Quick Facts
Exposure: Full Sun
Height at Maturity: 20-40 Feet
Usage: Landscaping,Shade,Fast Growing
Shipped As: Bare-root
Planting Zones:
Product Details
When a site is dry, rocky or freshly disturbed, Virginia pine seedlings (Pinus virginiana) are the pine to reach for. This native evergreen, also called scrub pine, Jersey pine or spruce pine, is a pioneer that colonizes worn-out fields, road cuts and reclaimed mine land across the Appalachian and Piedmont regions. It is also one of the most popular Christmas tree species in the South. We supply bare root Virginia pine seedlings in bundles of 100, 500 and 1,000.
Why Specify Virginia Pine
- Reclamation champion: Thrives on thin, acidic, low-fertility soils, including shale, clay subsoil and mine spoil.
- Erosion control: Quick evergreen cover and a spreading root system hold slopes and cut banks.
- Southern Christmas trees: Dense, shearable crown with short twisted needles and sturdy branches.
- Wildlife cover: Thick, low branching shelters deer, rabbits, quail and songbirds year round.
- Pulpwood: Long fibers make it a valued pulp species on sites unsuited to other pines.
Virginia Pine Profile
| Scientific name | Pinus virginiana |
|---|---|
| Family | Pinaceae |
| Zones | USDA 4 to 8 |
| Mature height | 20 to 40 feet in most landscapes, taller in forest stands |
| Form | Broad pyramid when young, flat-topped and open with age |
| Light | Full sun |
| Soil | Dry to average, acidic; clay, loam, sand, rocky ground |
| Needles | Two per bundle, 1.5 to 3 inches, twisted |
| Seedling grades | 6-12 in, 12-18 in, 6-24 in row run |
Growing Virginia Pine for the Christmas Tree Market
Choose-and-cut farms in the Southeast plant Virginia pine because it grows well in warm summers and responds to shearing with a full, bushy crown. Stiff branches carry heavy ornaments, and the tree reaches market height in a few seasons. Line out seedlings about 5 to 6 feet apart each way, which works out to roughly 1,200 to 1,750 trees per acre. Our article on adaptable evergreens covers more choices for varied sites.
Reclamation, DOT and Erosion Projects
Highway departments, surface mine operators and land trusts use Virginia pine to green bare ground where topsoil is thin. It builds organic matter and shade that prepare the site for hardwoods to follow, which is its natural role in eastern forest succession. For full site stabilization, combine it with plants from our erosion control collection and hard-working fragrant sumac seedlings, or underplant with chestnut oak, a fellow dry-ridge native. For reforestation spacing, 8 by 8 feet places about 680 seedlings per acre.
Virginia Pine FAQs
What is Virginia pine best used for?
It excels at reclaiming poor or disturbed soil, controlling erosion, and producing Christmas trees in the South.
How tall does Virginia pine get?
Most trees reach 20 to 40 feet, making it a compact pine compared with loblolly or white pine.
How is Virginia pine different from loblolly pine?
Virginia pine has short, twisted needles in pairs and excels on dry, thin soils; loblolly has long needles in threes and is grown mainly for timber on deeper soils.
What zones suit Virginia pine seedlings?
USDA zones 4 through 8. Our zone finder will confirm the zone for any site.
When will my order ship?
Virginia pine seedlings ship dormant in November. For counts of 500 or more, ask for a wholesale quote.
Grown by a Family Nursery
Roscoe Tate founded our nursery in 1959, and the family still grows on 170 acres in Altamont, Tennessee as the wholesale arm of TN Nursery. Our plants have been supplied for Arlington National Cemetery, and our customers include Troy Landry of History Channel's Swamp People. Every bundle is lifted fresh, hydrogel-treated and sealed, then shipped under our Arrive Alive guarantee. Read more in our bare root planting guide.