Living Space Landscapes I planted a young Scotch pine (Pinus Sylvestris) at a slant over a dry creek landscape. It would naturally grow tall and cone shaped like a Christmas tree. Every spring the new growth is severely hand pruned and selective thinning of the branches steers future growth to the desired shape and size. I prune professionally, but this is a very fun and relaxing hobby for any gardener, it just takes patience.

400foxfarm how about some suggestions for deer resistant vegitation

Pamela Bateman Garden Design One of my favorite conifers is the Dwarf Alberta Spruce Picea g. albertiana 'Conica'. They are often available during the Christmas holiday as a living Christmas tree. I purchased mine and kept it in a pot for several years, bringing it in for Christmas. When it outgrew it's pot I planted it near the front door and now have a outdoor Christmas tree that I decorate each year. They are compact and slow growing. After several years mine still stands only 5' tall. Maximum height is listed at 6'-8' after 35 years.

greenarte Another excellent low (12") spreading evergreen is Siberian Cypress (Microbiota decussata). It looks somewhat like juniper but is soft and more gracefully ferny. Unlike Juniper, it can tolerate half shade nicely and it does not cause the annoying itchy skin reaction some of us have when handling Juniper. It is hardy in zones 3-7, easily pruned and turns a lovely frosted plum in the winter. It excels as a foundation plant, cascading over walls, in large containers (mild winter areas), under trees/large shrubs or as a border along a drive way etc. It is deer resistant and little bothered by disease or insects, tolerant of most soils with decent drainage and can handle sunny, dry,windy conditions after establishment.

Living Space Landscapes Winter can be just as long as summer in some areas. This is an assortment of evergreens to help make a Minnesota patio beautiful all year long.

AnnE Oakley I had my landscaper plant False Cypress Lemon of few years ago. They are beautiful specimens of Evergreens. However what I thought would stay contained to 2 feet turned out to grow to 6 feets tall. Obviously I should have had some pruning done early on in their lives but I wasn't familiar with this Species. So this is a 'note' to future False Cypress Lemon gardeners........They can grow to tree size if left unattended.

bwtrafton Ooooo, don't plant English or Portugese Laurel in the Pacific NW as it is very invasive!

newmouse The blue atlas cedar frequently takes on a "creature from the black lagoon" look, although the ones depicted here are very nice.

Ginkgo Leaf Studio One of our favorite evergreens, although I suspect it is only available locally, is 'Trautman' Juniper. It is a chinensis variety that matures at 4' x 12' tall. They provide a great vertical accent and fruit heavily.