Ponderosa Pine Trees (Bundle of 3)

A ponderosa pine cone among long bright green needles

Ponderosa Pine (Bundle of 3) | Spring 2027

$99.99

Reliable shipping

Flexible returns

Pollination Wind-Pollinated

Bloom group 4 of 7 (Mid)

Ponderosa Pine pollination chart

Ripening

Will it finish before your first hard freeze?

Check it on the Ripening Map (opens in a new tab)

Disease resistanceResists 1 of 4

Diplodia tip blight : Susceptible, 2 of 5
Dothistroma needle blight : Susceptible, 2 of 5
Western gall rust : Susceptible, 2 of 5
White pine blister rust : Highly resistant, 5 of 5

Scored 1 to 5. Higher resists better, and ? means no published data yet.

See it on our native and shade tree disease chart (opens in a new tab)

At a glance: Ponderosa Pine is a pine tree rated hardy to zone 1 in our ratings (winters to -60°F), wind-pollinated, and it ripens about Aug 24 to Sep 19 in Missoula (our Missoula estimate).

Hardy to	Zone 1 to 7. A bare number means the whole of zone 1, colder half included (winters to -60°F). Find your zone with our cold hardiness calculator.
Chill hours	About 1,200 hours (700 to 2,000). Published figures disagree, so treat this as a middle estimate. Montana winters give it plenty. In milder climates, make sure your winters average at least this much. Check your chill hours or see our sources.
Pollination	Wind-Pollinated. Bloom group 4 of 7 (mid), late spring to early summer here. Ponderosa pine is wind-pollinated and outcrossing, so planting the three seedlings together helps cone and seed set. It offers no nectar for bees and is not an orchard pollenizer. Bloom group is our estimate from the variety's origin and relatives. Pollination Charts.
Ripens	About Aug 24 to Sep 19 in Missoula (a Missoula estimate from published sources). Real years swing about a week either way. See the date for your town.
Good for	Feeding wildlife (8/10), windbreaks and hedgerows (8/10), wood (8/10), ornamental value (7/10). Scores are our own 1 to 10 ratings; 8 and up makes our Best Of lists.
Deer	Seldom badly damaged by deer.
What you get	Bare root, 7-15". Shipped or picked up in Missoula in spring, roots wrapped in moist sawdust. Guaranteed to bud out.

Overview

Ponderosa, or “P Pine” as we call it locally, is the largest of the Western Pine species. While often thought of as a "mountain tree," Ponderosa Pines can also be found in the western Great Plains and rocky mountain terrain, thriving on sites that are relatively dry and nutrient-poor.

Distinctive Features

These trees are characterized by needles in clusters of two or three, ranging from five to ten inches long. Their bark starts as brown to black, but with age, it turns yellowish-brown to cinnamon, with scaly plates separated by deep, irregular furrows.

Cones and Growth

Ponderosas bear cones that are three to six inches long and two inches wide, with sharp points on the ends of the scales.

Drought Tolerant and Important for Wildlife

Extremely drought-tolerant, Ponderosa Pines are crucial for supporting wildlife habitat, native bird and insect populations, and even creating fossil water. Hardy to zone 1.

Current Stock

These trees are bare root and range from 7 inches to 1.5 ft. tall. Due to their slow-growing nature, they are actually going into their fifth year.

Photos: “Pinus ponderosa subsp ponderosa, Thompson-Nicola, BC, Canada 9” by ellyne, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed CC0; “Ponderosa Pine Trees” by Treefender BC, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed CC0; “Pinus ponderosa subsp. ponderosa cones and shoots 1” by Crusier, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed CC BY 3.0; “Pinus ponderosa subsp ponderosa, Knox Mountain Park, Kelowna, British Columbia 2” by calebcatto, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed CC BY 4.0.

Questions we get about Ponderosa Pine

How cold hardy is Ponderosa Pine?

We rate Ponderosa Pine hardy to zone 1, which means winters down to about -60°F. Our ratings come from real winters at our two Montana sites and from trusted growers across the North, not from a catalog average.

How many chill hours does Ponderosa Pine need?

About 1,200 hours of winter chill (we count hours at or below 45°F), likely somewhere between 700 and 2,000. Published figures for it disagree, so treat that as a middle estimate. Ponderosa seedlings start breaking bud after about 700 chill hours but leaf out fastest after around 2,000. Cold interior winters cover both. Our chill hours guide has a calculator for your winters, and our research page lists the sources.

When does Ponderosa Pine ripen?

About Aug 24 to Sep 19 in Missoula, Montana (an estimate built from published sources and our climate). Warmer places run earlier and cooler places later; our ripening map converts the date to your town.

What is Ponderosa Pine good for?

Our top use scores for Ponderosa Pine are feeding wildlife (8/10), windbreaks and hedgerows (8/10), wood (8/10), ornamental value (7/10). Anything scored 8 or higher makes our Best Of lists.

Is Ponderosa Pine disease resistant?

For some diseases, yes. It's highly resistant to white pine blister rust. It's prone to Diplodia tip blight, Dothistroma needle blight and western gall rust. Our native and shade tree disease resistance chart has every rating, the notes and the sources.

Will deer eat Ponderosa Pine?

Not badly. Deer may nibble Ponderosa Pine, but they seldom do real damage.

What arrives, and when does Ponderosa Pine ship?

A dormant bare-root plant, roots wrapped in moist sawdust with a vapor barrier, shipped or picked up in Missoula in spring. Sizes offered: 7-15". We guarantee our plants bud out. Stone fruits can be slow, so if one still has not budded out by August 15, write to us and we credit you for the following spring.