First, let me warn you -- I'm not a gardener. So, I may get some terms and stuff wrong. :-)
I'm looking for "mini" evergreens -- like a little pine tree, I guess. Something that will fit in a front porch pot (about 2' diameter pot) for the Christmas holidays. Something that *stays* small -- maybe only gets about 2 to 3 feet high. I looked around and the best I can find is a dwarf pine -- but even that gets 10-12 feet tall. I want something that stays small and that I can re-pot year after year to decorate the porch for Christmas.
First, it would help a lot to know where you are located. Second, there are a number of dwarf conifers that can be left to grow in containers indefinitely in many climates. No need to repot year after year and that is not always the best for the tree, anyway. Some choices:
Picea glauca 'Jean's Dilly' - dwarf Alberta Spruce Abies koreana 'Silberlocke' - dwarf Korean Fir Juniperus communis 'Gold Cone' - golden Irish Juniper Pinus mugo 'Pumilio' - dwarf Mugo Pine (also 'Mops', 'Humpy', 'Teddy Bear') Chamaecyparis lawsoniana 'Blue Surprise', 'Ellwood's Pillar', 'Summer Snow' Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Blue Feathers', 'Bess', 'Nana Gracilis' Thuja occidentalis 'Teddy', 'Hetz Midget' - dwarf Arborvitae
Of these, the Alberta spruce or arborvitae are the hardiest and suitable for even very cold climates.
Note - not all of these will offer a traditional "Christmas tree" form and some have colored foliage, but all are very slow growing and suitable to container culture for many years. Ultimate size will vary (even "dwarf" conifers never stop growing), but leaving them in a container rather than replanting them in the ground each season will slow their growth rate considerably.
I would think the dwarf alberta spruce is probably your most popular and easiest to find for what you are looking for. I agree 100% with pam though, it would help to know where you are and she had some great suggestions for some other items.
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