"Tim_Mac" wrote in
oups.com:

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.



Tim

What you're basically referring to is creating a bonsai. However, that is
very difficult with pines, and the fact that you are essentially giving it
unlimited root run (instead of placing it in bonsai soil in a pot) also
makes your task more difficult. Frankly, I would suggest abandoning the
idea. There are many fine dwarf cultivars of five-needle pines, most
notably Pinus strobus 'nana' and hundereds of choices among Pinus
parvifolia, the Japanese White Pine.

--
David J. Bockman, Fairfax, VA (USDA Hardiness Zone 7)
email:
http://beyondgardening.com/Albums