Time Frame

• Pine trees can be planted in two time frames: spring or fall. Both planting seasons have their advantages and drawbacks. Spring planting gives you a long season of warm weather ahead so your pine can adapt without stress from cold. Fall planting can threaten the tree with a cold winter but allows the roots to establish in time for the spring growth period. You may use either time frame for a pine.
  
  

Location

• When mature pine trees can reach up to 50 feet tall, and they also develop a large root-ball that stretches out underneath the soil. These roots make it difficult to grow flowers and plants underneath your pine, since the plants can't send deep roots into the soil without encountering your pine roots. Select a planting site that allows your pine to mature to its full height -- depending on the species -- and where you won't mind withholding a flower bed.
  
  

Considerations

• In really cold winters -- especially in areas like the Midwest that have long, freezing winters -- newly planted pine trees can die, notes Don Janssen of University of Nebraska Lincoln Extension. The right care can get them through moderate or average winters; however, severe winters pose an occasional problem.
  
  

Environment

• Most pine trees do well in a range of soil conditions. Jack, red and scotch pines grow well on sandy, loamy and clay soils. They also fare well when planted on any side of your home, such as the south corner or the northeast corner. White pines tolerate fewer soil conditions and may be more sensitive to location but still work for many settings.