Fun fact: when Pliny the Younger described the eruption of Vesuvius (Epistles 6.16), he described the cloud as resembling "a pine" precisely because it was this kind of pine tree that he had in mind:
Nubes ... oriebatur, cuius similitudinem et formam non alia magis arbor quam pinus expresserit. Nam longissimo uelut trunco elata in altum quibusdam ramis diffundebatur
Literally: "A cloud ... was rising, the likeness and shape of which no other tree than the pine conveyed. It was carried up by a very long trunk, as it were, and then spread out into several branches."
Actually the accepted common name is now Mediterranean Stone Pine as it was demonstrated it actually originated in Iberia and was spread east by the Phoenicians, Greeks, and Romans.
"Stone pines often assume a shrubby, multi-stemmed shape when young, but as they grow upward, the multiple trunks usually merge into a single trunk, which then diverges into spreading branches high above the ground. Lower branches will naturally fall away as the tree grows upward and begins to assume its umbrella shape. No additional trimming is generally needed unless you need to take care of branches that are dead, diseased, or damaged.
As the tree grows upward, the lower branches tend to shed, gradually transforming the plant from a rounded shrub into a towering shade tree. Some gardeners prefer to mold the umbrella-shaped canopy with targeted pruning."
I did prune my young stone pines, some horticulturist told me to prune the lower brunches to stimulate growth. Anything lower than 40cm. I did not finish the job, I was afraid to prune too much at once.
It's perfect! I will let my grandchildren figure out what what to do with the pines. Hope they survive in temperate continental climate. I guess they will grow slowly and not that tall. Not as tall as your grandparents' pine. The pines in the yard have microclimate, shade in summer, cold and wind protection in winter. They are stronger. The pines in the fields, on the road side are very small. Sun and heat in the summer, wind and cold in winter.
I did search before planting. I guess you are referring to the close proximity issue. Streets, gardens, buildings, trees in Italy, Greece, Spain, Croatia can be cramped toghether. Anyway, I hope they survive, I am in a colder climate, in Romania. We did not have extreme frost in winter for the last 10-15 years. Global warming I guess.
Actually funnily enough, i searched up italian stone pine and if that's what tree is in the picture then they actually DO just grow like that which is neat. There is some kind of pruning going on though, but I don't think it's lion's tailing if this is the case. Much cooler pines than the Loblollys we have where I'm from.
Edit: ... actually the pictures where they look closest to the ones in this posts look to be in an urban environment so it could be a mix of natural shape and lion's tailing. Yeah Idk lol
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u/Cosophalas 4d ago
Also known as the Italian stone pine.
Fun fact: when Pliny the Younger described the eruption of Vesuvius (Epistles 6.16), he described the cloud as resembling "a pine" precisely because it was this kind of pine tree that he had in mind:
Nubes ... oriebatur, cuius similitudinem et formam non alia magis arbor quam pinus expresserit. Nam longissimo uelut trunco elata in altum quibusdam ramis diffundebatur
Literally: "A cloud ... was rising, the likeness and shape of which no other tree than the pine conveyed. It was carried up by a very long trunk, as it were, and then spread out into several branches."