My orchard is on a rocky hillside and seems happy growing there. The same trees are growing down in the valley on level ground. The difference is the amount of work I must do. Picking from a ladder on a hillside is not easy. Therefor I try to keep my trees short. Using my tractor on a hillside is dangerous, and the roll bars to protect me in case of a rollover will not fit under a short tree. I am forced to cultivate with a roto tiller, not easy on a hillside. My soil is clay/loam and takes rain without runoff and is not subject to slides. I hope this gives you something to think about. Al

dirtslinger, I did a search and I'm sorry to report that my suggestion has proved also fruitless. I had met Ms Hoag at "Canada Blooms", a large garden show that's held in the Toronto area for many years and seen her on TV and heard on many radio gardening shows so that my suggestion to enquire at her nursery was genuine in my belief she was still in business. Evidently, that's not the case any more. Sad! Still, I suggest you e-mail some of the larger nurseries in your area and ask them where or who might lead you to your plant.

Ladies, sorry about the confusion. I honestly didn't realize that this was strictly a trading website. I merely registered and thought that it was a good idea to post here. As for myself, I'm interested in trading for an aloe plant and trading or buying champagne grape plants (red and white). Have a great day all and enjoy summer gardening!

No, they have not been doing well. Several years ago, in North Texas, a man who had been raising irises let them go to rack and ruin. I dug them up and put them in my 1 acre small garden. Then I went on the road and also left them. I've added mulch, fertilizer, etc when I was home...but that was only every four months or so. No one watered or did anything when I was gone. Now we are back full time and I want to do it right. I don't know what I have, but they were big and healthy, now many are gone and what's left looks terrible. I spent the last five days pulling up the weeds and getting to see what is left. When I planted them, since most were not blooming, I planted them in about the same clumps they were in originaly. I put them in rows, in checkerboard fashion, hoping to be able to fill in after they bloomed. I do know the first year, they were beautiful. Most bloomed in the spring, but different ones were blooming most of the summer. My daughter is planning on planting about 8 fruit trees interpersed with the irisis. Currently they have full sun, and in the summer in Texas that's a lot..as I said we probably average 99-100 July, August and maybe half of Sept. I really appreciate your reply. Hopefully, I can get what's left back to snuff.