i cant keep many taxus going in my z5 ....

my vintage gold is going on 10 feet in 10 years ...

do you fully understand the definition of dwarf ... as compared to mini ....??? see link below ...

i like to think of it this way .. if momma can get to 300 feet ... a dwarf of her might be only 200 feet tall ... a bit of an exxageration.. but it brings perspective ...

its all about the annual growth rate ... so check that out at the link

BTW.. you didnt mention how big you front yard is

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: link

Thanks Ken! Yes I know the definition of dwarf vs miniature, intermediate, and large. Besides the Taxus and the Abies lasiocarpa they are all considered dwarf if I remember right. We just wanted something slow growing so it won't outgrow the space.

Hm, is it just that variety of Taxus or do none of the Yews do well in your area? The ladies in my garden club seemed to think that would be the one that would be taking off the fastest.

I can't believe how big your Vintage Gold is! The tag said in 10 years it would be 3' x 3'. I know depending on the conditions that can vary a lot but 7' is huge. Is yours in the shade? We would not have the space for that.

One of the flower beds is 25' long and 6' wide. That is where I wanted to have the 'Frostie', 'Hussi', 'Starker's Dwarf', and 'Vintage Gold'. The other 25' long flower bed is curved with the conifers being on each of the wider ends. The end where I was planning on putting 'Jeddeloh' and 'White Pygmy' staggered is 7' wide. And the other end is 8 or 9' wide where I was hoping to put 'Glauca Compacta and ÂNana Aurescens also staggered so they could each get that wide. We wanted some height on that end since you see down the full 25' length as you approach the house. Does that sound like a big enough space?

I forgot to mention that the area is very sheltered from the wind also.

Is it true that you aren't supposed to amend the soil when you plant conifers? Our soil isn't bad but has a little too much clay. What about fertilizer or root growth products? I've never used them but I've also never planted such costly plants!

The plants you've listed should all be ok with your zone 4 and the light. The sizes may suprpise you. There are Abies lasiocarpa arizonica ÂGlauca Compacta in the 10' x 10' range. I have a 2 footer I'm giving a wide berth to but other plants I have alloted 10 year growth (yes, sometimes even less) knowing some will need to be moved down the line. Your "also looking at" list should all stay in bounds. BTW I'm quite fond of my 'Jervis' and if you can work the spreading/mounding Tsuga can 'Bennett' into the scheme you won't be disappointed.

As for amending, don't. You have a little too much clay, I have a lot too much clay that is amended with top dressing with compost, not in the hole. I don't fertilize either.

tj

P.S. Oh, and what are the deciduous trees you have?

Good to hear tsugajunkie.

Yes if need be we have plenty of other places we could move 'Glauca Compacta' or the others. The part of the flower bed where we're putting 'Glauca Compacta' actually is a small retaining wall so if it overhangs a bit it's no big deal. The deciding factor might be that the center will be about 2' from the roof overhang which is either 9 or 10' tall. So I'm not sure how wide they are at the top. I was under the impression that they normally are taller than they are wide.

OK, you might have changed my mine on the 'Hussi!' From the moment I first saw 'Jervis' online I wanted one but no one locally seems to have it. I'll check and see if anyone can order one in. I think the vertical and fine texture needles will contrast nicely with 'Starker's Dwarf.'

Speaking of 'Starker's Dwarf' what are some substitutes that have similar needles? I'm not sure if this is available anymore.

I have seen a 'Bennett' actually but it looked just like 'Jeddeloh' and cost twice as much. It looks like 'Bennett' has a much flatter top whereas 'Jeddeloh' is a birds nest. Is that right?

As for the deciduous trees I actually don't have them all identified yet. We live in an old growth woods so there are a lot of trees. In our front yard I think all that we have are some type oak and hickory. I'm assuming your concerned about black walnut or butternut juglone. We have some of each in other parts of our property but not in the front yard.

Thanks for your help,
Robin

Besides the Taxus and the Abies lasiocarpa they are all considered dwarf if I remember right. We just wanted something slow growing so it won't outgrow the space.

====>>>>

again... to repeat.. its the growth rate .... if it grows 8 inches per year .... but its space is only 4 feet .... then it will fill the space... twice as fast as something that grows 4 inches ....

here is a pic of vintage gold ... at 7 years after planting ... and it wasnt all that big at planting .... in 3 years since this pic.... they are touching ...

ken
{{gwi:807596}}

Yes, at some point everything will out grow the space. I'm an engineer I get the math. Just because it is in the dwarf category doesn't mean it will stay small they are always growing. But for say...the first 10 years (just to make it easy) the plants should fit. We can re-evaluate after that if they need to be moved.

So do you not recommend using conifers for foundation plantings?

Yes, juglone was my concern. Picea, Pinus and others have mixed results but Abies seems most sensative to it. Tsuga and Chamaecyparis seem unaffected.

Ken just wants to make sure you understand what you may have in 10 or 20 years. We've seen many posts where folks got surprised, but if you know going in what to expect and accept it, that's fine.

'Bennett', in my soil at least, is darker (almost blue-green) than 'Jeddeloh' and it's shape is somewhere between a 'Coles Prostrate' and 'Jeddeloh'

tj