look up CIS.. and stockmans dwarf .... and humphrey's gem ... full names somewhere below ... there are some very dwarf mugo .... below is 2 pics of a similar type bed ... and further below is a list of what i have planted there... good luck researching zone info ... ken the list... alpha repeats due to location in the bed ... and some are mistakes.. lol ... they need to be moved due to 6 inches of growth ... live and learn... AND SOME OF THE CHAMS ARE DEAD .. SINCE THEY HAVE LITTLE SENSE OF HUMOR ABOUT ZONE 5 ... AS WELL AS ALL THE LAWSONS ... carp caps .... they really dont get the idea of zone pushing in zone 5 .... never really got to the point of growth rate issues ... since they have just been burning to death for years....: Pinus parviflora 'Adcock's Dwarf' Abies balsamae 'Nana' 1 IN Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Aurea' Picea glauca 'Conica Baby' Pinus banksiana 'Pedula' Pinus banksiana 'Schoodic' Pinus banksiana 'Wisconsin' Pinus mugo 'Meg's Short Needle' Pinus mugo 'Mops' Tsuga canadensis 'Popeleski' Abies concolor 'Compacta' Abies concolor 'Scooter' Abies koreana 'Cis' Juniperus communis 'Compressa' -- the tall thin one ... Picea abies 'Dumpy' Picea abies 'Little Gem' Picea glauca 'Gnome' Pinus banksiana 'Chippewa' Pinus mugo 'Valley Cushion' Pinus parviflora 'Hagaromo' -- gift for pots Pinus parviflora 'Ogon Janome' Pinus parviflora 'Pentaphylla Azuma' Pinus strobus 'Ned's Broom' Pseudotsuga menziesii 'Blue Lullaby' Pseudotsuga menziesii 'Brooks' Tsuga canadensis 'Everitt Golden' Tsuga canadensis 'Jeddeloh' Tsuga canadensis 'Stockman's Dwarf' Juniperus horizontalis 'Golden Carpet' Juniperus horizontalis 'Golden Carpet' Juniperus horizontalis 'Pancake' 3 9/16 Abies procera 'Prostrata' Acer palmatum 'Shishigashira' Chamaecyparis lawsoniana 'Alumii' Chamaecyparis lawsoniana 'Blue Surprise' Chamaecyparis lawsoniana 'Green Globe' Chamaecyparis lawsoniana 'Silber Star' Chamaecyparis lawsoniana 'Snow White' Chamaecyparis lawsoniana 'Treasure' Chamaecyparis lawsoniana 'Treasure Island' Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Aurea' Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Ceramic' Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Gold Fern' Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Golden Fernspray' Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Gracilis' SEE C.o.AUREA Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Nana Lutea' Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Saffron Spray' Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Sparkles' Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Tsukumo'SOLD AS OBTUSA??? Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Verdonii' Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Compacta Variegata' Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Cream Ball' Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Gold Dust' Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Gold Pin Cushion' Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Golden Sands' Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Tsukumo' --PROPER NAME Chamaecyparis pisifera 'White Pygmy' Ginkgo bilobal 'Variegata' Picea abies 'Dan's Dwarf' Picea abies 'Humphrey's Gem' Picea abies 'Wagner' Picea glauca 'Witches Broom' Picea orientalis 'Tom Thumb' Picea sitchensis 'Papoose' Pinus contorta 'Mt. Hood Marble' Pinus mugo 'Mitsch Mini' Pinus parviflora 'Tanima No Yuki' Pinus parviflora 'Toyo Nishiki' Pinus viginiana 'Fanfare' AND DONT FORGET.. THESE GROW HERE.. ITS FOR YOU TO DECIDE IF ZONE APPROPRIATE FOR YOU .... GOOD LUCK KEN

Welcome to the area and safe travels! FWIW, Home Depot and the like would NOT be my first choice for potting soils. The best results with container gardening require potting soils that have significant texture and minimal fast-to-decompose organic matter.....check out the Container Gardening forum for more details. Once settled in, I'd suggest you visit some local retail garden centers (not box stores) and look for bagged potting soils with the Gardner & Bloom or Master Nursery labels (same manufacturer/supplier, different marketing). These are the best, highest quality, prepared bagged potting soils I have encountered in this area. More expensive than what you find at the box stores but well worth the investment. The other alternative would be to mix your own according to recipes found on the CG forum. Yes, Bellevue is an expensive area :-) It and many other eastside neighborhoods are upscale bedroom communities for Seattle. During my infrequent journeys across the lake (I tend to avoid downtown Bellevue - it is heavily congested and a traffic nightmare, especially at this time of year), I am always surprised at the slightly higher costs of everything. It'll take you some time to find the places with the best deals or shopping bargains, even with groceries, but they can be had. The Bellevue I remember when I grew up there (several...er...decades ago!) was a semi-rural community with a lot of open land and a quaint shopping center. Now it is arguably more urban than much of Seattle and with the associated crowds and congestion. But still some wonderful neighborhoods.

There is a great site that gives links to public gardens on the West Coast - scroll down for Washington. http://www.rainyside.com/resources/public_gardens.html#WA Not listed there are the gardens at Point Defiance in Tacoma. http://www.metroparkstacoma.org/page.php?id=27 The whole park is 29 acres and includes a forest (with miles of walking trails), zoo and aquarium, beaches, a fort, and a logging 'museum'. The gardens include * Dahlia Trial * Fuchsia Garden * Herb Garden * Iris Garden * Japanese Garden * Northwest Native Garden * Rhododendron Garden * Rose Garden Also, they will be holding their second annual outdoor flower show June 2-4, 2006. http://www.ptdefianceflowershow.com/ "In the style of EnglandÂs glorious Chelsea Garden Show, TacomaÂs grand event will be outdoors, gracing 10 acres of the Point Defiance Park garden and bowl area. The three-day show offers world-class exhibits, exciting events, and learning opportunities for the whole familyÂrain or shine!" I went last year, and it was wonderful!

I also have a weird story. In fact, a couple of them. 1st ... I'm from CA and while waiting on the Kasilof riverbank in Alaska I struck up a conversation with the man next to me (both waiting for fishing guides). He was from VT and said he snow skied in CO with a doctor from Napa. Turns out it was my daughter's pediatrician! Fifteen minutes one way or the other and we never would have met. 2nd ... When my FIL died, my BIL & wife came from CO for the funeral. My SIL and Mom started talking. Turns out SIL's maternal uncle was married to my Mom's 1st cousin, Irene. Then they divorced and SIL's paternal uncle married Irene. Of course, all this happened long before she and I married into the same family (in different states). Now that's a small world!