"Mysteria" wrote in message
om...
First, let me warn you -- I'm not a gardener. So, I may get some
terms and stuff wrong. :-)


I'm looking for "mini" evergreens -- like a little pine tree, I guess.
Something that will fit in a front porch pot (about 2' diameter pot)
for the Christmas holidays. Something that *stays* small -- maybe
only gets about 2 to 3 feet high. I looked around and the best I can
find is a dwarf pine -- but even that gets 10-12 feet tall. I want
something that stays small and that I can re-pot year after year to
decorate the porch for Christmas.

Any suggestions?? Thanks!!!

First, it would help a lot to know where you are located. Second, there are
a number of dwarf conifers that can be left to grow in containers
indefinitely in many climates. No need to repot year after year and that is
not always the best for the tree, anyway. Some choices:

Picea glauca 'Jean's Dilly' - dwarf Alberta Spruce
Abies koreana 'Silberlocke' - dwarf Korean Fir
Juniperus communis 'Gold Cone' - golden Irish Juniper
Pinus mugo 'Pumilio' - dwarf Mugo Pine (also 'Mops', 'Humpy', 'Teddy Bear')
Chamaecyparis lawsoniana 'Blue Surprise', 'Ellwood's Pillar', 'Summer Snow'
Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Blue Feathers', 'Bess', 'Nana Gracilis'
Thuja occidentalis 'Teddy', 'Hetz Midget' - dwarf Arborvitae

Of these, the Alberta spruce or arborvitae are the hardiest and suitable for
even very cold climates.

Note - not all of these will offer a traditional "Christmas tree" form and
some have colored foliage, but all are very slow growing and suitable to
container culture for many years. Ultimate size will vary (even "dwarf"
conifers never stop growing), but leaving them in a container rather than
replanting them in the ground each season will slow their growth rate
considerably.

pam - gardengal