Vox Humana wrote:
"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.

Your Blue Miffin Viburnum might be getting tall because it is reaching
for the sun.

--

Travis in Shoreline (just North of Seattle) Washington
USDA Zone 8
Sunset Zone 5