why dont you mail order them???? ... see link ..

btw.. you are talking about conifers.. not shrubs ...

anyway .... obviously.. for $3.50 you are going SMALL!!!!

call girards ..... and see how much bigger they can mail and still be price efficient ...

and.. keep in mind... EVERY conifer has an annual growth rate ... and most.. will continue to grow at that rate forever .... w/o researching.. i am going to guess this one is about 3 to 6 inches per year... MOST SIZE ESTIMATES ARE AT 10 YEARS .... and from 10 years on.. they will continue to grow at the annual rate ... [or... divide 3 feet (your est.) .. 36 inches by 10 years.. and your growth rate is about 3.6 inches per year .. go figure on that .. lol ]

so its a matter of what size you buy them.. how well they prosper [might be questionable at a school] .. and how fast you can run away from the project.. lol ...

i bet.. even with shipping.. you can mail order cheaper than buying local ...

good luck

ken

PS: note that they have a secondary name for the plant at the link ... so search both names

Here is a link that might be useful: link

Thanks for the link Ken. I was actually looking for larger plants b/c they would more then likely withstand the abuse the kids can give better then the smaller ones. The PTA has approved the money to buy larger plants. Most mail order plants are VERY small, so I want to stay away from them. Some fast growing perennials might be worth it but we're only getting 3 perennials (3 sedum 'autumn joy').

Here are a few:
Pinus strobus UCONN Gold (Porterhowse Nursery)
Chamaecyparis pisifera Juniperoides Aurea (soft can be sheared).
Chamaecyparis pisifera Golden Mop (can be sheared).
Chamaecyparis obtusa Fernspray Gold

Dax

go to the link ...

use the zip code seller finder it find who they might supply in your area .... i think i have seen that at this site ...

if that fails.. call them ... if they allow such ...

they are one of the biggest suppliers in the US ....

at worst .... try ordering them in for spring delivery to a local supplier ....

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: link

I know this isn't what you asked but I was thinking that when kids (and adults) 'cut through' it's usually because they are taking the most logical route from a to b. Just a thought but would it be less of an uphill battle to make a path through the bed and use the money for more plantings elsewhere? Or is there a safety issue about the short cut? In which case would something prickly work, maybe a variegated holly which is evergreen although not a conifer?

Golden euonymous will work but needs to be trimmed. There are smaller dwarf varieties...unless deer are an issue.

forensicmom - generally speaking - where is your "area"?

Just learned a new expression (to me) for these cut through paths. They are apparently known as 'desire lines' which I think is rather charming.