even if i bought wood.. to make it last.. i would have them potted in plastic and insure there were a lot of drain holes in the wood ... so it stayed as dry as possible .. so determination of the planter size.. would be a function of the pot size ... if that makes sense ... so.. at a min.. i would be thinking about a MINIMUM of a 25 gallon black pot ... see link.. no clue if that is a good price.. i got most of mine from recycle bins .... but i dont use them decoratively ... and that one is already 25 inches wide at the top .... any even in nurseries.. plants of the size you want.. BLOW OVER.. wind and stability are going to be your BIG PROBLEM ... especially if you buy them big ... and i should also point out.. that conifers have very specific potting media issues.. and what you fill the pot with will also be very important.. and its not going to be your standard bag of potting media .... i am sure you can do it.. but i doubt you are going to find the info you need here.. with the specificity you wish .... i simply dont think us tree peeps are going to have a lot of specific info for you ... other than to list the variables .... good luck ken ps: winter storage will also be an issue .... Here is a link that might be useful: link -- you shop price.. i am just showing the pot

I forgot to mention that we are in central Pennsylvania, about an hour directly north of Harrisburg. We have had what seems like a fairly average summer, possibly a little dryer than normal. When we have a dry spell I do go out and water the shrubs. Here are few more pictures taken last night. The original that I posted was from right after the shrubs were planted. Close up of the dying arb. - http://i.imgbox.com/2OyAmbIA.jpg rear of the arbs., note the tree coverage. - http://i.imgbox.com/3TPLIqjB.jpg Two more pictures showing the tree coverage and shrubs. http://i.imgbox.com/tFiUHZgv.jpg http://i.imgbox.com/iXUjxdB0.jpg You will notice only one very browned arb, the two directly next to this one have been replaced in the last 4-6 weeks as they were in the same state. Lowes offered a 1 year warranty so I was credited for the purchased amount. My thought about bugs is that it is unlikely as the three shrubs I have had the problem with are all right next to each other. I could be wrong in this assumption. About applying a mulch, noted and I plan to take care of this immediately. I am happy with the layout of my yard/fence line and I do not require a additional shed as we have a sizable shed/single horse barn already for storage. I did not put fertilizer in the holes when planting. The ground in that area is extremely hard and compacted (compared to just a few feet over). Would it be beneficial to till up all of the ground in the general area down to maybe 12" or so? Will this help with my problem at all? When I replace the dying arb, should I break up the compacted soil (clay) that the root ball comes from the store in? Thank you again for all of your help.

they are conifers.. which are trees ... and things dont happen all that fast ...usually .... i would also actually check moisture at root level.. use a hand trowel or tablespoon ... to get down 3 to 4 inches ... watering is an art.. rather than a science.. meaning.. its not a schedule thing ... and no one knows how to water in your soil .. until you figure it out .... and if that is proper ... then it was probably shipping damage ... how you moved them home.. or from grower to seller ... significant damage ... would not start at the growth tips.. unless they were damaged as suggested ... ken

where did this idea start Lopped broadleaf plants do produce quick growing shoots in an apparent effort to replace the suddenly lost top volume. But because of the cutting back that same volume will be less than if the specimen had been left to proceed with enlarging itself in its own natural way. In other words the often whippy shoots produced in response to the amputation do not in total have as much bulk as the original growth would have produced during the same subsequent period of time. This was actually tested decades ago by planting blocks of the same kinds and sizes of trees, cutting half of them back and then after replacement sprouts had been produced digging and weighing all of the test subjects. With the recurring outcome being that the control plants (unpruned group) consistently weighed more.