Northwest Blooms · Shrubs
Pinus sylvestris 'Bleu Cheese'
Bleu Cheese Scots Pine
- Family
- Pinaceae
- Height
- 2 to 3 ft
- Width
- 2 to 3 ft
- Flower color
- Inconspicuous cones
- Foliage color
- Bright blue to blue-green needles, with a sprinkled creamy-white variegation
- Bloom time
- Spring; cones may develop
- Light
- Full sun to part shade
- Water
- Moderate
- Maintenance
- Low; a dwarf, compact globose form that grows slowly with little need for pruning
- Growing zone
- USDA zones 3 to 8
- Wildlife
- Evergreen structure offers year-round shelter for small birds; seed cones may provide occasional food for seed-eating birds or small mammals
About this plant
Pinus sylvestris 'Bleu Cheese' is a dwarf Scots pine with a rounded habit and dense branching. Short needles in tight clusters show a cool blue tone with creamy variegation, giving the plant a speckled effect. As an evergreen conifer, it offers year-round color and fits well into rock gardens, mixed borders, or containers.
Scots pine is native to northern Europe and northern Asia and has long been valued for its wood. 'Bleu Cheese' originated as a variegated branch mutation on the cultivar 'Glauca Nana' and was later named by conifer specialists. Blooming season falls in late spring, when small yellow pollen cones and seed cones develop along the shoots.
Works well in
Sun Gardens · Rock Gardens · Containers · Bird Gardens
Companion plants
Tulips · Beautyberry · Coreopsis · Maiden grass · Sea thrift · California lilac
Design tip
Draw attention to ‘Bleu Cheese’s’ unusual foliage by giving its blue needles and creamy-white variegation enough visual space to read clearly rather than blending into a busy planting. The rounded silhouette provides a simple, cohesive form that keeps the foliage from appearing visually restless.
Where to see it
This plant can be seen at Vista Gardens.
