Cultivars to Select
I’ve never met a black Japanese pine I didn’t like, so I might be the wrong person to recommend cultivars. I’d just tell you to pick your favorite and run with it.
If you prefer to grow the species, you can find P. thunbergii available at Nature Hills Nursery.
Japanese Black Pine
Here are a few cultivars that I’m particularly fond of:
Kyokko Yatsubusa
‘Kyokko Yatsubusa’ is a dwarf cultivar that grows to about six feet tall and eight feet wide.
It has an interesting, asymmetrical, mounding growth habit that has made it popular for training as bonsai.
Underneath the three-inch needles is corky, rough bark that creates an eye-catching texture.
‘Kyokko Yatsubusa’
It was introduced into the US over 30 years ago by William N. Valavanis, a horticulturalist, bonsai teacher, and proprietor of the International Bonsai Arboretum in New York.
He has brought back many beloved cultivars from Japan.
You can find ‘Kyokko Yatsubusa’ in one- and three-gallon containers available at Maple Ridge Nursery.
Ogon
‘Ogon,’ which is Japanese for gold, grows to eight feet tall and wide and features needles tipped in yellow.
In the winter, the golden color is even more intense, and if you grow the tree in full sun, it will be even more pronounced. The color makes a delightful contrast against the black bark.
‘Ogon’
This cultivar is slow growing and maintains its size without pruning, but if you pinch off the candles, you can keep it even smaller.
You can find ‘Ogon’ available in one- and three-gallon containers at Maple Ridge Nursery.
Thunderhead
‘Thunderhead’ has an upright, dense growth habit.
It’s a particularly tough cultivar and will adapt to partial shade. Just looking at this elegant plant brings to mind the thundering storms of the monsoon season in the desert.
This cultivar grows to about 10 feet tall and wide, though it takes decades to reach full height.
Maintenance
Japanese black pines can be fairly quick growing, with some adding up to four feet per year when they are young. The dwarf cultivars tend to be much slower growing.
I point this out because your window for shaping the tree is pretty small. You only want to prune for shape in any major way when the plant is young and pliable, and the branches are small.
As the tree ages, restrict your pruning to branches that are dead, dying, diseased, or damaged.
Propagation
There’s a saying in the horticultural world and that’s “pines don’t propagate by cuttings” or something to that effect. It’s true.
These plants don’t take root from cuttings or via air layering, so don’t bother with these methods. On the bright side, the seeds germinate and grow readily.
From Seed
If you can get your hands on some cones, you can propagate a new tree.
While it can take over a year from planting seeds to transplanting, it’s a relatively simple process.
Learn all about it in our guide to growing pines from seed.
Transplanting
The quickest way to get started with a Japanese black pine is to purchase a potted plant from a nursery and transplant it into the garden.
To do this, dig a hole about twice as wide and a bit deeper than the growing container. Remove the plant from the pot and brush away the soil from around the roots.