Japanese Black Pine is a conifer tree with whitish terminal buds that contrast against the dark green foliage that comes in bundles of twos.  Young foliage emerges upright.  Grows best in full sun with rich well-drained soils.

MAINTENANCE NEEDS:  Medium Maintenance.  Plants grown in optimal conditions have few major issues.  Otherwise, blight, rust, canker, and cast can be issues. Potential pests include nematodes, caterpillars, miners, sawfly, scale, mealybugs, borers, and weevils.

LANDSCAPE USES: Specimen or mass plantings, Naturalized Areas, Woodland Garden, Ponds and streams,  Shade Tree, and Screening.

COMPANION PLANTS: Barberry, Wintergreen, Maple

Image: Plant Image Library, Pinus thunbergii (Japanese Black Pine) (26532118401), CC BY-SA 2.0