I would always advocate planting in a space large enough for the plant you are putting in, when mature. However, in every garden I have ever had, there are mature plants in too small spaces that I did not plant. Meet my Boardwalk Garden Dogwood. It lives at the drive edge where that garden ends. This puts it right in the middle of my view to the Sun Garden from my dining room window and my view to the drive from my kitchen window. Add to that the tiny space it is growing in and you begin to see my problem. My solution has been to hack it down every Fall. In this photograph, I have just completed that task. When I started, it was twice this height. I also take out all of the old wood stalks because I find that as the stalks age, they turn brown rather than the dark red of the young wood. I much prefer the red and removing the old wood keeps it airy, allowing light through. Although I often think I should move this Dogwood to the Sun Garden and plant a smaller, more decorative shrub in this spot, I know that is unlikely to happen soon. As long as it is happy being hacked down every Fall, I will probably happily avoid the huge job digging it would be. Especially when I have so much empty space to fill yet. It helps that it is a pretty Dogwood since everyone who arrives here has to walk by it if they are coming up to the house. If it were a Goatsbeard or Cotoneaster, I think I would have moved it long ago.
We have moved so many plants over the years because we didn't initially give them enough space. I learned that lesson a while ago but Kelly still struggles with it. That could be because he doesn't mind (in fact probably likes) moving things around. When it comes down to it, when something new needs a 5 foot space to grow, it looks pretty barren and lonely in the beginning. I do end up planting closer than I should, knowing that some of the perennials need to be considered temporary in that spot.
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