" I haven't been able to find Pixie Crunch anywhere else this season, so I picked one up from Gurneys this year on the M27 rootstock." I don't generally purchase trees from Gurneys/Henry Fields conglomerate. However, occasionally they offer varieties for which they negotiate exclusive licensing to sell. Pixie Crunch is one of those varieties. That's why you won't find any other nursery which sells it. Other examples (I believe) for which they have exclusive licensing are Flat Wonderful peach, Sugar Pearl apricot and KaBluey blueberry. Those fruit varieties are also patent protected, which would make it illegal to privately propagate. Beware that Gurneys/Henry Fields will sometimes rename and trademark an old variety, making it appear as though they have an exclusive offering when it's really an old cultivar jazzed up with marketing hype to make it look new. Their Li'l Big rootstock would be an example of this. Starks is another outfit which likes to rename existing cultivars.

It depends on rootstocks also. The Standard rootstock can grow to 12 ft high in just 5 years if taken cared of properly. The best material for a rapid growth are those standard or semi-dwarf rootstock in citripots. The citripots are 4"x4"x18" rectangular pot, and are available at Home Depot and WalMart and are sold at less than $12. The citripot citruses will easily overtake the sizes of those more expensive citruses that are in the 5 gallon to 15 gallon rated containers. Just remove the blooms for the first 3 years, the fruits will be lousy anyway. And the link below points to an excellent group of citrus lovers Here is a link that might be useful: Citrus Growers

Keepitlow: It will be difficult for anyone to offer you helpful advice unless you are more specific about the types of rootstock you have, and the cultivars growing on them. There is quite a size range in the dwarf apple rootstock group alone, as well as those classified as semi-dwarf. And, of course, a tree on any rootstock can be pruned frequently, including in the summer, to control its size. Peach and plum trees sold on "dwarf" and "semi-dwarf" rootstocks will usually become quite large without frequent pruning. So if you want to keep your trees small, and they are not cooperating, pruning is the way to do it. If your trees are not developing enough spreading side branches, which are the most productive and easiest to work with, spread the branches out with spreaders or by tying them down. Many peach and plum trees sold as "dwarfs" or "semi-dwarfs" have very little dwarfing that anyone can notice. I have some vigorous apple varieties, such as Spigold, that would easily reach 25 feet tall on the semi-dwarf rootstock M-7 without severe annual pruning. Other varieties, such as Goldrush and Ashmead's Kernel, on the same rootstocks, are much easier to control at under 12 feet. That's where I try to keep all my trees, both pome and stone fruits, for very good reasons which include spraying, thinning, and bagging in the case of apples. When you cite your source of info as "I was told", it is always nice to know who did the telling. Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA

I actually have some photos, I just realized, though they are taken from the porch so are into the canopies, not capturing the full tree profile from the ground. Both were taken in September. Pterostyrax, circa 4 years old: Heptacodium, circa 12 years old: My neighbour has a forest pansy redbud and though I was jealous when she got it, in the intervening years I have come to regard it with indifference. I think you have to know what you like in a tree, especially when you are seeing them up close. The redbud to me is somewhat sterile, and stagnant. It doesn't move a lot with the wind, the flowers are meh (maybe this one isn't situated well), there is no insect or wildlife interaction, and it has kind of a "designer plant" vibe to me - maybe that would not be the case with species varieties. I also cannot abide trees that have 4 days of flower interest and then nothing - our street tree is a flowering cherry that I could say goodbye to without regret tomorrow. For up close tree-planting, you have to consider things like bark, foliage form, foliage movement, fragrance, the development and emergence of buds and seeds... all things that you will be looking at every day. I find that these two trees are holding my interest, and in the case of the heptacodium increasing it, every year. Your needs, and thus your trees, will be different, of course. That said, the paperbaRk maple that Whaas has suggested is also a good option, and maybe easier to get and hardy. By the way, the other thing you have to come to terms with on a small lot is rapid tree turnover. Like, maybe 20-30 years, if that. We've been here nearly 20 years, and I am already taking out shrubs and conifers that I planted early on, and I suspect even the heptacodium will have to come down within 10 years. If that side yard is yours then you have more space than I do, but other than that your house and yard are uncannily like mine (straight walk to centre door, porch with two windows; only diff is I have a peaked roof where you have the dormer). Karin L