I purchased 14, 4-5ft Green Giants spring of 2010. Planted them all in a row along a fence line about 4 ft apart. All have survived so far but the first summer we had minimal growth. Now mid way through the second summer, 2011, they are established and they are really taking off. Some have grown by 3-4 ft and expanding at the base by 2-3 ft diameter! Great fast growth! We fed them a couple of times with miracle grow and water them a 1-2 times a week since it has been a dry summer so far. Cant wait to see how they do next year.