they are conifers.. should you wish to be enabled.. feel free to come on over .. to teh conifer forum ...

after 10 years.. mine is about 18 feet tall.. and 10 feet wide... one of my most aggressive non-pine conifers...

IMHO .... the absolute wrong plant for your site ...

with your modern house.. roots are NOT an issue.. forget about that ...

in my z5 ..... conifers are planted early spring.. or early fall ...

there are many that you could select.. that would NEVER need pruning .... i dont understand why you would set yourself up for that lifetime of labor ... Thuja occ. de groots spire and Picea glauca Pendula come to mind ... [time to learn some latin .. when you are in the tree/conifer world.. it really matters to insure we are all talking about the same plant] ....

when planting time comes.. insure you find and learn brandons planting guide .... see link .. no amending.. and PROPER WATERING/aftercare are the most important variables ....

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: link

Keeping at 10' is improbable/impossible - tree wants to grow 40+ feet.. You may be able to conifne spread depending on cultivar. Most named forms, like 'Strict Weeper', 'Jubilee', 'Green Arrow' and 'Van den Akker' emphasize a very narrow profile. I'd also not be overly concerned about roots and the foundation. These trees are not known for having an aggressive root system so if your foundation is structually sound, you have no worries in that regard.

Green arrow and the others would probably grow just as tall, right? I don't mind the look of the green arrow. The garden center a quarter mile from me had a bunch just labeled "Xanthocyparis nootkatensis" and nothing more so I'll have to ask. I guess I don't mind if it were to grow to 15", but too bad there doesn't seem to be a dwarf varity I really like the look.

Not as crazy as what some people attempt to plant near their house; I've seen weeping cherries 3' away from more than one McMansion in the DC suburbs. But yeah, bigger than what you want, and a waste of a nice plant. Put one out in the yard and find something smaller if you must have so-called foundation plants.

the nootka group.. has gone thru 3 or 4 name changes in the last few years.. and one of the options is the Xanthocyparis

but w/o a name in quotes after the two latin names.. you are talking about forest trees ..

you NEED NAMED CULTIVARS.. if you are looking for a type outside the giant green forest tree ... see link ...

let me be more clear ... odds are.. that you will NOT FIND WHAT YOU NEED... at bigboxstore.. or the local shotgun nursery ... you WILL EITHER HAVE TO MAIL ORDER.. OR HAVE YOUR NURSERY ORDER THEM IN.. carp.. hate when i forget the cap key .... for their next delivery ...

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: link