Plant an Eastern White Pine

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We’re Bee Kind Landscapes .

The Eastern White Pine is one of our favorite native trees. In the yard, they add beauty, wildlife value, and long-term shade to your property.

Eastern white pine (Pinus strobus) is a fast-growing, majestic native tree that's perfect for yards, forest edges, and naturalized landscapes.

We're giving away healthy bare-root seedlings — while supplies last!

Why Eastern White Pine?

  • Native to Pennsylvania — supports local ecosystems and native wildlife

  • Fast-growing — can grow 2–3 feet per year in the right conditions

  • Great for privacy — dense evergreen foliage for natural screening

  • Habitat booster — birds love it for nesting and cover.

Majestic white pine is native to Centre County and our inspiration for making better landscape design choices, which includes planting more seedling trees.
Preparing our tools and supplies is the first step when getting ready to plant

A simple, 3 step process to plant your happy little tree.

Step 1: Site selection and gather tools

Starting at the most important step. Soak your tree in water for 6-8 hours prior to planting, but no more. Find a good location on your property that has:

  • Well drained, fertile soil

  • Partial to full sun exposure

  • Unobstructed area with room to grow into a tree (white pines grow into giants but can also be proactively managed)

  • Protection from foot traffic, children, and animals

  • Grab a shovel/spade, finish the root soak, and get to work!

Take care to carefully cultivate the soil and prepare your site for planting to ensure seeds can germinate and grow free of weed competition.

Step 2: Planting

Once you’ve selected your site, loosen the soil to a depth of about one foot (a little deeper and wider than the roots of your tree) in an area about a foot wide

Next backfill and smooth out the soil in your prepared area.

Now, being careful to lay the roots out in their natural pattern, plant the tree to the proper depth.

You want the soil line to meet the tree precisely where the roots meet the stem. Do not bury the stem. Planting trees too deep is the most common planting mistake. It will seem a bit unsturdy at first, but the roots will quickly grab hold. We do not recommend staking seedlings, but it can be tricky to get just right with weaker-rooted specimens. It’s better to stake than to have an overly tipsy tree or to plant too deep.

A newly planted white pine sapling, planted at the appropriate depth, does not require staking.

Step 3: Water and watch it grow

Water well after planting. Keep the soil moist (but not soggy) for the first few weeks. No fertilizer needed. It’s best to mulch around the tree. In the first growing season, water during extended dry periods or when the soil dries out.

What should I expect and what if my tree dies?

Treated properly, studies have shown and our experience agrees that upwards of 75% of trees should survive. However, life is tough out there for a seedling tree. If yours dies or gets eaten, don’t fret. Just plant two or three more next spring!

Conservation level tree planting involves planting hundreds or thousands of trees in a day.

Why plant seedlings?

We need to plant more and better trees in our residential landscapes.

Seedlings are the most cost effective method to plant a tree

Seedlings are generally better for long term tree development than older sapling transplants

Questions? Check out our services at the Bee Kind Hive or contact us.

We have all your State College-Bellefonte Area landscaping needs covered. We focus on sustainable and native landscaping, because it comes naturally to us.

Checking a beautiul Rothrock view, an area of great inspiration to Bee Kind Native Landscaping designs.

Keep in touch? Sign up for the Bee Kind Quarterly Newsletter. Stay tuned, for prizes for the happiest little trees.