My decision was made as a result of not being able to acquire the dwarf pine I had my eye on for the last two weeks. I was being cheap and waiting for it to go on sale. Unfortunately, I was not the only person thinking about it, someone else beat me to it. While looking for an alternative, I came across the Oriental Pompon in the unwanted sale area of the nursery. It looked as if it had been left all summer without any care. The pompons had been allowed to grow into each other and the plant was almost back to a conical shape. As a result, it was 75% off from its normal price. It was too good a deal to pass on, so I bought it.
Although centered with the curved edging, I still have some space to add a low growing, flowering plant just to the left of the plant (or in front, if viewing the image directly above).
Once planted, I decided to trim the plant back into shape.
before and after trimming
I didn't want to take off too much growth, but there was a lot of dead brown growth underneath the top pom. Unfortunately, I accidentally snipped a large branch from the top front. However, I'm confident it will eventually fill in. When viewed from the sides, the trimming looks pretty good.
side views
Overall, I am happy with the plant. It should grow to about 8 feet, but as a slow grower, it will take many years to get there. In effect it will be like having a large Bonsai, and to be honest, I really enjoy the time and effort it takes to trim and maintain.
