Ugh, this seems to complicated for me :( Well, i'm a quick learner! Good thing all my container plants are in 4in pots or smaller xD. Well, except for a large rosemary (too large) that i cannot bring my self to prune, or get rid of...i did just repot it a week ago. Al if you aren't going to make a video...can you write a book? You just have so much information to share, and this tiny website can never seem to hold it all. You could put it up for how ever much money (or free, even) on amazon.com without having to worry about getting it published or anything (which it should be) Sir Andrew of the Lemon, Recalcitrant Teenager, Newb Extraordinaire, Slayer of Gnats, Pruner of Trees, Broke as All-Get-Out, and Stabbed by Thorns

does the local garden store just make an additional $100 per tree? Much of it comes down to economies of scale. Lowe's is a national retail outlet with nearly 1500 locations. Because of its enormous size, it also has incredible buying power. Although much of its plant buying is done on a regional basis, it is still able to negotiate with specific wholesale growers (not necessarily the same ones that supply your local garden center) to contract for huge quantities of specific plants at VERY reasonable prices. And because its overhead is spread over a huge range of products and a large volume of sales, it is able to offer these inexpensive plants at a low price to the consumer. And much of their plant buying is done on a guaranteed sale basis - if the plants don't sell, the wholesaler takes them back at no cost to Lowe's. Few independent retailers have the buying clout to be able to negotiate deals like this. Independent garden centers do not have this same luxury of size and economies that affords. Generally, they are a single retail outlet or sometimes a couple of stores. And they do not have a huge range of gardening-unrelated products to sell to defray much of their operating costs. They rely on plants primarily - a living product that requires constant care and attention and have a short "shelf-life". Rather than being able to order 5,000 dwarf boxwoods or Alberta spruces at perhaps $10 wholesale each per 5 gallon, they may be able to have room for and buy 50. So the cost is appreciably higher and somehow that must get passed on to the consumer. Retail garden centers generally offer a wider range of plants than do home improvement stores and often in a wider range of sizes. And most have the ability to offer very specific services to the gardening consumer that the big box stores like Lowe's, HD, etc, do not. Primary among these is superior knowledge of the products they sell, increased attention and care to the plants in their custody and often ancillary services like landscape design and installation, plant ID and diagnosis clinics and classes, seminars and events. So to answer your question, does the local garden store just make an additional $100 per tree?, the answer is no. That apparent $100 profit is rapidly eaten up by higher overhead expenses, often a seasonality to their specific business that does not provide for year round sales and a plant-trained and dedicated sales staff. They are lucky if they manage to breakeven on the sale of that $145 spruce. This is the reason independent garden centers are in peril in many parts of the country as they simply cannot compete with the box or home improvement stores on prices. I won't even go into the differences on plant quality - it can be slight or it can be huge. It depends on how recently those plants at Lowe's came off the delivery truck and who they got them from. But for something as commonplace as a dwarf Alberta spruce, the savings to you for shopping at Lowe's may be huge. But if I were selecting a significant shade tree for a long term landscape investment or a specific cultivar of Japanese maple for example, or shopping a plant list for a landscape design that called for a wide and diverse selection of plants, I'd never look to a place like Lowe's. But then I'm a retail nurseryperson :-) And fwiw, most retail garden centers offer plant warranties as well. It's just another cost of doing business. But with the extra attention of the sales staff in helping customers pick out the right plant for the right situation and instructions on specific planting tips and aftercare, realizing on plant warranties is not a huge expense for most garden centers.

First of, thanks a lot to everyone for your suggestions and your discussion of the pros and cons of the different varieties. I apologize for the delay, I just got back from a week in sunny and warm Key West. Bboy, I was indeed thinking of JM, sorry for not having been clear on that. Dan, I remember having seen that picture of your maples before, and it is exactly what I had in mind. Very beautiful arrangement of the Aureum next to the red dissectum. David, I heard that Sharp's Pygmy is not really a dwarf variety, even though it is sold as such. What's your experience? As to the sitings/zone/micro climate...I live in a neighbor hood that is about 30 to 40 years old, lot's of established trees and lot's of shelter from shrubs and other homes. I am a little concerned about the sun exposure of the site, as it receives full sun from about 9am until about 5pm in the summer. Would that be too hot for a dwarf JM? To the north of the raised bed are the three Alberta spruces, forming an almost solid wall 6' tall and about 8' wide. To the west of the bed is a row of Rosy Glow barberries that breaks any icy wind nicely. Does that help? Thanks again for all your thoughts and suggestions. Marc

I overwintered my 4ft dwarf alberta spruce on my 3rd story balcony (In a 16" diameter pot) and it came back just fine this spring. Now with this very hot weather I have noticed alot of browning and needles falling off. I have been watering things plenty (and not too much). I have had problems with spider mites on my roses which I have been taking care of by spraying them daily with water. The spruce is between two Annabelle hydrangea's that are close to the base of the tree (not completely covering it though). I'm just not sure what is the issue with the tree... if it is just not getting enough sunlight because of the hydrangeas... or if it is spider mites. Upon closer inspection I couldn't find any signs of spider mites. The tree sent out new growth this spring and the whole thing was freshly green and now some of the new growth is beginning to wilt, dry up, and eventually lose needles.