14+ Pine Tree Landscaping Ideas

Last Updated on July 13, 2021 by Kimberly Crawford

Pine trees are so much of a landscape splendor that you can build the whole design around it. Aside from lining them up for privacy, they can also offer a mystical allure, a warm, cozy vibe, and lush colors to your landscape. So, if you want to get the best out of pine trees, here are some pine tree landscaping ideas that you can work on.  

14 pine tree landscaping ideas

So, what kind of landscaping designs can we get with pine trees as the focal point? Here are some ideas to refer to. 

1. Rocky landscape with dwarf evergreens

If you are not that keen on having messier pine needle pools from larger pine trees, you can always opt for dwarf evergreens to provide texture and color to a rocky landscape. Choosing different varieties of dwarf evergreens also gives the landscape more layers. 

2. Majestic lone pine

You do not need a lot of pine trees to create a majestic look for the landscape. Sometimes, a well-maintained, large, pine tree can do the work be it for a compact or wider yard.

Lining the entire yard with a myriad of hardy shrubs is beneficial for more privacy and at the same time, giving the lone pine a more dramatic emphasis. 

3. Well-curated outdoor landscape

For a corner landscape in a large outdoor estate, you can plant layers of dense shrubs and flowers around clusters of pine trees. To help you in maintaining their dense and well-curated look, you can add brick or concrete paving. 

4-5. Japanese garden

All zen gardens feature pine bonsai trees and they do not disappoint. Because Japanese gardens take on the reflection of the natural balance of elements, the pine tree bonsais can be arranged in a corner with pebbles, stones, grasses, and water features. Mossy rocks, well-pruned trees, and water ripples are also beautiful design elements. 

Another zen style would be focusing on water features such as ponds, small waterfalls, streams, and wells. This is a fine landscape design involving the contrast of well-trimmed pine bonsais and other trees and a small home pond encased in a concrete frame. 

6. Natural privacy fencing

In time, and if you maintain them right, your small pine tree seedlings should grow tall and start fanning out to interlace with the other pine trees. When this happens, expect to have privacy fencing in 5-10 years. After that, all you need is to improve the edging of the planters to contain them in one neat line. 

7. Colorful front alleys

Pine trees can blend very well with different shrubs and flowering plants. You can always upscale your front alley by arranging a compact yard first with a spread of lush grass turf, trimmed shrubs, topiaries as well as a few medium sized pine trees like this one. 

8. Elevated landscape

Even if your home is on a sloped curb in the suburbs, you can still make a raised landscape out of it. This one features a dense shrubbery with some even spilling from the edges.

Pine trees are clustered on a spot in the landscape and an assortment of other trees are also scattered for more colors and layers. 

9. Pine on pine

This stone house stands at a backdrop of dense pine canopies. This should not limit you from arranging your driveway with a landscape composed of different shrubs including dwarf pine trees. A pine-on-pine landscape is as breezy and refreshing as it could be. This whole landscape design does not even suffice for the real coolness in there.  

10. Sea of colors

If you want your pine tree to be the focal point of your garden or landscape, you can use the oldest trick in the book: drown it in a sea of colors.

In this landscape, the rock garden bed is planted with dense red petunias with a dwarf pine on its center. It is made more standout by the concrete edging that separates it from a lush grass turf. 

11. Tall pines on the walkway

This blue cabin-style vacation house became more dramatic and whimsical with its sloping driveway and a parade of greens and colors on each side. The tall pines are balanced by low growing Palmatum maple trees and other colorful shrubs. The stamped concrete driveway does not disappoint too. 

12. Center oval landscape

This mid-century stone home evokes a fine balance between Western styles and oriental gardens.

Having a unique oval landscape containing design elements of a typical Japanese garden such as bright flowering plants, shrubs and bonsai pine trees make everything clean and ornate, all at the same time. 

13. Low maintenance front yard

Pine trees are hardy ones, and they complement well with hardscaping too. For a minimalist take on front gardening, you can create concrete planters using slate blocks. In this landscape design, the contrast of concrete and lush greenery is anchored on alpine firs and bonsai pine. 

14. Practical cabin landscaping

You do not need much when it comes to wood cabin, pine trees and conifers combo. They are just naturally contrasting so a few of them planted even just on the driveway would suffice. Most likely, there is a whole canopy of them too in the background. 

FAQs 

To know more about how you can improve your pine tree landscaping, here are some FAQs that you should be aware of. 

How do you landscape around a pine tree? 

In landscaping around a pine tree, you should be wary of the following tips: 

  • Prune low-growing branches to encourage growth of other plants on its base. 
  • Make sure that there are no pine needles at the base of the pine tree before you start planting shrubs and other plants. 
  • Only choose plants and shrubs that can tolerate acidic soils and drought like conditions. 

What grows well with pine trees?

So, what plants grow well with pine trees? Here are some of the best plants that you should plant along with pine trees for a more beautiful landscape design. 

Flowers

Shrubs

What perennials grow under pine trees?

In terms of perennials, the following should be the ones you should look out for in a pine tree landscape. 

  • Ara barrenwort
  • Barren strawberry
  • Bergenia
  • Columbines
  • Dead nettle
  • Hydrangeas
  • Jacob’s ladder
  • Geranium
  • Phlox
  • Rhododendron
  • Sweet woodruff

Conclusion

Pine tree landscaping is an underrated design element for every yard. We often think of pine as just accent evergreens, but they can do more than just provide shade to the landscape. They beautify it without warrant, and to that end, should be used more in landscaping designs.

Read also: 16 Palm Tree Landscaping Ideas and Designs