Please help select a gift shrub for my new nephew!

[Jeff Spivack]

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

[Vox Humana]

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]

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.