Hi Duane. What part of Western Oregon do you live in?
I live west of Salem about 20 miles.
I put them in an area that tends to stay dry, in fact that area is only good for drought tolerant plants.
I amended the soil in the spot I planted in, so it would hold more moisture, yet still drain well. We get so much rain in the winter and spring.
I also planted them pretty deep. For winter I put a lot of mulch around them. The trunk dies back, but the plant came back for two years from the stub under the mulch.
That is until the dog dug them up.
