On 6/12/12 11:13 PM, W wrote:
Is there any tree that is a dwarf and looks like an Italian cypress, but
with a yellow or lime-green color variation? I'm trying to find a good
plant that suggests a Tuscan theme, that will be in two large pots at the
entrance to a small Tuscan garden.


Arborvitae (genus Thuja) has several species and varieties that can be
sheared. There are some that are yellow-green or golden; T. orientalis
'Minima Glauca' is blue-green. Some are naturally columnar; some are
dwarfs.

If you choose one that requires shearing, do it lightly and frequently
instead of heavily and infrequently. As with all conifers, if you make
a cut in a branch without leaving any live growth, that branch will
likely die.

--
David E. Ross
Climate: California Mediterranean, see
http://www.rossde.com/garden/climate.html
Gardening diary at http://www.rossde.com/garden/diary