Mugo pines (Pinus mugo) aren’t flashy, but these low-maintenance evergreens offer up reliable texture and color in the landscape with little help from the gardener.
In fact, depending on where you live, you might not even need to worry about watering or fertilizing them at all.
While your roses are flowering and fading, your trees are dropping their leaves in fall, and your garden is covered in snow, your mugo pines are looking as lovely as ever.
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In our guide to growing mugo pines, we discuss how to cultivate these versatile evergreens in your landscape. And they are available in far more shapes and sizes than most gardeners realize.
So whether you need an evergreen ground cover for a dry spot, or you want a tall, pyramidal option to anchor your garden, there’s a mugo pine out there that can make it happen.
All of them grow in a wide range of climates and can live for decades.
In this guide, we’ll introduce 23 of the best options whether you want to liven up a spot in your small backyard garden, accent a huge, bare grassy area, or fill in the hell strip in front of a strip mall.
Here’s the list:
Be aware as you head out to shop for these plants that they are sometimes listed as “mugho” pines.
They might also be sold under a generic species name, but the specifics of the shape and size might vary, so be sure to read the grower’s description.
For example, Nature Hills Nursery sells a specimen that grows to five feet tall and 10 feet wide, which isn’t typical of the species.
Mugo Pine
There’s nothing wrong with that, you just want to be sure you know what you’re planting.
It also helps to know if the plant you are selecting is a P. mugo subspecies. There are three subspecies of P. mugo, these are mugo, uncinata, and rotunda.
P. mugo subsp. mugo are shrubby and grow to about 20 feet tall over the course of about 10 years, P. mugo subsp. uncinata are more tree-like and reach up to 60 feet or more over 20 years.
P. mugo subsp. rotunda is a natural hybrid between the two. We’ll let you know if any of these fit in those groups.
True dwarf types, P. mugo var. pumilio are part of the mugo subspecies.
Unless otherwise specified, these plants thrive in Zones 2 to 8.
Let’s explore 23 of the best varieties to grow in your landscape.
1. Alpenglow
A lot of gardeners appreciate the slow-growing nature of mugo pines, but if you’re a little impatient like I am, ‘Alpenglow’ is a bit more vigorous.
This cultivar can reach its mature size of eight feet tall and 10 feet wide in seven or eight years.
The mounding shrub is densely covered in half-inch needles and has lots of fine branching.
It retains its deep green coloring throughout the winter. It’s one of the more popular options for training bonsai thanks to its fine growth.
‘Alpenglow’ is also popular because it naturally has a flat top shape with rounded sides, making it look like you spent hours pruning when you were actually sitting on the patio in your favorite lounge chair.
2. Aurea
P. mugo var. pumilio ‘Aurea’ is a semi-dwarf type that features long, light green and yellow needles. In the winter, they transition to bright golden-yellow.
While ‘Aurea’ can tolerate a partial sun location, the coloration is best in full sun. It grows to about three feet tall and four feet wide.
The dense shrub, sometimes called golden dwarf, matures over about ten years and provides an ongoing display that shifts with the seasons, with an attractive oval shape.
My one note is that ‘Aurea’ can burn in the winter if it’s exposed to extreme sun and wind.
If that happens, the plant will drop the burned needles and will put out new growth. Or you can prune off the damaged portions yourself.
3. Blue
‘Blue’ is a medium-sized shrub that matures to about eight feet tall and wide.
The two-inch-long needles are distinctly blue-green, showing more blue in the winter and becoming greener in the summer months.
The needles are held upright and are loosely packed, giving the plant an open shape.
4. Carsten’s Wintergold
If you’re looking for a dwarf option with golden needles, ‘Carsten’s Wintergold’ is the best choice.
The needles of this var. pumilio cultivar are green with a hint of yellow during the summer before changing to golden-yellow in the fall.
The colder your climate, the more intense the coloration. It can grow happily in Zones 2 to 8, but the color in warmer regions isn’t quite as stellar.
The needles are relatively short and grow in dense clusters on a plant that is about two feet tall and wide at maturity. It takes about 10 years to achieve its full size, but it’s worth the wait.
‘Carsten’s Wintergold’ nabbed the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit in 2012.
‘Carsten’s Wintergold’
I can’t imagine why you wouldn’t want one. Maple Ridge Nursery has plants available in one- and three-gallon containers.
5. Corley’s Mat
One of the most prostrate options out there, P. mugo var. pumilio ‘Corley’s Mat’ can stretch up to four feet wide but typically grows only 18 inches or so tall.
It has medium green needles that keep their color all year round and it’s extremely compact, with the needles so thick you can’t see the ground or stems underneath.
It’s a tough, adaptable option for rock gardens or anywhere you need a reliable ground cover.
6. Donna’s Mini
Whoever named this cultivar wasn’t kidding when they called it “mini.”
This var. pumilio cultivar only grows to about 10 inches tall and 18 inches wide at maturity.
It has dark green needles that are extremely short, covering the mounded shrub from top to bottom. It looks like some odd deep sea creature hanging out in your garden.
7. Dwarf
Before I sing the praises of dwarf mugo pines, a story. My grandma had a dwarf mugo that wasn’t. It grew just as large as the species plant, much to her dismay.
From then on, she would never buy a plant that claimed to be “dwarf.” She believed from that point forward that any plant labelled “dwarf” was a liar and would eventually become full-sized.
Now, she’s not entirely wrong when it comes to mugo pines.
They often used to be mislabeled and unsuspecting consumers would be faced with a massive plant a few years later that they weren’t at all prepared for.
These days, the labeling is a bit better, but double-check that the plant is labeled as “pumilio” or “mops.” If it’s just labeled as “dwarf,” be like my grandma and exercise extreme skepticism.
The true dwarf variety. P. mugo var. pumilio is a marvel. It grows gradually over a decade or so to about five feet tall and ten feet wide at most, though usually closer to five feet wide.
The true dwarf variety maintains an attractive mounding growth habit without any pruning, and dense dark green needles that add texture to the garden.
The Royal Horticultural Society agrees, giving it the Award of Garden Merit in 1993.
Dwarf Mugo Pine
In this case, grandma is wrong. Dwarf plants do exist and you can find yours at Nature Hills Nursery.
8. Enci
‘Enci’ has soft, long needles that cover the four-foot-tall and six-foot-wide mounding shrub.
It has impressively dense growth, both with tightly clustered needles and the close-growing branches.
You can’t even see the structure underneath for all the needles. It’s not quite as cold-hardy or heat tolerant as the species plant and is best cultivated in Zones 3 to 7.
9. Fastigiata
‘Fastigiata’ is the perfect choice if your trees suffer from breakage under heavy snow loads in the winter.
The upright, blue-green needles are held closely together so the branches don’t build up with snow as easily as many other cultivars.
At 20 to 25 feet tall and six to eight feet wide, this large option has an upright, columnar or pyramidal shape, which isn’t common among mugo pines.
‘Fastigiata’
There is also a version with yellow needles called ‘Aurea Fastigiata.’ Find one for your garden at Fast Growing Trees.
10. Gallica
You aren’t going to find this cultivar at every garden store, but if you want a mugo with an upright, pyramidal shape, this is another of the rare few.
P. mugo subsp. uncinata ‘Gallica’ has lots of upright branches on a shrub that is partially open, growing to 15 feet tall and 10 to 15 feet wide.
The dark green needles keep their color throughout the winter and during the summer heat.
11. Gnome
‘Gnome’ lives up to its name as a true dwarf growing just 18 inches tall and three feet wide.
It has short needles clustered closely together on a finely branched mound with a distinctly flat top.
Occasionally, you’ll find it grafted onto a standard to create a topiary-like look with a long trunk and a rounded canopy.
This cultivar requires almost no pruning to maintain the shape, so it’s perfect if you want that classic topiary look without the constant pruning.
12. Gold Spire
You almost don’t need a description to envision this mugo pine.
‘Gold Spire’ is tall and narrow with a columnar shape. It reaches 15 feet tall and 10 feet wide with dark green foliage.
In the spring, the new candles of needles are deep golden before maturing to dark green.
13. Golden Mound
‘Golden Mound’ has stiff, upright, golden-green needles on a plant that grows about three feet tall and four feet wide over 10 years.
The needles are golden during the winter and greener in the summer.
While the color is certainly attractive, the beautiful mounding shape makes it an extra attractive option for the garden.
14. Green Candle
You know how I mentioned that mugo pines aren’t the star of the garden show? Well ‘Green Candle’ begs to differ. In the spring, the plant is positively smothered in flowers.
At the base of the tan colored candles are clusters of green male pollen cones that eventually turn brown. It makes for a striking accent against the dark green leaves.
It has globe-like growth habit when young, but as it matures it takes on a distinctly broad pyramidal shape, reaching about five feet tall and wide.
15. Humpy
At 18 inches tall and two feet wide, ‘Humpy’ is one petite P. mugo var. pumilio cultivar. It has proportionally short needles with thick, dense growth.
The terminal buds take on a white resinous coating in the winter, which, when combined with the dark green needles, creates a big impact on a small plant.
‘Humpty’ earned the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit in 2012.
16. Mini Mini
This teeny tiny plant is so small that it has to have two “minis” in its name! This cultivar originated from a witches’-broom growth on ‘Valley Cushion’ in the 1980s.
‘Mini Mini’ only grows to about eight inches tall and wide, or slightly wider. The leaves are proportionally small, which makes the plant look like a fuzzy ball of green velvet.
It’s perfect in the garden, containers, or as a tiny bonsai.
17. Mughus
Mughus is a natural variation that was discovered rather than cultivated.
Sometimes listed as subspecies mugo or mughus, and sometimes called P. mugo var. mughus or var. mugo these names refer to the same plant.
This variety can reach 10 feet tall and 15 feet wide when mature, though they often stay about half that size, with a mounded shape.
Mughus
It makes an ideal hedge or can act as a low backdrop or filler for a dry area. You can find plants available at Planting Tree.
18. Ophir
While mounding shapes are the most common among mugo pines, there are a few that are truly rounded or globose. P. mugo var. pumilio ‘Ophir’ is one such cultivar.
It has a round shape with a slightly flattened top and pale yellow-green needles that turn deep golden in the winter.
It grows just three feet tall and wide in soils that range from clay to sandy, and acidic to alkaline. It’s also extremely drought-tolerant.
It should come as no surprise, then, that ‘Ophir’ was given the Award of Garden Merit in 2012 by the Royal Horticultural Society.
19. Slowmound
As the name suggests, this cultivar has a round, mounded shape.
At four feet tall and six feet wide at most, it’s a compact option that works nicely as a specimen or in groups.
The needles are dark green and densely packed, and it will hold its color in heat or cold.
‘Slowmound’
‘Slowmound’ lives up to its name as a slow grower that takes 10 or more years to reach its full size. It’s also long lived, so you can enjoy it for decades to come.
You can find ‘Slowmound’ available at Planting Tree.
20. Sunshine
‘Sunshine’ isn’t super common, but it’s definitely worth looking out for. It’s a P. mugo var. pumilio cultivar that grows three feet tall and wide.
The long needles have distinct bands of green and yellow.
From a distance, the plant looks like it has a green base with yellow edges, but up close, it looks like a green and yellow porcupine exploded all over the shrub.
‘Sunshine’
The color is more distinct in full sun and during the winter months, and it will hold its coloring all year.
You don’t have to search high and low. We’ve found it for you in a choice of one- or three-gallon containers at Maple Ridge Nursery.
21. Tannenbaum
‘Tannenbaum’ truly has the perfect Christmas tree shape. It grows slowly to about 12 feet tall and 10 feet wide with a pyramidal shape.
It’s the perfect size for putting that star or angel on top.
The evergreen blue-green needles are densely packed, perfect for hanging ornaments or adding texture to the garden landscape.
‘Tannenbaum’
Purchase this mugo subspecies cultivar at Fast Growing Trees. Then, gather the friends around to sing the praises of beautiful ‘Tannenbaum.’
22. White Bud
I think ‘White Bud’ is super cool.
It’s unusual and stands out from other P. mugo var. pumilio cultivars in that the tips of the growing branches, known as the terminal buds, develop a white, waxy coating during cold weather.
This coloration adds a bright accent to the long, dark green needles.
It’s a true dwarf cultivar that stays under three feet high and four feet wide with a rounded to mounding habit.
23. Yellow Point
A popular option for bonsai, ‘Yellow Point’ has medium green needles tipped in yellow, and the yellow only intensifies during the winter.
The coloration is gradual rather than abrupt, as it can be on some cultivars, with the yellow fading into the green at the base.
It has a rounded shape at three feet tall and wide with thick, dense growth.
Make Room for More Mugo Pines
Mugo pines are gloriously long-lived, slow-growing, extremely low-maintenance, and tough as can be.
They aren’t just medium to large shrubs, either. You can find tall trees, itty bitty balls, and lovely ground covers.
There’s a lot to love on this list. Are one or two of them calling your name? Let us know which is your favorite. Or maybe you have one that you love that we missed? Give us the details in the comments section below.
And for more information about growing pines in your landscape, check out these guides next:
