"Steve" wrote in message
. ..
I am in no way any kind of gardening expert, just a hobbyist that has done
it a few years and learned from reading or doing. However, something I
noticed and seem to think is getting worse over time is conflicting
information on the identical plants. I mean the same common and technical
named plants - ie, exactly the same, not just offshoots or slightly
different species, but identical 
. I am located in SE Wisconsin. I rely
on
tags, nurseries, experience, books, mags, the net, etc for what I want to
plant and where. The information on size if very conflicting though I
notice. So, overall I am very much a gardening newbie.
For example, a few years back when I really knew nothing - I bought
some
green velvet boxwoods and I still have the tag that came with that that
says
grow 3 ft tall and 3 ft wide.. Both at local nurseries and on the net, I
have found the same plant with descriptions of the following:
1) 2-3 ft tall and wide
2) 3 ft tall and wide
3) 4ft tall and wide
4) 5 ft tall and wide
5) 3-5 ft tall and wide
I've seen many plants like this - another example is a Blue Muffin
Vibirnum
that I've seen at:
1) 4-5 ft
2) 5-6 ft
3) 4-6 ft
4) 6-8 ft
5) 8-10 ft
6) 10-12 ft
All of these are from tags at various nurseries in my area over a few
years
or even the same nursery at different times. I'm not so concerned when
you're talking 3 ft vs 4 ft or even 3 ft vs 5 ft - but 2 ft vs 5 ft and
4-5ft vs 10-12ft is a significant difference and affects what I plant and
where.
I've asked nursery owners locally and across the net on these and how I
can
determine what to expect, but their answers conflict as well. Some example
explanations:
1) The tags from Oregon where the climate lets them get larger
2) The tags is based on no pruning
3) I've never seen one that (large, small - pick one)
4) On the boxwood at different nurseries - "It will stay around 3 ft" or
"It
will definately get to 5 ft"
5) On the Blue Muffin - "those are small versions, only 5-6 ft tops" or
"those get 8-10 ft or larger"
6) "They say there so small because they grow slow, but they'll be much
larger over a few years"
I understand that climate, location, etc, etc will have an impact. I also
understand pruning is a way to keep size to desirable. How I look at it
though is that I don't want to unnecessarily create more work so if I have
a
location that would fit a 5 ft plant nicely then I don't want to drop in a
plant I should expect to get to 10ft and then require 2x's the
maintenance.
If I have a 5ft space to fill, I seek out a plant I like around that size,
not twice as large.
Any tips, advice, or resources where ones gets reliable information on
plant
charateristics? Is the only way to figure this out by experience when
something becomes way overgrown for its spot and you have to dig it up? I
suppose its like our Wisconsin forecast though - 1 to 4 inches of snow in
the morning, 3 to 6 inches in the afternoon, and 4 to 8 inches overnight -
adds up to 8 to 18 inches! If only paychecks were the same where I make my
normal rate this week and then 60% more next week!
Oh, then it isn't just me! I often find myself looking up plant information
because I tend to be an opportunistic buyer who picks up the odd sale plant
or small plant being liquidated by a mail order producer at the end of the
season. For instance I got a Mock Orange (Minnesota Snowflake). I got
estimates of the size from three feet to 10 feet.
As for the Blue Muffin viburnum, I have a little expertise with that. I
picked up three plants, about six inches high, in tiny pots at the
Springhill Nursery clearance sale I put them in a new bed in July of 2003.
This spring they are up to six feet high and about two feet wide. I have
been amazed at their growth, especial since they are in a sheltered area
that gets only afternoon sun. I expect that they will continue to grow, so
a height of eight to ten feet wouldn't be unexpected. There is some
variation in their growth rate from plant to plant. The tallest being over
six feet and the shortest being about four feet. Each plant took a
different amount of time to get established. Now they are suckering from
the base and expanding from elongation of the old growth as well as the
addition of new growth. Mine are just about ready to bloom. I'm in SW
Ohio, zone 6.