Can you name this shrubby little thing?

I've had it a couple of years now and seems to be doing OK. Supposedly gets no more than 3' tall.

Cotoneaster horizontalis?

Resin

It sure looks like Cotoneaster, but that's not it. This is a trick question, with plant being a cultivar of a large growing tree that is commonly used in bonsai. The deer around here have apparently taken up bonsai and are keeping it small for me.

Resin, would you expect Bosnian Pine to be hardy in z4? I've seen it rated from z3 to z6, but I'm starting to think the latter is closer to reality. Does this pine have a large natural geographic distribution?

I'd say probably yes, zone 4 is right. It only has a small range in the Balkans, but grows most commonly at alpine timberline (up to 2200 m altitude at least), where it gets bitterly cold in winter. I know Macedonian Pine Pinus peuce (virtually the same distribution) is zone 4 hardy, being grown successfully in places like Punkaharju in eastern Finland (where even naturalised), and Moscow and even further east in Russia.

Distribution here: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:CL-28_Pinus_heldreichii_range_map.png

Resin

Well, I sure hope you're right. I really like this tree, which is why I was so disappointed at the amount of winter burn it showed this spring. Other than the incredibly sharp needles, I like everything about this tree. Even the bark is supposed to be ornamental.

As long as the buds are OK, winter burn of needles doesn't matter much. It often happens in bad winters even in the native ranges of many conifers.

Resin

I didn't know that. I see native pines such as strobus and resinosa with winter damage, but it always seems to be along well traveled highways that receive abundant amounts of salt, especially during a winter like this past one. People (including me) go on and on about how harsh this past winter was, but the native plants came through looking rather pristine. It was just another winter to them.

I forgot to mention that the tree in photo is Ulmus parvifolia 'Seiju'.

Wow, looks like just a couple inches tall? Or is it an illusion.
My deer aren't so delicate to just trim around the edges.

We have very sophisticated deer up here.

It's about 5" tall. I planted it in 2012 and it has not grown more than 2". It's a bit of a novelty, but not much more...

I've got one in a pot (mine is 'Hokkaido')... same idea, basically.
I meant to get around to 'bonsai'ing it', but realize I have no clue what to do with it.
So it has sat in a pot for 6-7 yrs. Too twiggy, altogether untidy.
One of these days I'll get around to it.
It seems I've got lots of pots, plans for which seem to have gone awry...

The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry.

~Burns

Yo, Adrienne!

~Sly Stallone

Those are not the droids you're looking for.

~Obi Wan Kenobe

You can never have too many viburnums.

~VV

hee hee.
Here is a wise saying that just popped into my head. I overheard a ski instructor saying it to a kid who had crashed-

Good judgment comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgment.

I really like that one. Especially for us gardeners.

p.s. VV My 'Blue Muffin' is now about 10'x12' and growing fast. Maybe I have one too many viburnums.

VV, it may warm your heart to know that I have a bunch of odd viburnums loitering in pots, too

V x globosum Jermyn's Globe
V. cinnamomifolium
V. harryanum
V. obovatum Mrs Schiller's Delight

Being a unrepentant zone pusher, I was going to try harryanum & cinnamomifolium outside.
After last winter, and now being a temporarily cured former zone pusher,
I'm glad I never got around to it.
I'll leave them in pots.
The other two might make it around here, so still plan to plant out at some point.

This message was edited May 21, 2014 7:19 AM

Wee:

Among the many things you still haven't gotten around to in life, consider these additions...

• Inviting me by for a look-see

• Posting for us - and adding to PlantFiles - images of those viburnums and your comments, since several of them have no pictures and others only from one contributor, and many members here have probably not heard of or seen these plants

• Describe your pot care-taking process, for others here to compare to and maybe be inspired by

It does warm my heart, and it must be a bit of inherent Missouri blood that says SHOW ME.

Yes please Wee!

Now, please, you know I'm not shy about posting pictures!
But, trust me, these guys aren't ready for prime time.
Or, to be fair, when they were strutting their stuff, I might have been at work,
or just asleep at the wheel.
At any rate, harryanum was all budded up this spring and all I got were a couple totally out-of-focus pictures. I'll post the 'best' ones to show what I mean (#1&2). It's an embarrassment. I must not have had my glasses on. I shot an after-the-fact picture today (#3), showing what you missed. And cinnamomifolium had this great textured foliage going on, then some insect proceeded to carve him up, I swear he lost more than half his foliage. Not looking his finest.

You know I'll post decent pictures if I can nurture them to decent health.
At present, none of these are going anywhere near plant files.

And VV, you're welcome any time. My woodland 'garden' may be a mess, all my exotic plants felled by the polar vortex, varmints accosting me from all sides, but I have some fine Italian reds which always enhance the view.

Now, you are talkin'...I will take you up on the beverage.

As to your modesty about images: I think thou dost protesteth too much.

I really don't see anything out of focus on these images, and posted with a descriptive tag line of date/place/condition, I think PlantFiles will be better off for having them. Especially the third one, which might say "fertilized flowers ready to start generating fruit May 2014" or some such.

Even pictures of just foliage, or just stems, or just dormant buds - all of these images inform and educate those who don't know the plant.

I know I've posted worse - not that it is something to be proud of - but when there are no other images to work with, it's something. One can always request an image be deleted when new/better ones are made available.

I especially like that second pic - those flowers are unique to me in the Viburnum world. Thank you for that.

My thoughts exactly.

Thanks Wee, those pics are so much better than none...and better than some of mine.