hi guys,
thanks for the advice and David for the link. as i said, i'm no
expert, but i would have thought you can prune anything to keep it at a
certain size? or at least keeping it in a pot is a way to accomplish
that. i did read one thing about pruning pine trees that when you cut
a branch the stub will stay there forever, but that isn't necessarily
so bad is it?

a friend of mine grew an oak tree from seed in a pot and 7 years later
has a lovely miniature tree about 3 foot tall. it hardly grows at all
now.
also, i have a crimson queen japanese maple that is about 3 foot tall
and wide in a pot that grows a few inches every year and appears to be
a very healthy tree. it is supposed to grow to 10 feet. the butan
pine is a beautiful specimen and i would still love to keep it in the
garden, is it really such a bad idea?

i appreciate that many people on this group might cringe at the
prospect of locking a tree up in a pot for its whole life, but it's one
of the few options available to someone like me trying to add some life
to a small suburban garden. i already have climbers on the walls and
some nice shrubs, but a tree will really add some depth to the garden
(as long as it can be contained!).

thanks again for any advice or suggestions.
tim.