We lived in a Cheshire village on end of which was sandy soil on sandstone
the other clay and marsh.
Two very old monkey puzzles at the clay end-may be around 100years if they
put on a ring of braches per year -were dense , not very tall, and ugly.
The tree at the sandy side was open spaced and very beautiful somewhat like
the related Norfolk Island pine we are trying to nurture.
We have now have a monkey puzzle in Devon which touch wood (ouch!) seems to
have got off to a good start.
"Martin Brown" wrote in message
...
In message m,
writes

we are looking to purchase a monkey puzzle tree and do not want to wait
years and years to enjoy it. Is it best to start with a 1.5m tree or
smaller? How much does it grow per year on average?

About 20cm/year once established. And continues doing that almost
forever.

We appreciate any help/ advice you can offer!

I have grown them from seed. They progress rather more slowly then.

Watch out for and protect from severe cold weather in the first couple
of years. Otherwise they seem to do pretty well in most parts of the UK.

Regards,
--
Martin Brown