go to photobucket.com. its free. and pretty darn easy ... IT HAPPENED IN WINTER .... it didnt SHOW until temps warmed ... it is due to transplant .. truncation of all of its roots ... perhaps improper watering last summer and fall ... winter winds.. and winter sun ... the leaves.. aka needles ... were not holding the proper amount of water ... and when the freeze drying effects of winter rolled thru .. they dried even more.. however.. being is a suspended state of animation .. and being EVERGREEN ... the damage didnt realy show in winter.. once the temps started warming... with improper water balance in the needles ... they just died ... perhaps sacrificing whatever was left.. to the buds ... obviously.. much speculation ... do you know how to water properly .. are they mulched... and if not.. ask.. and also tell us your soil type. ken

small usually means cheap .. this is one plant .. i will yell.. I WOULD NOT PASS UP ... even if due to size constraints ... even though it has the POTENTIAL to get to big ... buy it.. plant it.. get rid of it in 5 or 10 years when it is too big ... usually.. all size claims are at ten years ... so take any size dimension.. and divide by 10.. to get the predicted ANNUAL GROWTH RATE .... and understand that it will grow at that rate.. once 'established' .. for the rest of your life.. or its ... link below to general intro to conifers... it can be trained or candle pruned to reduce annual growth ... a transplant.. will take a few years to get up to normal growth ... ken Here is a link that might be useful: link

I'll try but I can't guarantee what you ask ;-) Thanks for updating (when you find time to) I received a baby Burke' Red Variegated from my good friend Arktrees as a birth present for my daughter born last February. Looking forward to the pics of how it will look when she is old enough to hear the story :-)

If you google, you will find dozens of sites with rather specific information, all providing more or less the same information. And if you understand the reasons behind some of these instructions you can determine that they are not frivolous suggestions but have some sound horticultural basis behind them. I hate to state anything in absolute terms - everything has a context that may require some modifications - but the following are factors that will encourage rapid establishment of your new tree and increase its long term survivability. Avoid amending the planting hole. Studies have shown that planting in your indigenous soil and backfilling with the same is preferred. Altering the soil in the planting hole can lead to soil interface issues affecting drainage. If your soil is heavy clay, plant high and mound up to the edge of the root ball with your own soil or an organic mulch. A wide and somewhat shallow planting hole is recommended. The width (and 2-3 times the diameter of the rootball is standard) encourages the outward spread of the root system. Many folks are of the impression that all tree roots go down deeply into the soil, therefore they need to dig a deep hole. While trees will put down deeper anchor roots, the bulk of the root system will eventually be located just under the soil surface. And since many containerized and B&B trees have minimal or congested root systems on planting, they need that freedom to expand. Digging too deep a planting hole often results in settling and your tree will become too deep, a sure-fire way to an early demise. IME, watering of newly planted trees and shrubs is very misunderstood. You want to water in well when first planted, priamrily to remove any air pockets in the planting hole, but also to equalize the moisture level of the rootball and the surrounding soil. Make sure the rootball is adequately moistened before planting - it is pretty hard to rewet a dry rootball once it's in the ground. And you will need to keep the planting area evenly moist (but not wet) for 6-8 weeks. Even in winter this may require periodic watering if your weather is dry. Mulching lightly over the rootball (but keep away from the trunk) will help conserve soil moisture and reduce weeds that may compete. I've seen more new trees die over winter because the owner assumed periodic rainfall was adequate. Regular deep watering is also required through the first couple of growing seasons as well. It is only after this period of time of establishment that the tree will be more or less self-sufficient water-wise, except for periods of extended drought. Avoid fertilizing when planting. The activity of planting and related disturbance stresses a plant and you want to avoid fertilizing a stressed plant. Supplemental fertilizer may be applied later at the beginning of the growing season or next fall when it is most efficiently metabolized, but only if soil tests first indicate fertilizer is necessary. Trees generally require very little in the way of supplemental fertilization. Here is a link that might be useful: basic tree planting instructions