Loblolly Pine

Pinus taeda

Loblolly pine is the workhorse of the southeastern forest. fast-growing, deeply rooted, and unphased by heat, drought, and thin coastal plain soils. Long bundles of needles create a soft, soughing sound in the wind that's as distinctively Southern as anything that grows. The cones open in fall and provide seed for brown-headed nuthatches, pine warblers, and goldfinches through the winter months. At 50 to 90 feet mature, this is a landscape tree in the large-property category, delivering dense evergreen screening within five to seven years of planting. Its rapid growth makes it effective for privacy and windbreak applications where other evergreens would take decades. Choose it for the back boundary, the windbreak, the slope that needs canopy cover fast.