I thought that was their approx suze @ maturity, no?

then track down a much slower growing plant ...

see link ... note potential size is way beyond al the numbers above ...

bottom line .. buy the old standard cheap .. and do what you wish to it ... worse case.. you get rid of it at some point ... so what

i learned more just doing it ... than ever did worrying about it .. and that includes removing mistakes ...

ken

https://www.google.com/search?q=Golden+Mop+Cypress&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi6vs3M8PfLAhVDkYMKHV3nDqAQ_AUICCgC&biw=994&bih=745&dpr=0.9

Ken I'm confused. Links you provided don't show a much Larger shrub, 4x4 Max. Am I missing somethinf

conifers are trees .. they NEVER stop growing ... most size estimates are at ten years ... presume they can be twice as big in 20 ...

i obviously cant add a scale to the link pix.. many look at least 4 to 6 feet tall to me .... which was way beyond OPs thinking ...

anything can be topiary into what ever you want to make it.. but to be clear ... ITS NOT A SHEARING THING.... just invest in some decent hand pruners.. and get a 6 pack .. and just get up close and personal with it.. once a year ... tend toward less ... you can always take more off later.. you cant staple the cutting back on ...

and on these plants it not all that hard ...

just do it.. and learn .. consider the plant disposable.. if you really screw it up ...

but my original point was .... get a named variety with a slower annual growth rate ... and it will be less work.. to cram it into a small space ....

ken

ps: with a little research.. they might even be rootable ... the cuttings ....

https://www.google.com/search?q=conifer+topiary&biw=994&bih=745&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi6r7-NpfjLAhWosIMKHRgPBZ8Q_AUIBygC&dpr=0.9

OP, if it grows to this size, it's obviously not the right size for your space, or for mine. as I, too, was considering this conifer but had only seen the 3x3' size when reviewing images

That is something that I do not want at age 70 you would not want to have it either. Something that is a nice small brush is what I would like something that you don't have to trim.

No trimming is required if the plant is sited in an appropriate location - right place, right plant!! And the growth is slow - this is considered a dwarf so will only put on about 3 or so inches a year - so not likely to hit a large size any time soon. And there is a limit on exactly how big it will get.......the more mature the plant and closer to its genetically programmed size, the slower growth will be, almost to the point of being unnoticeable. Yes, in 25 years it may be larger than you wish but will that be a big deal then? And if it is sited where it can get to that larger size without interference, it should be even less of a big deal.

OTOH, you could pick something like Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Golden Pin Cushion', which has a similar (but not identical) appearance and only gets about 1/3 to 1/2 the size of Golden Mops.

much of the potential we are talking about.. might not be much of a concern .. for a 70 year old ...

and it depends on the size you buy ... if we are talking about buying a small one foot plant ... it could be 10 or 15 years .. before you have a problem ... and by then.. you might not care in the least ...

ken

Thank You, Ken, I did not want something that would grow fast.