hey

i am not aware of a dwarf ... probably because i have not been looking ....

but i can give you some observations on the non-dwarf ...

though not a poplar.. they are a very aggressive growing tree ... so i doubt you will do well in pots ... for very long... because you will outgrow it fast ...

in mineral sand.. with no fert ever... and only watering for 2 years .... i would think i was/am getting 3 to4 feet per year ....

no tree ever really stops growing at some magical height ... so you will never find a MAX height ...

google your common name.. find the latin name... and then add ANNUAL GROWTH RATE ... and you ought to be able to learn about its potential .... but also.. if you see one listed at less than the otherwise norm.. then that will be a dwarf.. and if you can associate a name with it ... then bob's your uncle .....

in other words.. a reduced annual growth rate... is the definition of a dwarf ....

from two foot tall mail order sticks 11 years ago ... most of mine are going over 30 feet tall ....

why are you limiting yourself to pots .... i really dont see this huge tree.. as a friend you will be taking on your travels... lol ...

IMHO .. your only option... should you insist on pots... is BONSAI ....

ken

ps: i wonder on bonsai ... if you would have this tiny mature tree... with a whompin big flower ... lol .... i might have to google that .... i did.. but no luck ... and then the coffee hit.. and i gave up.. WWW not moving fast enough.. lol ....

Miniature cultivar 'Ardis' was selected in 1957 but is probably not available now - try a web search to see if any listings appear.

Thanks for the responses guys!

And the reason why I asked some questions about putting them in pots and such is because I'll be heading off to college, and I want to plant a tree that is a great source of nectar so in the future when I keep bees they'll love it. I won't be living with my parents forever, hopefully lol, and I just wanted to see if I could keep them in a pot for a number of years until I get my own place and such. But it doesn't seem like it'll work unless it's a dwarf tree. But thanks for the info!

'Ardis' is not really dwarf. It is smaller than the species, but still can be a decent sized tree. We have a plot of them in a horticulture trial here and they are about 20' tall and have a dense oval crown and leaves about 1/3rd size of the typical form.

Yes, the tree and leaves are a fraction of typical. When the species grows like, 60' (200') tall one 20' tall is definitely significantly smaller.

Nick, trees will still be around by the time you buy a house ;-)

Might as well just wait until you are ready to move in and purchase some young healthy stock.

Now there is nothing wrong with growing some trees in pots for years as an experiment and with proper up potting and root pruning, you could even plant them out eventually. But this is a lot of work compared to just waiting until you actually move to purchase your trees.

John

college.. eh...

so you are thinking about growing a tree .. that grow 3 to 5 feet per year for 4 years...

what size pot will you be contemplating ... on a 4 year old.... 20 foot tree???? .. i am trying to picture it growing out your dorm window ... lol..

i really like your DREAM A LITTLE DREAM thinking ...

but i dont see you all that much ahead of the ball... by the time you have somewhere to plant them ...

ken

Nick, plant your tree in a pot ...experience will enrich you.