Oregon Green Austrian Pine - Winter Candles - February 2026

Yesterday, I posted an update on the small caliper Black Tupelo native tree that is planted in our parkway and talked about the small, pointy buds that the tree had set on the tips of the lower limbs.   I talked about how I've been 'turned on' to the beauty of tree buds in Winter over the years.  But, it isn't just the action that is taking place on the deciduous trees in our yard that is worth noting.  Last week, I showed some photos of one of the Weeping Norway Spruce trees planted IB2DWs and talked about the brown 'buds' that were set on the tips of that conifer tree.  

Another conifer tree in our front yard is an Oregon Green Austrian Pine.  I planted it back in the Fall of 2024 and it, too, was a tiny tree.  The Oregon Green pine is known to grow into an open-branching habit in form, but also comes with heavy 'candling' - or the emergence of white candles on the tips. 

In May of 2025, the first Spring for this tree, I posted some photos showing those very 'candles' growing up and putting on size. I described it then as "pretty neat" and looking back at the photos, I'd (still) agree.  Now with the second winter here, I've begun to figure out the growth pattern for this tree: it sets these candles in Fall, they persist over Winter in small form.  Then, come Spring...they grow.  And, what emerges from the white candles are new needle bursts leading to eventual limb growth.  And, each year, the process repeats itself.

That brings me to the tree as it sits now - in Winter 2025/2026.  Below are a couple of photos showing off the tree.  

I'm noting a few things:

1.  The tree has grown a bit in that first full growing season.  These photos are taking from opposite angles, but see below for a side-by-side comparison.  On the left is current day, on the right is 'as planted' in Fall 2024.  Each of the 'tiers' of the tree have expaned from a single 'branch' to 'clusters'.  

Taken 15 months apart, this Oregon Green Austrian Pine tree has shown some needle growth.

2.  I have noticed some brown needles hanging around the center of this tree - along the trunk.  And wondered if that was a problem.  But, looking back at the 'as planted' version, I see the very same brown needles in the center.  That, at least to my eye, would appear to be the natural cycle of needle growth and needle drop.

3.  The 'candles' are back again this Winter.  And, that means they'll see some growth this Spring.  There's a school of thought about pruning back some of the candles as a means to control growth.  Based on the height of this tree (it is still short), I'm not sure that the 2026 growing season is going to be the season of 'candle pruning', but certainly something to keep an eye on in the coming season(s).