dmwbee, I am not techie enough to embed links, so I copied and pasted the beginning of this GW thread from the conifers forum in January of this year. If you do a search for Recommend a conifer? on the search box above you should find the complete thread. There are some good recommendations there. I'm a relative newbie with trees but I will tell you I haven't done well with fall evergreen plantings. I really think they do better here planted in early spring, before the candles start growing. Take some time to find the right tree for a spring planting. Let us know what you pick and good luck! Barb Recommend a conifer? Posted by mooseling Zone 5 CO (My Page) on Sun, Jan 31, 10 at 7:19 I have a spot where I'd like to put a conifer, but I'm not sure what kind to get. It will likely need to be a smaller variety, as the spot is fairly close to the house. I'd like something that doesn't grow out very wide, either. Or something that you could easily prune without it looking bad since it's going to be close to the driveway. I'd prefer something a little less common - I get sick of looking at the same old trees everywhere, but at the same time, it can't be so rare I won't be able to find it. And most importantly, it needs to be able to grow in zone 5. If anyone has any ideas of species/cultivars, please let me know. Hopefully I can find a nice conifer to put in this spring. Thank you Follow-Up Postings: o RE: Recommend a conifer? * Posted by dcsteg 5b (My Page) on Sun, Jan 31, 10 at 11:36 Keep in mind conifers grow till they die. You can selectively prune a wayward branch out of the plant to control appearance but shearing or heavy pruning is something you want to avoid. This will in time destroy the natural balance of the specimen. Conifers that have a pendulous, compressa or a fastigiate nature are the ones you should be looking for. Go to the ACS web site. Click on Coniferbase and do a search. I could name 15-20 off the top but you are going to have to look them up yourself to decide what is most desirable for you and appropriate for the planting site. Dave Here is a link that might be useful: ACS o RE: Recommend a conifer? * Posted by dcsteg 5b (My Page) on Sun, Jan 31, 10 at 13:26 Another great resource for conifer photos is the UBC Botanical Garden and Centre for Plant Research. Dave Here is a link that might be useful: UBC

Unfortunately, even though the Sunset zones are way more accurate for us on the WC, they still use crop data, not ornamentals. So people run around bemoaning the fact that the last frost date in Sonoma County is April 15, but it means absolutely zero for a tree, even a tender one, when the days are that long and the frost is that light. Now if you're talking basil, that's another story!

that mock up.. is perfect spacing.. for the trees as they are at that size ... in a decade ... they will be growing into each other.. and probably not all that pleasing to the eye ... size estimates in conifers.. is usually at ten years .. and you can easily presume.. at 20 years.. they will be twice as large in every dimension ... 25 feet max is not much for picea pungens and pinus .... unless you used dwarfing cultivars ... and those will take decades to get to the height needed for sight blocking ... in this example.. in 10 years ... the magnolia will be in full shade.. and probably not seen .. and might not flower fully .... imo.. there are at least 2 and maybe 3 too many trees for that spot ... but it sure will look cool for a while.. in tree time ... ken BTW ... in my z5 MI ... there are only 2 bulletproof mags ... star and tulip ... and i am blanking on the latin.. soulangea ... and something something.. lol ... are you aware if sweet bay will thrive up in that part of ME???

Ideally canopy would start at 7 feet so I have easy access to playhouse. ==>>> first.. the above.. you prune trees to the height you want ... its called raising the canopy ... just for future reference ... the alternative is to use the checkbook to buy it the size and height you want ... and a 12 to 15 foot tall transplant is going to be very expensive .... not to mention.. you might be challenged as to how to get it back there .... i agree with flora ... i think you already have about twice as many trees as that yard will hold .... i would also like to see them in leaf.. to change my mind ... any chance of a pic of the crab itself??? ... i just dont see it in the pix above ... and i dont understand what the problem is ... if you are looking for privacy on the deck.. i think your deck is where you provide it ... perhaps a wall off one side.. to block the direct view ... but i might guess they wont let you build one??? i like the drape version ... and wonder if that might be allowed.. if permanent walls arent??? https://duckduckgo.com/?q=privacy+on+the+deck&t=ffcm&iax=images&ia=images think outside the box you put yourself in ... welcome to the forums .... ken