Dear Abby, How do I downsize?

[Enfield Snapper]

It looks like I'll be moving to a new apartment soon. I'll still be in the Portland area, but space for plants is very limited, so I'll have to cull quite a bit. It's a first floor patio that faces pretty much directly West and basically everything will have to fit on a fairly small set of shelves, so no real room for big trees. I'm looking for some advice on how to cull based on the conditions. My preference is for conifers, but the orientation of the complex is a bit of a concern. Would I be able to keep a sun-loving conifer alive for a year or two even if it doesn't thrive? Everything I've got is in early development at this point.

What I want to keep the most:
Azalea - it's my wife's
Rose - also for my wife
Emerald Spreader Japanese yew
Japanese Black Pine
Wolterdingen Japanese Larch
'Not Minerva' Japanese quince
Amur Maple
Seiju Elm

Everything else:
Douglas Fir - I may be able to plant it somewhere nearby for future re-collection
Indian Magic Crabapple - for my 5-year-old daughter, but it's too big
Crimson Pygmy Japanese barberry
Sango Kaku Japanese Maple (Six feet tall)
A few regular Japanese maple seedlings
Devinely Blue Deodar cedar
Dawn Redwood
Bald Cypress
Toyo Nishiki Japanese Quince
Chinese Elm (kind of janky)
Root cutting from above janky elm
Lemon Cypress
A couple mystery conifers (Cypress I think)
Mystery pine seedling
Linden seedling

Firefly heather
English lavender
Bee balm

Some of these will probably be going to my parents to be planted in the ground. But they're hours away, so I won't be able to do much work with them, if any. Some will likely stay there forever. I'll be talking to them more about that. Some of these are listed mostly in case someone local is interested in any. Nothing is certain at this point. I can post pictures later.

 

[RKatzin]

You can certainly keep your trees in less than desirable sun. You may see increased leaf size and longer than desirable extension of the new growth and some paler green foliage, but most trees will be okay.

 

[Owen Reich]

The Portland club is strong. I’m certain you could post something if allowed and find homes for what you don’t keep. Get the Lumos or other app, set up on phone at new spot, and see how many hours of direct sun it will receive. Then you’ll know, and people can advise.

 

[Enfield Snapper]

Thanks, @RKatzin. That means I can focus more on the ones I like the most without worrying too much about them. I don't think it will be more than a year, maybe two at the most. And I don't have anything in refinement, so I'm not too concerned about long internodes or leaf size at this point.

Thanks, @Owen Reich. I'll have some overlap between apartments, so I can get a better idea of what the light will be like before I make final decisions. It should be similar to what I've got here on my balcony, which this time of year doesn't get direct sun until about 4:00 in the afternoon. I am a member of the club, but pretty much all my material is little more than nursery stock - some essentially untouched. It seems like all the announcements I've seen about sales are from people with more developed material or fields of trees. I'll keep it in mind, though.

 

[RKatzin]

I don't envy you one bit, but I feel your pain. I've been trying to downsize my lot for two years running and it's the toughest decision to come to terms with. I've managed to consolidate and reduce pot sizes, but backfilled that space with new acquisitions. I'm way behind on my buy one get rid of one agreement I made with myself.
Best of luck to you and I hope you come upon a solution. Considered temporary foster care?

 

[Enfield Snapper]

I don't envy you one bit, but I feel your pain. I've been trying to downsize my lot for two years running and it's the toughest decision to come to terms with. I've managed to consolidate and reduce pot sizes, but backfilled that space with new acquisitions. I'm way behind on my buy one get rid of one agreement I made with myself.
Best of luck to you and I hope you come upon a solution. Considered temporary foster care?

I should be able to take back pretty much anything that goes in my parents' yard. But they will all have to go in the ground so they don't have to worry about watering. Time in the ground could end up being a good thing for any trees I take back later. I plan to just give them a few as well.

 

[badatusernames]

ive been wondering this too, but more because i have a fukean tea tree that is apparently the only tea tree that wont die

gonna put it in a terra cotta grow pot and see if theres literally anything i can do it it, maybe itll catch something when i do that haha

shoulda listened to the folks who said not to get it years ago

 

[Rivka]

Have you moved yet? I live in portland and have a larger property, im might be open to talk about letting you set aside a corner and get things in the ground and come back some day for them. Or even make a date to come trim them once or twice a year to start working them into a good prebonsai stock.

***unless you are some creepy jerk of course

 

[Enfield Snapper]

Have you moved yet?

Yeah, I've been moved in for a while. My parents took quite a few things and my mother in law took a few. I sold the coral bark, the Larch never woke up, and I lost a couple plants with the heatwave in June. So I even have a little empty space now. Thanks for the offer, though.

I saw you at the Summer Soiree, by the way. We both went to talk to John Eads after his grafting demo. I had on a green hat and probably sunglasses. I'll introduce myself next time I see you.

 

[Rivka]

Yeah I remember you, super helpful demo as well!