Maybe try here

http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/rmgard

one thing for sure .. nothing is magically going to stay within your width dreams.. AND get the height you want ...

which them means.. you become a master pruner ... and that shouldnt be all that big a deal ...

everything is available .... it just a matter of price and size .... what is often not available.. is instant gratification ... meaning the size you want yesterday ....

talk with a local high end nursery.. and see if they can order in.. whatever you wish/decide on ..... now is the time to do such.. for spring delivery ....

ken''

ps: havent heard a screaming crab .... lol

'Sky Pencil' Holly. If the crabapple is that old it may be close to screaming it's last scream ;)

Thanks for the comments.

Ken: only pink faunal and floral crabs scream. But when they scream, they scream PINK! And I do know I'm in for pruning adventures--that's ok. Believe it or not, originally there was a cherry tree planted 5' from the SPC (scmg pk crb). The cherries were delicious, but the tree succumbed to old age just as the house behind changed owners. Hence, the Skyrockets--my bad. And it is time to go to the nursery.

Logan: when I moved into the house, there was a tall privet and a short holly right next to each other on the NE corner of the house. The privet leaves showed chlorosis and the holly didn't grow. After adding soil sulphur, the privet recovered and the holly shot up. I eventually took out both due to lack of room. I don't think I want another holly due to soil ph. I think you're right about the SPC. I monitor it and it seems ok, but it's getting elderly.

Embo: I will cross post when I figure out how to do it. Just copy and paste?

Yes. Just copy and paste.

Good choice removing the privet. My neighbors used to have a large crabapple (not ornamental, fruiting) but it died about 3 years after they moved in. What is your USDA hardiness zone? I would like to suggest some type of loropetalum but I am not sure they will grow in your climate. Also, you may want to look at the berberis genus since they are closely related to mahonia, they may do well. I can't make any more specific suggestions because I don't know your hardiness zone.

The OP is in zone 7a in Idaho, it's in his address.

I have a dozen screaming azaleas. Your crab would be right at home in my landscape. I won't pretend to tell you what to grow in Idaho, visiting a local nursery (not Home Depot) for inspiration is an excellent idea.

Ok, since you are in zone 7 look at 'Purple Diamond' loropetalum and Berberis Juliane.

Sorry not a chance of the Loropetalum surviving where they are. It really isn't even hardy where I am in my part of USDA 8.

The barberry - even if able to grow in Idaho - is incredibly well armed, not for anyone unwilling to deal with this aspect. And there seems to be more than one species on the market under the name, with therefore varying degrees of hardiness perhaps involved.

I have 3 'Purple Diamond' loropetalum which have done really well in my area.

And you don't live in the west LOL.

The last real thinning of the herd level winter in my area was in 1990. Experiences of 5 or 10 years (or less) do not really demonstrate long term suitability.

Embo: the winter of 1990 was brutal here, also. This winter has been punishing to plants and people alike, but not like 1990.

Logan: hardiness zones here are thin and meandering. If I moved a mile away, I would be in zone 6, and that is what I plant for. Sorry to have misled you.

Cecily: plants that look as if they had been attacked with paintballs filled with Pepto Bismol can be hard on the eye. It's that particular shade of pink.

Barring too much additional snow, I will be visiting at least one nursery tomorrow.

Some progress to report.

The nursery had one suggestion--Russian laurel. I read about it, and am not even lukewarm. But they also suggested that a certified arborist assess the SPC for health and prune accordingly. That process will start next week, along with cutting down the Skyrockets, leaving me enough trunk stubs to use to rock the trees to completely remove them when the ground thaws. I've removed a mature lilac, so think I can do the junipers.

Sometimes, epiphanies that occur at 1 AM fall apart in the light of day. Let's see about this one: how about Philadelphus lewisii--the species, not a cultivar?

P lewisii grows here streamside, on rocky outcrops, and on talus slopes in the canyons. Shrubs in canyons get mid-day sun, but the canyon walls often block sun at other times of the day.

i know someone who has 3 P lewisii in her yard--two are shaded, and one is south-facing. The two shaded ones do better than the one that gets the most sun. Her plants originated as suckers from a plant that was mature in 1952, so are likely the species. I could take suckers from her plant, if there are any. Snow here is too deep and hard to see what's there. But, the plant is available at a native nursery in the vicinity.

What do you think? Would appreciate any feedback.