In a previous home we lived in there was a beautiful tree near the corner of the house. The man who built the home loved anything oriental and had traveled to the orient bringing back many ideas for this house. The tree was about 6' to 8' tall. It looked somewhat like a Balsam, with short needles. These needles were very silky and soft. In the fall all the needles dropped from the tree and grew back in the spring. Does anyone have any idea what this tree is called. I would love to have another one. Thanks!
Sounds like a larch, a baldcypress, or a dawn redwood; they are all deciduous conifers. Can you post a photo?
silky and soft? I would lean to bald cypress (Taxodium) or dawn redwood (Metasequoia) as Micheal mentioned.
Six to eight feet tall? Oriental? I'd be leaning toward Larch, rather. Maybe a grafted one, like Larix 'Pendula', which wouldn't put on too much height.