So it needs sun protection? That counts it out then. Thanks for your response.

ETA: I'm not seeing that comment elsewhere, and wonder what in your experience warrants it?

From http://www.louistheplantgeek.com/a-gardening-journal/590-kniphofia-northiae

"Because 'Thunderhead' grows best with full sun, it shouldn't be crowded at any side, especially by plants to the South or West that are tall enough to cast any shade. If possible, plant it two or three feet back from the front edge of its bed; don't plant anything between it and the edge would grow taller than a foot or two"

Limit winter sun...so avoid a full southeast to southwest exposure

Pinus thunbergii

use the latin name when researching .. imo.. if a site cant be bothered to use such.. the rest of its info.. might be questionable ...

i had about 10 variations on the theme .. about 10 years later.. i dont think any are left ... i lost interest by then ... and didnt figure out why ....

cleaning them out was one reason.. i am sure ... i figure if a plant needs that much hands on care... who needs it ... lol ... [removing dead needles normally shed]

my thunderhead was about 6 by 8 feet when it passed on to the great arb in the sky ...

i figure my winter in cold z5 MI is equivalent to CO ... but i bet my summers are a lot hotter and more humid.. if that leads you anywhere ... who needs a plant that has winter AND summer problems ....

i suspect.. that if local upscale vendors dont carry them ... that is a giant big red flashing sign to avoid such ... i dont include bigbox anywhere in that equation ...

ken

10 and all dead in 10 years. That doesn't bode well. I suspect your thumb is greener than mine.

Ken I moved on to Chirimen Hinoki Cypress and found a discussion thread mentioning your largely unsuccessful efforts with it. Have you (or anyone) had luck with an interesting looking dwarf (or very slow growing) evergreen? This is to replace a bristlecone pine that turned brown at the end of last winter. As mentioned I am in zone 5, alkaline soil.

I'm a half hour north of Denver. I've killed Thunderhead, several densifloras and bristlecones. What I'm having better luck with are mugos and sylvestris. Mops and Carsten's are doing fine, although Mops is in mostly shade and Carstens in full sun has burned a bit. I have a sylvestris Albyn's that's taken the drought and bomb cyclone (silly name for a big blizzard) just fine.

One that has really surprised me is tsuga canadensis 'Jervis'. It's getting about 3 hours morning sun and some wind protection. It's had some tip dieback, but done pretty well. I thought that one would just curl up and die! I bought tsuga canadensis 'Abbott's Pygmy' to try this year, along with some chamaecyparis obtusa, Nana, Thoweil, Fernspray Gold and a pisifera 'Tsukumo' sawara cypress.

These are all going in the same bed with morning sun and afternoon shade. I'm not sure where in the state you are and it sounds like you're planting in a full sun area. A lot of conifers here benefit from afternoon shading and I'll admit to using lawn chairs for that purpose their first year. I second whaas's comment on protecting from winter sun here for the first year or 2. I think a chamaecyparis or hinoki will just fry here in full sun.

How do you feel about pinon and monophylla? Blue Jazz, Tiny Taylor and a few others should take full sun. Pinus mugo 'Big Tuna' or Tannenbaum might work for you, too.

Thanks for the comprehensive list! I'm just south of Denver. And yes, this spot is full sun.

Sun protection first year or two -- okay, I didn't get that last part.

I do like pinyon - a lot. I'll look into those suggestions.

I'm also considering a Picea abies "Inversa"/dwarf Norway Spruce.

Picea abies might work but can get chlorotic here. Picea glauca 'Pendula' is on the Plant Select website (bullet proof plants for the Front Range) as a good choice for here. I planted mine last fall, so not a lot of experience with it yet. It's pushing candles now, so I know it survived.

If you get a chance, visit the Denver Botanic Gardens and get a map to their dwarf conifer section. That'll give you lots of ideas. Happy planting!

Pinus thunbergii -- pine nematode blight & severe needlecast in any humid climate do them in eventually. They might escape those in CO tho.

Grows perfectly well here in the PNW where it is used extensively and this is not noted for being an excessivey 'dry' climate :-) And in full sun. It is also noted as being tolerant of strong winds and salt spray and recommended for coastal gardens for that reason. One of my favorite pine species.

I can't speak to how it might perform in CO, however.

GG, the PNW summers aren't like the central & east US. I stand by what I said.