So ssmdgardener, about this little area of yours...what would you say the drainage is like now? Is it still a bit sunk, is it level, or is it now higher than the surrounding areas? If it's higher, my advice would be to go ahead and plant the blue arrows in the clay. Three trees in some kind of triangle seems about right. Another clay-friendly option would be a narrow columnar yew such as taxus x media 'beanpole'. If it is flat, with decent drainage, then I would suggest creating a mound or raised bed of better-draining soil on top rather than mixing it in with the clay. I think this strategy has more merit than amending because it emulates nature, where in most areas you will see a layer of organically rich, loose soil on top and the soil gets more compacted the deeper you dig. If you do this, I think you can pick from a wide range of conifer species, and the blue arrows should work fine also. If it is still somewhat sunken and mucky, I think you should not plant conifers there unless you can bring the level of clay soil even higher. I have had good luck so far with Fine Line Buckthorn(rhamnus frangula 'Ron Williams') in a mucky spot in my own yard. This is a plant that looks a lot like a conifer during the growing season, and while it won't give you winter color, it does have a nice sculptural look in winter, as you can see in this photo:

whats a garnet .. other than a red jewel ... and why not some pix??? you did a yomans job with the words.. but boy.. i am a 'look at it' guy ... other than that.. plant what makes you happy.. and dont define such by the given space .. you are aware.. you have one of the finest conifer places just north of chicago??? Rich's Foxwillow Pines Nursery ??? go visit ... its worth it .. google it ... ken Here is a link that might be useful: how to post pix

About the only thing that I can think of (and it's aestetic not for screening) would be a Yew such as: Taxus x media 'Beanpole' or Taxus x media 'Flushing'. I think 'Flushing' will give you the most "screening" but you'll need to plant it fairly close to your shed: It basically should be planted 1 meter away. You 'know' you planted a tree that given time will fit that spot perfectly, in relation to the shed. What you're looking to do now is plant something that ultimately is going to crowd walking space between your shed and eventually your Serviceberry. That includes mowing. The positive aspect of a Yew is you can prune them any which way you want to, including down to bare-inner-wood and they will form new foliage. If it ever came to be that the cultivar 'Flushing' was 5 meters tall and one meter wide and you wanted to cut it down to 1 meter tall, you wouldn't do any damage to it. For me, your plan should've included an evergreen screen behind the serviceberry and the serviceberry being brought forward to give it room away from the screen. If you were to move the servicebery (now or anytime the ground is workable) that seems to be the common sense route and gives you the opportunity to do the job, correctly. Then you could plant, i.e., going from the shed to the left in the photo: (3) Thuja occidentalis 'Hetz Wintergreen' in a straight line and then begin to make an arc with a Picea glauca 'Pendula' then a Picea pungens 'Iseli Fastigiata' aka 'Fastigiata'. That's my opinion, anyways... Hetz Wintergreen first one 1 meter from your shed then on center every 1.5 meter. Picea glauca 'Pendula' 2.5 meters from 'Hetz Wintergreen' Picea pungens 'Iseli Fastigiata' 3.5-4.0 meters from P.g. 'Pendula' This for a screen. You can make adjustments with the two spruces if you want to give them room not to touch. Dax

I knew the 'Hetz Wintergreen' width question would come up but I figure with a growth rate of 3 feet per year at the minimum here in Illinois - you'll have a tree approximately 10 feet wide in 20 years. So kind of a perfect choice really. Juniperus viginiana 'Elegantissima' I've seen only on video and it's a very nice tree with upswept weeping branches and with a fast growth rate. It's also dense. Then sure, I thought with the deciduous suggestions, they wouldn't make your list, but I offered them up anyway on simple fact that they'd make for a nice specimen. If you like the Green Giant - go for it. It's very dark green and really a super conifer in my opinion. Everyone likes them. As to Blights, caterpillars, and whatever else your list of pests is, I don't have an answer for you. Maybe alone because I don't know where you live, but Juniperus viginiana in general can be planted I believe just about anywhere in the US that's zone 9 and below. So it should do well just about anywhere. Best I can say. Maybe a Chamaecyparis nootkatensis 'Pendula' will fit your needs, but unfortunately it does grow slower than most. Good luck & take care! Dax I guess I can post some photos to help: Chamaecyparis nootkatensis 'Pendula' (Hidden Lake Gardens) Pinus strobus 'Golden Candles' (Hidden Lake Gardens) Pinus koraiensis 'Silveray' (Hidden Lake Gardens) Picea pungens 'Thompson' Picea omorika 'Pendula' (forms vary - Hidden Lake Gardens) Picea pungens 'Iseli Foxtail' (Bickelhaupt Arboretum) Pinus koraiensis 'Silveray' (Bickelhaupt Arboretum) Thuja occidentalis 'Hetz Wintergreen' (Bickelhaupt Arb.) Foliage 'Hetz Wintergreen' (Fall 2003 - Bickelhaupt) Yah - I'd probably skip 'Hetz Wintergreen' - It's too skinny. Larix kaempferi 'Diana' - This is a good one! Deciduous as you see: I don't know - there'a a few for you to look at. Also you can check out my photo albums here: Photo's Webpage Dax