Hi Plantcompost. Sounds to me like you have a lot of real nice trees. I am sure with a little homework and a little luck you can create some nice bonsai. If I were you, I would definitely include bristlecone pine(s) in my bonsai project. I have a few small ones (5 yr. old) started from seed. They seem to be very hardy, though slow growing (for me anyway). Pretty little things. You will need a long lineage of hardy decendants to care for them when you pass on though! There is at least one wild bristlecone pine that scientists think is near 4000 years old - right? With their short needles, they remind me of Japanese white pines. This year I think I may try grafting a young bristlecone scion to a more vigorous, faster growing pine's rootstock; as is done with Japanese white pine scion (slow) grafted to Japanese black pine rootstock (fast), to create a more vigorous white pine. Maybe try a J. black pine rootstock; I have lots of them in the ground right now. I have a tamarack bonsai that I collected about 6 years ago and it is one of my favorite trees. It blooms every year, so maybe it likes me too! Ha! Pretty light purple flowers (new cones). I also have a bunch of Japanese black pines, J. red pines, eastern white pine, junipers, Scots pines, and one odd-ball tree I got from a large local defense contractor. During Earthday festivities in 1998, the company was handing out bare-root seedlings to children in attendance. My daughter grabbed one and it is a bonsai now. Probably one of those genetic-engineered monster trees that the large logging companies plant in their clearcut moonscapes. It is very hardy and so-far, a nice bonsai. Anyhow, nice talking to you. Good luck.

On the subject of companion plants, my conifers actually started off as companion plants to the rest of my garden, which was a mess of perennials and deciduous shrubbery as well as a pretty big collection of hostas and ferns (note to Steve: try ferns!). For me, moving to conifers has been part of a move in my gardening to a more controlled, formal look as my gardening to that point seemed to be having the effect of uglifying, rather than beautifying, our yard. My experience of mixing conifers with other plants is that (a) anything deciduous or herbaceous messes up the look, and (b) my preference for intertwining/layered foliage doesn't always result in the healthiest conifers. A tall hosta or ligularia for example will shade out a conifer behind it and then, in fall, smother it by plastering it with wet dead leaves. I'm still determined to somehow grow conifers and other plants, but I'm finding it takes a good understanding of plant shapes, and some careful plant training, separation/grooming, and pruning depending on plant size at time of planting. And some things just DON'T work in my tight space, for example arching ferns just don't work next to certain types of conifers because planted as close together as they need to be on my little property, they try to occupy the same airspace. And a word for Firefighter about Rhodos: "boring?" You're looking at the wrong rhodos! If you really start looking at rhodos for foliage, you'll go weak in the knees and forget that they ever flower. I have a couple of plants on which I don't even like the flowers and grow them solely because of the beguiling foliage. I look forward to the emergence of new leaves way more than I do to the flowers, with very few exceptions. I'll try to get out and snap some photos, once it's gotten less cold and the leaves are looking good again. My ideal combo: conifers, rhodos, and Japanese maples. KarinL

hi link below to Amer conifer soc database .... the key is the annual growth rate ... most size estimates are at 10 years .... a year or two after planting .. they will become established.. and will grow at the annual growth rate.. basically for the rest of your life .... if you have plants like this.. you should see the annual rate .. in last years growth ... if momma is 300 feet tall ... then a dwarf of her.. could be a mere 200 feet tall ... in 100 years .... a bit of an over-simplification ... but you get the point ... nursery tags are famous for the lack of correct info ... never rely on them ... sometimes you have to start by figuring out if its actually the right tag on the plant ... in general.. smaller trees/conifers.. transplant easier... establish faster ... and go through less shock ... however it helps .. if you are buying a warranty with your plant.. you dont mention where you are .... the best time to plant is while the plant is in dormancy ... but you refer to shoots already budding out .... you will need a LITTLE extra TLC if they are actively growing ... you seem to be on the verge of addiction ... try to learn the latin .... e.g. nest spruce really doesnt allow us [me more specifically] to define exactly what you have ... the latin also allows you to use google.. and then flip to the images page.. and see the vast potential of what you bought ... if any ... if you are looking for specific information on growth rates and patterns.. you will have to move into named culitivars .... with such.. you can be more sure of what they are going to turn into over the years .... and frankly .. mail order is the way to go .... depending on where you live ... as for your scraggly plant... conifers can live for centuries.. perhaps your expectations are a bit high.. for a plant you bought last year ... give them some time ... one of the beauties of conifers ... is that they grow slowly .. and require very little care after getting established ... also at the link.. if you go back to the home page.. there are some great tutorials.. and pix ... enjoy some time searching the whole site ... good luck ken ps: where are you?? you really need to take a trip to an arboretum ... and see some live plants.. perhaps we can guide you to a close one ... Here is a link that might be useful: link

Hey there everyone. Thanks for the replies! Ken: Well I was mostly just trying to help them get answers to their questions. I know for me personally I'd start a new thread for a question like that as opposed to burying in an old thread. As for loving them too much, well, I definitely am not one to do that! haha. as it is I have been doing Miracle Grow as I said, normal strength, once to at most twice per growing season. Usually just as the buds fully open, then once in mid summer. I do it about 1/2 strength. As you can see the results . I may water once or twice to the point of water coming out of the bottom, but then again it is a very porous mix that I'm using too so even that is not alot of water. I don't wanter a whole lot honestly. If there is reasonable rain I cut the watering way back. I check them about once a week or so and if they are DRY 2" or so down into the mix then ill do a watering. The main reason I even asked about ferts was mainly to gather thoughts on using a conifer specific type of fert as opposed to the general, all plant nature of MG. I suppose though that sticking with what has worked is my best bet. Will: Thank you! I've always admired how great yours look in containers as well. It's shown me that it can be done and done well and that's what I'm going for. I 'm going to upgrade a few others as well. Most have (or had) been in their new homes for 3 years now. While some were probably fine I like to err on the side of giving more room than not having enough. I think that is how I killed the horstmann blue dwarf, by NOT upgrading it fast enough. (ive killed a few others as well from not enough attention to the containers.) Granted it was a larger plant though. The Picea Omorika 'Bruns' was at its limit. One more growing season in that pot and I likely would not have been able to get it out of the ground (the roots were well into the ground through the bottom of the pot) and / or it would have died from not enough space / dessication. This upgrade for that one should last 3-4 years, and may be its last upgrade before needing to go into the ground. The P. Mugo Fastigiata are getting separated into their own containers to give them a bit more room. However nothing near as large of a change as what I did for the P. Omorika. They are much smaller plants in general and I think have adapted to more cramped spaces among rocks high in the mountains. I also think that the P. Sylvestris 'Gold Coin' ( if it makes it through it s scale infestation which is fairly bad) and the P. Strobus 'Elf' will likely be fine for another few years in their new homes as they have PLENTY of room and are not exactly fast growers. Josh: Yea I think I am going to keep doing what I have been since my results have been great to this point. As I said I was just looking for opinions on possibly using a conifer specific fert to maybe boost / enhance them a little bit. But hey, if it aint broke don't fix it right? Thanks again all! As always I'd love to see more photos of container conifers!