Hi all

I'm not a gardener myself, but I thought I'd turn to the experts for
some help...

My brother (or, more precisely, my sister-in-law) just had a baby boy.
Their first. I'd like to give them a special gift. I live in
France; they live in Portland, Oregon. I thought that a shrub would
be better than flowers--more permanent, more meaningful. Then I
thought that it might be cool if the shrub were a bit more special
than your standard shrub. Since it will be about the same age as Noah
(my new nephew), and they both will grow, then wouldn't it be great if
they both grew at the same speed? Approximately, of course. But
still.

As I said, right now they live in Portland. But they're very likely
to move in the next few years, so I'm looking for something that can
grow in a pot and not need to be planted in the ground.

So I'm looking for a shrub that will be about 3 feet tall in three
years; 4 feet tall in 7 years; 5 feet tall in 12 years; and top out
around 6 feet. Does anyone out there have any ideas? Or can someone
point me towards a website where I might find typical growth curves
for common shrubs? Is environment (sunshine, amount of watering) so
important to growth rates that I'm barking up the wrong tree? Any
help you can provide will be much appreciated...

Thanks so much

Jeff

"Jeff Spivack" wrote in message
om...
Hi all

I'm not a gardener myself, but I thought I'd turn to the experts for
some help...

My brother (or, more precisely, my sister-in-law) just had a baby boy.
Their first. I'd like to give them a special gift. I live in
France; they live in Portland, Oregon. I thought that a shrub would
be better than flowers--more permanent, more meaningful. Then I
thought that it might be cool if the shrub were a bit more special
than your standard shrub. Since it will be about the same age as Noah
(my new nephew), and they both will grow, then wouldn't it be great if
they both grew at the same speed? Approximately, of course. But
still.

As I said, right now they live in Portland. But they're very likely
to move in the next few years, so I'm looking for something that can
grow in a pot and not need to be planted in the ground.

So I'm looking for a shrub that will be about 3 feet tall in three
years; 4 feet tall in 7 years; 5 feet tall in 12 years; and top out
around 6 feet. Does anyone out there have any ideas? Or can someone
point me towards a website where I might find typical growth curves
for common shrubs? Is environment (sunshine, amount of watering) so
important to growth rates that I'm barking up the wrong tree? Any
help you can provide will be much appreciated...


I would get them a gift certificate and let them pick what they want. I
read that people move about every two or three years. That's certainly the
case in my neighborhood where some houses have sold three times in the eight
years I have lived here. Therefore, the probability is good that your
brother and his family will never see the shrub grow along with their son.
One of the complications of buying a plant like a shrub that has a long life
and potential to grow rather large (and doesn't like to be transplanted) is
that you have to take into consideration not on the climate, but the sun
exposure and the amount of space available for growth. If your brother is
an avid gardener, he may have specific ideas about garden design. Someone
sent me some peony roots as a gift a few years ago. While I love peonies
and appreciated the thought, I was pressed to find a good spot for them.

"Vox Humana" wrote in message
...

"Jeff Spivack" wrote in message
om...
Hi all

I'm not a gardener myself, but I thought I'd turn to the experts for
some help...

My brother (or, more precisely, my sister-in-law) just had a baby boy.
Their first. I'd like to give them a special gift. I live in
France; they live in Portland, Oregon. I thought that a shrub would
be better than flowers--more permanent, more meaningful. Then I
thought that it might be cool if the shrub were a bit more special
than your standard shrub. Since it will be about the same age as Noah
(my new nephew), and they both will grow, then wouldn't it be great if
they both grew at the same speed? Approximately, of course. But
still.

As I said, right now they live in Portland. But they're very likely
to move in the next few years, so I'm looking for something that can
grow in a pot and not need to be planted in the ground.

So I'm looking for a shrub that will be about 3 feet tall in three
years; 4 feet tall in 7 years; 5 feet tall in 12 years; and top out
around 6 feet. Does anyone out there have any ideas? Or can someone
point me towards a website where I might find typical growth curves
for common shrubs? Is environment (sunshine, amount of watering) so
important to growth rates that I'm barking up the wrong tree? Any
help you can provide will be much appreciated...


I would get them a gift certificate and let them pick what they want. I
read that people move about every two or three years. That's certainly
the
case in my neighborhood where some houses have sold three times in the
eight
years I have lived here. Therefore, the probability is good that your
brother and his family will never see the shrub grow along with their son.
One of the complications of buying a plant like a shrub that has a long
life
and potential to grow rather large (and doesn't like to be transplanted)
is
that you have to take into consideration not on the climate, but the sun
exposure and the amount of space available for growth. If your brother is
an avid gardener, he may have specific ideas about garden design. Someone
sent me some peony roots as a gift a few years ago. While I love peonies
and appreciated the thought, I was pressed to find a good spot for them.


Sorry, I missed the part about planting the shrub in a pot. In that case I
would send some flowers or another type of gift. You would need a very big
pot for a shrub to grow six feet tall, and a fork lift truck to move it from
place to place. That would be a real burden to put on someone, in my
opinion.