Looks like a great list, AC91z6! You should have fun with those roses (including the Firefighter you replaced for the sold out Munstead Wood. Glad I could help talk you into Felix LeClerc. My Therese Bugnet is 7 years old own root from Burling and it prime full sun. I really can't say I'd recommend her at all, and I toy with digging out Therese and her nearby companion Fimbriata (Bear in mind that I've only deliberately shovel pruned 3 roses out of 1000 to put this into perspective, though of course I've had 100's die without my help). They have only sporadic bloom for about 2 weeks but TONS of vegetative growth that does virtually nothing. So far they've been spared the shovel because they're such early bloomers, but they're getting the interim treatment of pruning them almost to the ground after bloom. That's what I do for Variegata di Bologna and I've occasionally been able to coax a little fall bloom out of him this way. I kept leaving TB and Fimbriata at full height thinking surely they'd rebloom when mature, but 7 years is too long to wait for that. Linda Campbell is a vastly superior rugosa in my zone, and our climates are similar. Karen, glad to help with the cheap and easy idea about the pots. Note that these are not rabbit proof since the bunnies have learned to nudge the pots over if they really want what's inside, and they can nibble at what extends beyond the pots as well. My pots are the black gallon ones Roses Unlimited sells so they're a bit at risk for burning foliage in the really hot parts of summer (assuming you get spells of 90+ for long). I'll often pull back the pots by July or so if the rose gets up to a good height. Green would be less noticeable in the landscape, but like you I have soooo many pots after a history of large orders from RU and elsewhere that I need to use what I have. Here's a shot of a shade bed showing two of those pots - one with a tiny rose on the left not visible below the pot and one on the right that's peeking beyond. If I get a lot of them in a bed they look a little odd, but this many of them look acceptable to me (at least better than missing roses that the bunnies ate). Cynthia

understand.. conifers are trees ... and no tree stops growing at some magical height .... most estimates with conifers are at ten years.. presume at 20.. they will be twice as big ... before i forget... do all your planning from the chairs ... the height you will be sitting there ... there is a big difference between what you see standing vs sitting ... back to the lesson ... take any common name.. and find the latin name ... the websites with the best info.. ALWAYS use the latin ... and then look for the annual growth rate ... this will tell you how much it should grow every season ... and then you just multiply by the decades .... i will do this one for you ... first baby blue spruce: https://duckduckgo.com/?t=ffcm&q=baby+blue+spruce&ia=web the 4th link there takes you to this if you click on the right link there: https://www.babybluespruce.com/baby-blue bullet point two says: The growth rate i.e: the rate of extension of the leader, is slower in the first two to three years and increases every year until at approx. three feet tall growth becomes similar to other blue spruce types soooo .. in 20 or thirsty years.. this will be a telephone pole ... it is ONLY a seed source cultivar for its blue color ... this is how i look for future potential .. note the latin name: https://duckduckgo.com/?t=ffsb&q=picea+pungens+baby+blue&iax=images&ia=images whass said all this ... now.. on the other hand.. there is a DWARF variation on the theme named baby blue eyes ... dwarf means it has a reduced annual growth rate.. so over the same decades.. it will end up smaller ... it appears to be a plant from the huge wholesaler monrovia.. note the first thing they mention.. is its slower growing ... that is why that name was mentioned above: https://www.monrovia.com/plant-catalog/plants/3634/baby-blue-eyes-spruce/ and here is future potential : https://duckduckgo.com/?q=picea+pungens+baby+blue+eyes+ACS&t=ffsb&iax=images&ia=images so thats how to research conifers .. and frankly.. and other NAMED plant hit send now before it gets ruined ken

big city location would help .. as z6 is about half the US and rather divergent ... with that darn sidewalk.. [i hate buliders and architects for the lack of imagination in dealing with this] .... if you want any kind of shrubs or conifers.. or small trees... work out into the useless lawn ... with that couple feet of garden bed.. you really dont have space for anything but annuals and perennials inside the walkway .. unless you want to be out there shearing twice a year .. ergo.. you would have to kill me.. before i ever planted box in there ... and if those two shrubs are still by the garage.. get rid of them also ... really.. one of them is square.. whats that all about .. lol ... and im thinking it might be an invasive burning bush ... but that is just a gut reaction... but i just had taco bell.. so take that for what its worth .. lol... maybe my gut is lying to me ...lol .. also.. while its barren .... work that soil off the lattice under the deck ... avoid future problems ... either dirty plastic.. or rooting wood ... and be honest.. is the lawn used for anything other than complaining someone has to mow the lawn every few days ... if not.. start with some nice trees out on the lawn ... make you landscape 3 dimensional.. instead of focusing on a few feet right on the foundation ... never forget..... foundation plants are to hide the foundation.. not to BE PLANTED on the foundation.. thats the root problem with your square shrub ... its a giant plant.. planted when it was a babe.. on the foundation. with no real idea of its future potential ... lets not do that again ... and as part of the 5 year plan.. i would hide the foundation on the extreme right.. and no one wants to look at the basement walls ... do you have two front doors .. reminds me of the old doctors houses in my rural town ... kinda cool ... anyway.. plan and plant your backbones.. trees ... in teh proper planting season ... plan out future shrub locations not in the foundation ... and for this year.. just plant some pretty flowers in teh beds you now have... and if it takes 3 to 5 years.. so be it ... it will be stunning ... if you want the instant gratification.. as embo noted.. just go to big box.. and buy whatever strikes your fancy ... but search out future potential.. before you plant that babe which will end up a 10 foot problem ... ken

Gregg and Sue - yes, thanks, the trees are happy. One thing not often mentioned is the age of the gardener. When I was younger, I bought any size bucket and any tree/shrub height that would fit into my Volvo wagon and handled it all myself. When I bought larger mature trees from John in 2018, it was for very specific reasons; building a Spirit Garden because my spouse had passed, the neighbors had installed a very large above ground pool that didn't appeal to my view, and after 45 years here, we had lost many mature trees. When the gardener is mid-70s and the Volvo wagon is gone, it was time for instant gratification. So hauling in 31 yards of soil and with my favorite landscaper chap, 3 large gardens were made. It took 2 trailer loads from John's to get all 14 trees here. It was a once in a lifetime buy. Took a big chance, but it is all good. 😊 I fully agree that younger gardeners should buy smaller as it is best for the tree/shrub and a joy to watch them grow. Enjoy your visit to John's, Gregg - tell him Jane said Hi. 😊 He'll remember the woman who bought the pinus sylvestris aurea, lol. Jane