Our experiences sound very similar. I agree it has fabulous cooling properties and it certainly seems to support a huge amount of insect life, which in turn attracts the birds, especially tiny ones. Both red and green woodpeckers visit mine regularly, as do the blue tits and gold finches. It's only the pigeons I discourage. 😉
I'm thinking there should be some obligation on nurseries that advertise trees as slow growing. Or suitable for small spaces. When they then grow huge. I would never had considered this tree if it had said it grew to more than 2m in 10 years🤔
The problem is that the rate of growth is also determined by your conditions - ie soil, climate and location. It's impossible to judge it without knowing that. It may also have been incorrectly labelled to start with.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I share your frustration, @saraht2911. It is very disappointing when you are trying to do your best for plants to find you have not been given full disclosure. I suppose the bottom line is nurseries want to sell their stock, so the labels act as the most favourable interpretation. I have learned that if a plant is advertised as flowering from "June to July", for example, that could mean 8 weeks, or it could mean 2-3! Saying "late June to early July" might be more accurate but would presumably harm sales.
I believe labels are designed to sell the plants. Most of us have modest gardens and so plants are labelled as growing smaller to get sales and anything over that size is explained as just good growing conditions. It's hard when you are at a nursery but if you look online you can normally see a range of potential sizes.
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It may also have been incorrectly labelled to start with.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
It's hard when you are at a nursery but if you look online you can normally see a range of potential sizes.