and rates their growth as slow.

Which pine trees are native to the United States?

The USDA PLANTS Database marks 26 of these 40 pines as native to the lower 48 states, among them eastern white, loblolly, longleaf, ponderosa and lodgepole pine. Scots, Austrian, mugo, Japanese black and Aleppo pine are marked as introduced.

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