Any of the many weeping cultivars of Nootka Cypress (Cupressus nootkatensis, formerly Chamaecyparis nootkatensis and often still so listed by nurseries). Brewer's Spruce (Picea breweriana). Eventually large, but rather slow-growing. Resin

Hi GreyGal, There are folks such as yourself that like to stake weepers that will get out of control in terms of twisting and turning and spreading ...and you never know what they are going to do. I'm only going to jump in one last time and say that pruning and staking these type of plants which have no natural behavior to grow upward on their own are a lot of work, in my opinion. They generally are used for places what have 10 or more feet of width... if planted, properly. A lot of we folks here have seen A LOT of conifers and old and new gardens in our time. I'm one of them. I've seen plants now being yanked from arboretums where they planted something 20 years ago that is at it's prime now and it's simply taken over. I'm just reminding you among my friends that you are not clearly thinking this matter through. Everyone knows I have my own philosophy to give a plant the space it needs or I don't plant it. Some folks probably think I'm a little over the top. But I plan ahead... Even something such as Sciadopity's verticillata 'Cynthia Waxman' is a grand choice for that spot. It's "dwarf" - where myself and member bboy/Ron are going with our thoughts. I'll link you to a nursery that has 3 and 5 gallon plants of this very unique pine known as Umbrella pine so you don't have to wait to get started, i.e. Some will say that 'Niagra Falls' white pine has better spacial limitations for a smaller area, but, it will out-compete space, you better believe it. Those three Japanese white pines I suggested are gorgeous. They grow upright on their own, and they will live without maintenance in your spot for a very long time. I can assure of that. Now I'll step away after I've made my peace. Dax Here is a link that might be useful: Broken Arrow Nursery This post was edited by gardener365 on Fri, Aug 23, 13 at 18:58

Thank you, I'm going to be spending a lazy afternoon looking up all those plants and links. My next question would have been where to find them, I'm not sure there are any readily available around here, but I'm going to look in the spring. I did find Fairweather Gardens online for pines. I don't want to pay high prices for really big plants, but I don't want to get seedlings in 3" pots, either so it's hard to know where to order online. My beginning choices for pines were Pinus parviflora "Arnold Arboretum Dwarf", or "Banshoho" Dwarf Japanese black pine. Any ideas or experience with those two? I know black pines will grow in this area, we had one at our former house. I also found Chamaecypris Hinoki "Rigid Dwarf", and arborvitae "Holmstrup" which looked as if they might be promising for upright varieties, I might have spaces for two or three upright conifers. The rest should, I think be lower shapes. Blue Spruce and dwarf Albertas are about the only spruces that seem to live and do well here, but neither are suitable for my garden. I do love the look of spruces so I will consider the ones listed. I do understand about the difference between dwarf and mini, and the 10yr growth estimate, which is why I always look at the ultimate height. I don't want to be cutting anything down in 15 years and they can't be too big because of the cypress. I've been trying to look at more than one description of each one at different sites as I find that the sizes vary depending on who is telling it, lol! We don't have clay soil here, btw, it is upland rocks. There is a saying here that if you don't see the mountains (the Ozarks) dig down three inches and you'll find them. I do have pretty good soil with lots of compost(between the rocks) but it is very dry in July and August. We are in zone 6b with microclimates of z7.

Gibson you want conifers that can take the dry heat in summer. Many junipers, cypress and cedars should fit the bill. Abies pinsapo might well do ok, as well as Picea pungens. There are cultivars of native CA pines that should do very well (Pinus jeffreyi and Pinus ponderosa). If you want to really get specific, join the American Conifer Society and we can put you in touch with lots of folks who can give you more specific recommendations. Otherwise, look at conifers that are native to places with hot, dry summers. Learning about their native habitats will help you understand their needs. Whatever you plant will require supplemental summer irrigation.