{"product_id":"pinus-strobus-merrimack","title":"Merrimack White Pine - Pinus strobus ‘Merrimack’","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePrice includes everything:\u003c\/strong\u003e the plant, free delivery and professional installation by our planting team. One price, whole job done.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eMerrimack White Pine - Pinus strobus ‘Merrimack’\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEastern white pine, \u003cem\u003ePinus strobus\u003c\/em\u003e, carries the softest foliage of any pine in cultivation, and 'Merrimack' packs that soft blue-green texture into a compact, broadly rounded bush. It is chosen where a garden wants the feel of a pine without a 25 metre tree, and where the plant will be brushed past or touched, because the five-needle bundles are genuinely soft to the hand. In Australia it belongs in the cool districts, not the humid coast.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003eWhy Merrimack White Pine\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSoft five-needle foliage\u003c\/strong\u003e: Fine, flexible needles in bundles of five give a plumed, almost feathery surface unlike any other conifer at this size.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBlue-green colour\u003c\/strong\u003e: Foliage carries a distinct silvery cast that lifts dark corners of a conifer bed.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCompact frame\u003c\/strong\u003e: Growth is dwarfed and dense compared with the species, keeping the plant to shrub scale for decades.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCool-climate resilience\u003c\/strong\u003e: Handles frost, snow and cold winds well, which suits the Southern Highlands, Victorian ranges and Tasmania.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eEven outline\u003c\/strong\u003e: Branching is regular enough that the plant looks deliberate without any formative pruning.\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003eIdeal Applications\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCool-climate feature shrub\u003c\/strong\u003e: Works as a single soft-textured focal point in a lawn cutout or gravel bed.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eTextural contrast planting\u003c\/strong\u003e: Set against clipped buxus or stiff junipers, the difference in needle texture does the work.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eLow windbreak infill\u003c\/strong\u003e: Fills the base of a taller conifer shelter belt where light still reaches.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eWoodland garden edges\u003c\/strong\u003e: Sits comfortably at the margin of a deciduous planting where it gets full morning sun.\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003eSpecimen \u0026amp; Installation\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSpacing (screening\/hedge):\u003c\/strong\u003e 1.5 to 2m\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSpacing (feature\/avenue):\u003c\/strong\u003e 2.5 to 3.5m\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBest Planting Season:\u003c\/strong\u003e Autumn to early spring, while soil is moist and temperatures are mild\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSoil \u0026amp; Drainage:\u003c\/strong\u003e Moist but freely drained acid to neutral loam; dislikes alkaline soils, compaction and prolonged wet feet\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eEstablishment Care:\u003c\/strong\u003e Keep the root zone consistently moist through the first two summers, as white pines are less drought tolerant than the two-needle pines. Mulch generously with pine bark or leaf litter and avoid cultivating around the plant, since surface roots run shallow.\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003ePlant Details\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eHeight:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1.5 to 3m\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eWidth:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1.5 to 2.5m\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eGrowth Rate:\u003c\/strong\u003e Slow\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFoliage:\u003c\/strong\u003e Evergreen\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eLight:\u003c\/strong\u003e Full sun to very light shade; needs shelter from hot, dry inland wind\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNative to:\u003c\/strong\u003e Eastern North America (species)\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFlower Colour:\u003c\/strong\u003e Insignificant\n\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Nursery Direct","offers":[{"title":"400mm","offer_id":59795326206238,"sku":"ND-1387-400MM","price":800.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"500mm","offer_id":59795326239006,"sku":"ND-1387-500MM","price":1500.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1000\/2536\/8862\/files\/Qbe3YPa4oVZVv1gbkIb0_cY3gGw5b.jpg?v=1787313364","url":"https:\/\/nurserydirect.com.au\/products\/pinus-strobus-merrimack","provider":"Nursery Direct","version":"1.0","type":"link"}