I prefer Contoneaster Horizontalis, Euonymous Emerald Gaiety and Potentilla K. Dykes. One is deciduos, one semi-evergreen and one evergreen. It always good to mix plant textures because all the same looks boring. Here is a link that might be useful: Propagating Perennials

Semiarundinaria is quite vertical. There are many unconfined plantings of it in the area, that have not spread all over - this is true of other species used here also, the outcome varies with the situation. But any running bamboo can suddenly start coming up yards away from the mother clump, making the installation of barrier essential where such an occurrence would be a problem. All the full height Thuja occidentalis cultvars have approximately the same vigor. The 'Smaragd' will be so much more prevalent than the others because it is what people are looking for. The only problem with it is it is more prone to poor soil drainage than most others, resulting in frequent internet questions about part of a hedge of it going brown. I have also seen it browned in sections by mites during hot weather. But this latter development is probably not especially peculiar to 'Smaragd'. 'Oregon Blue' is merely an otherwise more or less typical Chamaecyparis lawsoniana with a saturated blue coloration. The vigor of some local specimens suggests these are programmed to grow into towering trees just like thousands of other examples of the species in local plantings. In the wild the species is interesting for growing just about everywhere within the comparatively small range it occupies, unlike many other wild tree species now confined to small ranges - and also being limited to specific site conditions within those ranges. So no, there is no particular soil moisture regime etc. that must be provided for it - numerous other cultivars of C. lawsoniana are still all over the place on local properties, despite the inroads of several different root pathogens in later times. The main thing is to place it in soil that drains well - and is not or does not become infested with one of the water molds that kills even specimens that have been in place for decades.

i'd post this in the regular forum and you'll get lots more advice! I have a yew of some sort that was given a secret santa gift 12+ years ago (the person thought it was a rosemary, so i don't know the variety, but it's a yew; it set berries recently and sealed the diagnosis). At any rate, it has just grown mostly straight up, at a slow but steady rate. It's now about 10', and only about 3' wide, on average. I say average because it has 2 dominant stems which have flared slightly as it's grown. I think it you kept them to one, they'd be like many of the other slim jims of the plant world.

First, congratulations on finding the sort of plant you've been looking for. It's always nice to read follow ups to plant searches. Second, much of this you are probably not going to be happy to read. It sounds as if the pine was field grown, then balled and burlaped, then placed in a container to make a more attractive presentation. The peat moss in the bottom was most likely used to raise the root ball so it did not look odd in the container. Peat moss does not improve drainage. It does pretty much the opposite. Balled and burlapped plants are commonly grown in clay soils or have clay packed around the roots so the ball holds together well. That's what you found beneath the burlap. Fertilizer is not necessary when planting and can be harmful if overdone My suggestion would be to gently remove the soil from around the root ball so the clay is again exposed. This ought to remove some of the fertilizer as well. Use a forceful stream from a hose and/or something like a hand cultivator to expose the root tips all around. A half inch or so of the root tips is enough, but it is important to do this. The only thing I can think of to do about the peat moss is to pry up one side of the root ball with a lever, place a rock underneath and rake out as much of the peat as you can. Pack soil to replace the rock and move around the circumference of the root ball doing the same thing as you proceed. That all sounds pretty good in theory, but may be impossible in practice. In that case, you'll have to leave the peat and pot bottom as is and hope for the best. You do need to keep it watered until the ground freezes, but it's disappointing to say the least that the nursery manager did not offer any more detailed instructions.