i told you they wont grow in my 5.. so no matter what 5 you might be.. its still going to be problematic .. unless you can squeak a micro 6 in some corner of the yard .... i would try to avoid winter sun.. and all winter wind ... and.. since you asked... the are not shrubs .... in any sense of the word.. common mistake... they are conifers.. because they have cones.. though very weird ones .. all conifers are also trees ... trees/shrubs and conifers are all planted the same ... never fertilized.. and mostly free range after 2 years.. once established ... the biggest difference .. in a non scientific sense.. is that pruning or trimming rules vary greatly between all 3 ... you would never REJUVENATE PRUNE a tree or conifer. the way you would prune a shrub ... google the term to see.. and think lilac.. spirea.. weigelia ... privet .... etc ... flowering shrubs .... and you can not prune a confer as freely as a tree ... if you were to trim all the buds off a pine e.g. .... it is dead [99% of the time] ... whereas a tree.. would be able to trigger dormant buds[like that stump in the yard that just wont die].. and still live .... [though of course... you wouldnt top a tree like that anyway ...] so you would never shear a pine .... like say a privet... unless you did it a the perfect time to allow new buds to develop .... or the conifer would die ... now... this is what i call the grade school level explanation ... and is not meant in any manner to be a scientific thesis on the the differences.. since most peeps.. dont need that .. its all i ever learned.. and look where i am today ... rotflmbo ..... man its gotta be hot outside for me to type all that.. rather than be outside.. lol ... all that said.. arbs would be much more forgiving to shearing.. on some level.. as compared to pines, etc .... but you would be better off hand pruning to reduce growth ... selective reduction lets call it ... ken

Yes, it is. It was first named '4 ever' ('Goldy' î)

I've never seen (in person) a good Louie. In fact it was one of the worse-looking conifers I've ever seen. I was looking for a photo from Bickelhaupt Arb. Iowa I took several years ago and cannot find it. Anyway, the tree is in mostly-shade and is ragged, not dense but open, and big-time dull!! Looks like a chlorotic specimen all the way. No good gold but rather looks to be dieing. A lot of shade though. You ask what's #1, #2 and so on. Pinus sylvestris 'Aurea' - Extremely impressive. I have walked up to a 40 or 50 footer at a private garden that Rich Eyre brought me too (Ken's suggestion to visit Rich's Foxwillow Pines) during very early spring/late winter and it's incredible is the only word to define this tree. It's smaller rival 'Gold Coin' exactly as impressive. There stood one of these about 10 feet from the 'Aurea' and it was only seven feet tall, about half as wide. Pinus virginiana 'Wate's Golden' Looks like a wide-spreading and not as tall tree over time. I've walked across a few at Rich's Foxwillow Pines that were possibly 15 feet wide and only 8-9 feet tall. School bus "yellow." It glistens off the snow on a sunny day. Chief Joseph, Very slow to get anything of size. You'd need to buy a large plant to get anywhere or you'll be waiting 15-20+ years for a plant less than 10 feet. Quite Narrow. Sylvestris 'Aurea' is a big sucker. We're talking 50 feet tall and 25 feet wide. The Chief, 10 feet tall and 3 feet wide at the base and halfway up two feet wide. 'Nisbeth's Aurea' I'd scratch that for the areas you're looking to fill. Dan has one, maybe he could post a photo, Dan? Something that makes a lot of sense to me now are plants like Skylands. Gold all year. Well I guess you already found that idea, anyways: Abies nordmanniana 'Aurea' (available in the US, I don't know) fir Chamaecyparis nootkatenis 'Variegata' Alaskan cypress Pinus strobus 'Golden Candles' I had written on my notes that this was exceptional.^ Pinus strobus 'Dragon Eye' aka 'Bennett' aka 'Bennet's Dragon Eye': 'Dragon Eye' Pinus jeffreyi 'Gold' - Buy a larger one should you choose. It's been hardy for me despite the zone 7 they say about. Pinus koraiensis 'Dragon Eye' Pinus parviflora 'Fukai' not as attractive of a plant but nice regardless. Pinus resinosa 'Aurea' (A+ in my book). Ken, photo please? Best-suited pine for Illinois/midwest with humidity. Hope I made your decision more difficult ;-)!!!!!!! Dax

The consensus online (various extension service publications) is that blackened sprays of foliage occurring low on the plants is NOT pathogenic but environmental in origin. In fact, they assign it a name - 'black flagging': "The absence of disease organisms, insects, or mites associated with this condition suggests the problem is due to stress of some sort. The exact source of stress that results in black flagging is unknown. Water stress, drying winds, high temperatures, injury to the roots, or damage to lower stems are possibilities. In some instances, black flagging has occurred when none of these conditions have been present." Being sprayed with pet urine could certainly be included as an environmental stress. Most of the sources that report this issue conclude that no pesticide application is necessary (there is nothing to "treat"), the issue is not likely to cause ongoing problems, the disfigured foliage should just be pruned out and care should be taken to provide the best cultural conditions possible (good air circulation, water as needed, fertilize as needed and protect from pets).