I am in my second growing season with these. They have already tripled in size. They are still somewhat narrow, but they are growing very well. I didn't plant them in exceptionally good soil. So I have been very pleased with their growth. I am hoping that with one more growing season they will get thicker and wider so they will provide the shade that I desire. But I am overall very pleased. It's actually fun watching them grow. You can see a visible difference from week to week.