Hi everyone! We just moved into a new house and are finally going to settle down here for long-term. Conveniently, there are no trees yet so I'm planning my landscaping projects for this fall. I'm a conifer enthusiast, but have never been able to commit myself to planting in a place we were going to be leaving after a few years. So, I have a plan, but now I'm trying to decide on trees for two areas. The backyard is south-facing, but get's strong afternoon and evening sun. Rich soil, we'll drained, and not much wind or anything here. However, I am in central Iowa so we can really get the ice/snow.

Okay, now for the decision. One area will be a grouping of 5 trees along a fence, but spaced decently apart (not looking for a dense screen, just a backdrop for the rest of the landscaping). I'm looking for something a rich green color that holds up well and doesn't get too wide (no more than 4 feet) and not terribly tall (10'-20') is fine. So obviously I'm considering the Thuja "De Groot's spire" and "Smaragd". However, I've seen these all over in the winter either bent over from the snow, broken from the snow/ice weight or brown and looking very dead. So I'm a bit squeamish on how they will hold up. I know they tend to throw multiple leaders.

I'd love "Hetz wintergreen" but I think it gets wider than 4-5'? I've also seen some great things about Juniper "Taylor", but I have also heard that they don't do well in my area? (junipers in general, that is).

The second area will be in a corner, grouping of 3 trees, again not too tall or wide, but I really want a strong blue color here. My instinct is to go with the Picea pungens "blue totem", but what really is the difference between this and the iseli fastigate/fastigata?? Can I trust nurseries to know which is which? They all seem to use these interchangeably, so it's a bit confusing. I also have the Juniper skyrocket on my list, but I'm concerned it may be too fragile for my area, and lastly, the Abies lasiocarpa 'arizonica compacta'.

So...any advice on which I should choose? I'd appreciate any and all tips to help me with this, it's such a big decision! Also, if you could recommend any good local or online nurseries, that would be great!

Thank you!

Laura.