In Tennessee and in Hawaii which are the two
places which I have lived Podocarpus macrophyllus tends to
be on the smaller and slower growing side. In Hawaii it
is often used for the same purpose that you are talking
about.

I agree with Manzi, it's a slow grower and very easy to be kept small. They'll take many years to get to 15ft tall, this might be the tallest they'll grow... For screening, they're planted about 2ft apart where I live, but that's when they're pruned to stay at 5 or 6ft tall. I've once seen mature specimens planted about 3ft apart and maybe 15ft tall.
Btw, they naturalized in my garden and every season I found new seedlings (some birds love the edible fruits and spread the seeds around).

I have had one in pot since 1980. It grows quickly, but narrow.Every two years I cut em down to 2,50m and make cuttings. They easily roots. No problem to cut the top or other tips.

Wolfgang

Podocarpus chinensis (P. macrophyllus var. maki) is consistently shrubby with shorter, narrower leaves than P. macrophyllus. P. macrophyllus has been seen over 80' tall in the wild, half that high in California. But

"For all practical purposes it is a mere shrub that slowly reaches 20' x 2'* at most"

--A.L. Jacobson, TREES OF SEATTLE - SECOND EDITION (2006, Seattle)

*Trunk circumference

Thanks everyone, very helpful info!

Fast foward, it is more than 3 years later, I am about ready to give up on these.

I have had these planted in several locations and they are such incredibly slow growers, I am thinking of removing them, as their purpose was to be a narrow screen extending the fence line, seems like it will take years more for them to fill in.

Perhaps they do not do well in California? They seem perfectly healthy, they just grow so sluggishly, growth is barely noticeable.

Can anyone convince me otherwise? Thanks!

any chance at a picture

if they dont please you... what more do you want... permission to get rid of something you dont like... if so.. go for it.. lifes too short ...

unlike family... plants are not forever ... lol.. you cant get ridge of old uncle waldo ... but you can surely get rid of uncle podo ....

ken

You might want to look at the Sunset Western Garden Book or the Sunset Publishing web site to see if this plant is zoned for your particular part of California, a state with numerous different distinct climates.

Unlike bboy I don't think the zone is the issue, per se. At least w/regard to slow growth. I think anywhere in the western US, the issue is: are they getting enough water? Most of the common ones in the US (like Maki) come from parts of China that get 6-12 inches of rain PER MONTH in the summer. Thus by California standards, they are water hogs; although they can probably survive on less, they may not grow as fast.

Looks like at least one progressive California wholesaler now eschews the Chinese ones, either because they are too common or too thirsty, or both.
http://www.smgrowers.com/search/basesearch.asp?strSearchText=podocarpus&x=0amp;y=0

OTOH almost no conifer is going to behave like say, Oleander, and go zooming into growth the year it is planted. They like to get themselves settled. So maybe you are being a bit impatient. I have a Larix from China that only grew 4-6" a year for 3 years until least summer - conincidentally one with twice our normal summer rainfall - when it threw out a shoot that was about 28" long.

In Houston, TX I have seen a fair number of large P. macrophyllus. For instance below is a photo of a tree that is between 50 and 60 feet.

Thanks for the picture. There are some big ones in New Orleans too.

OP is praising the fact that it is (was?) raining outside. Since species in question appear to be thirsty and adapted to high-precip growing season, and since we don't know if water management was undertaken properly or otherwise-(or do we?-I may have missed that)- I'd almost think this a simple case of an attempt to grow a plant species in an unsuitable climate. I've only just skimmed this thread, so if I'm mis-stating anything, my apologies in advance.

I've seen beautiful 'Maki' around the Bay Area - the best in Alameda, which is very mild and humid. Some espaliered to look like a fence, some as hedging. I suspect the water issue is the most significant.

You probably have the Maki cultivar which is supposed to be slow. The standard Podocarpus macrophyllus gets hug-ormous and eats your lunch. If you wanted fast that is probably what you should have bought.