Ireena,
We grow Pinus monticola 'Pendula' in Virginia where we can get temps in summer of 90+ degrees and where most winters vary dramatically but generally do not drop below 20 degrees and most often low 30s is most common.

I still have a monticola at my parents old home in Ohio. It has seen -10F/-23C without any problem.

I have a couple 2-3 foot seedlings that I've overwintered above ground in mulch covered pots for the past few years. They have taken at least -6F without any winter damage. I don't know if that helps you or not, but I've had good success with them so far!

Zone 7. However, Pinus monticola 'Snow White' is hardy in Zone 5a. It's a very nice-looking cultivar, too.

Dax

Ottawa's Dominion Arboretum (zone 5a) has a mature one. Given its size, it would have experienced temperatures approaching -30F many times but its probably not old enough to have experienced the all time lows of the 1930's (-35F).

That said, the needles always appear somewhat burnt after a 'normal' winter though it recovers. That's evident in this photo, taken in late April. {{gwi:626309}}From Dominion Arboretum

It naturally occurs in the moister regions of the British Columbia interior. Saw them this summer in the forests around Blue River, BC...all time recorded low of -48F.

Thamk you all for recommendations!

Our winters are very variable. Now we have two weeks 35F and 40F, but in december we had 5F.... In February, as usually, we are waiting for -4F till -18F....

Canadians encouraged me to try, however:))))

Ireena

Zone 4 in the colder parts of its native range.

Whether it'd survive zone 3, I don't know.

Seed origin may well be important, get it from somewhere like Idaho or eastern British Columbia rather than California.

The real difficulty with growing it in Europe is however its susceptibility to Cronartium ribicola (white pine blister rust); few specimens in Europe survive past 20-40 years before succumbing.

Resin

Resin, thanks for the warning.

I've previously heard of this disease.

I have several Pinus strobus. But so far no one is sick. Maybe my area is not yet common in this disease. I hope:).
I highly doubt that in my area is any garden where grow up some strobus or monticola:)

I have not ever used any chemicals....

Ireena

The Univ Idaho Nursery would be where to start...after we lost several large specimens to blister rust, a forestry specialist told us that it's important to keep your stands open; humidity can build up under the trees and enhance the probability of getting the disease...

Here is a link that might be useful: University of Idaho Forest Nursery

That Dominion specimen looks quite like P. strobus to me, and not much like P. monticola.

"That Dominion specimen looks quite like P. strobus to me, and not much like P. monticola"

The cones look large enough to be P. monticola. A close-up of a cone would help.

Resin

"That Dominion specimen looks quite like P. strobus to me, and not much like P. monticola"

I don't live close enough to Ottawa to renew the photographic evidence anytime soon.

I would steer skeptics to the book For the Love of Trees by Richard Hinchcliff and Roman Popadiouk. It's "A guide to the Trees of Ottawa's Central Experimental Farm Arboretum". Pages 156 to 159 describe both P. strobus and P. monticola in the arboretum's collection and include photos of cones.

On further thought, the 'burnt' needles observed virtually every spring may not be a result of winter damage but White Pine Blister rust. I gather from this thread that it is somewhat more vulnerable than P. strobus and there are plenty of Ribes sp. around. The tree gets good air movement and Ottawa is somewhat drier (decreased incidence and duration of wet needles) than Western Europe which may explain why it persists when European specimens do not.

"On further thought, the 'burnt' needles observed virtually every spring may not be a result of winter damage but White Pine Blister rust"

Nope; that's a disease of bark and shoots, not leaves. It would show in whole branches dying off or the whole top of the tree once an infection on the trunk girdles it and kills all the branches above the infection site. You also wouldn't get re-greeing in the spring.

Resin

Ireena: Pinus monticola grows well in Sweden, wich has the same climate as your parts. -30C/-22F or even some more has not been a problem. But when it is still small you can protect it from strong spring sun if the ground is still frozen so it can't suck any water. When it grows larger it will send roots down deep where the ground does not freeze