I feel for you... Someone in the family needs to get a Lawyer out there and have the Power of Attorney paperwork drafted up and signed... If you don't - things as simple as dealing with medical issues when his condition worsens becomes an absolute nightmare - because the doctors will be forced to try to get his consent when he has no idea of what they are saying.... Anyway, on your plants... Do whatever you can do as fast as you can.... The longer you wait around - the more likely they will all die. Not sure if you have them in your yard or on his property or if they haven't showed up yet..... If they are in your possession - get them in the ground or they will all die... and you will loose 100% of your money... Even if you have to rent a trench machine and plant them in the yard at your house... That will give you time... You will then have 1 to 2 years to deal with them - as they will still be reasonably small in 2 years... A last idea is to just go back to Grandpa and tell him that the trees he wanted are here and you need to get them in the ground... and then go plant them. You may not reap any benefit from them - but the trees won't die.... Likely it would take 10-15 years to get anything out of the Pecans - so time is on your side.... Thanks

My reccollection is PA is a good state for nurseries. You might have a good one within a reasonable distance from you. Otherwise, shipping is the way to go. Ernst Conservation Seeds in PA has some as well as seed in bulk. http://www.ernstseed.com/ I have gotten great stuff previously from Wildlife Nurseries, Inc., P.O. Box 2724, Oshkosh, WI 54903 Tel: 920/231-3780 Fax: 920/231-3554. I don't think they have a website but they are a pleasure to deal with on the phone. Their wetland selection is particularly good and diverse compared to most. I previously got bareroot shrubs and trees in great condition from Musser Forests. They have since added various perrennials, etc. http://www.musserforests.com/browse.asp?m=3&p=800

Not that I should really be offering much advice around here, since, after all, I am the "newbie", but I've been doing quite a bit of reading on the David Austin roses (mostly the rose forums, but also books and other websites). The two crimson David Austin roses that have been recommended way more than any others are The Prince and William Shakespeare 2000. I've been ordering my DAs from Pickering and Chamblees. Both places sounded awesome both on the Dave's Garden website and the rose forums. Since all of my roses are brand new from them this year, I can't really vouch for these places longterm. All the roses I received from them looked great to my admittedly inexperienced eyes. Both places were very reasonably priced, even including shipping. I started out shopping locally in the northern VA area, and I agree completely with susanchristine about the high prices on roses around here. I think that ordering was definitely a good way to go! Thanks again for all your help with selecting some great roses for this newbie! :-) --Charlene

>>Topsoil depth guesstimate is about 6" nearest foundation and drops gradually over next 10 feet-this area will be for bedding plants. Topsoil depth guesstimate for lawn starting 10' out from foundation: 4" That's extremely deep and would invalidate the Logan test. Four inches covers most of the feeder root depth for grasses. So although the tests here are good for the rest of the lawn, the top soil area is an unknown. Wait and see if it ends up that deep, it does seem like an awful lot of top soil. The results of the test: Total Exchange Capacity 8.15: Consistent with the soil test. While optimal is 10 to 15, this is not a problem in the slightest. Soil ph 7.5: It's good we recommended no lime as it would be exactly the wrong response in this soil. Your pH is already thrown somewhat high, although this is no barrier to a gorgeous lawn. But let's not throw it out of whack any further than it already is. % Organic Matter 4.13: In the Good range, but with the lower EC and high pH, I'd recommend adding OM slowly over the next few years. That will tend to raise the EC somewhat and make the pH matter less. ANIONS Sulfur: p.p.m 14: Perfect. Phosphorus lbs/acre 133: A little low. I recommended starter fertilizer below. CATIONS Calcium 2528 (desired 2216) Magnesium 242 (desired 234) Potassium 272 (desired 254) Sodium 72 (pounds per acre) >>I don't report on these directly, I use them as a basis for adjusting soils. Base Saturation % Calcium 77.55 (60 to 70%): In perfect range, although on the high side of it. Excess Ca isn't a problem. Magnesium 12.37 (10-20%): In perfect range. Potassium 4.28 (2 to 5%): In perfect range (which is rare for K). Sodium 1.91 (.5-3%): High. This, in combination with your otherwise perfect cations above, is sending the pH too high. At this time, I'm not going to change it. Let's see if it leaches out. Other Bases 3.90 (variable): Everything else. This is pretty normal. Exchangable Hydrogen 0.00 (10 to 15%)**: Zero because of your high pH. Trace Elements Boron p.p.m. 0.23: Low. Boron's critical for photosynthesis and meristem development and differentiation. Recommendations below. Iron p.p.m. 167.0: Technically OK, but this won't produce good color in the lawn. Use Milorganite as desired to raise this and raise the OM at the same time. Manganese p.p.m. 16.0 Copper p.p.m. 3.97 Zinc p.p.m. 3.4 Aluminum p.p.m 678.0 These four are fine (Al isn't used, it's actually toxic, but not available until pH drops into the low-5 range). Zn is technically out of whack when compared to the others, but I'm not inclined to fiddle with it. Recommendations: May 1: Apply starter fertilizer at bag rate. June 1: Apply starter fertilizer at bag rate. June 15: Apply 3 tablespoons per thousand square feet of 20 Mule Team borax (use Milorganite as a carrier to even the distribution and get this tiny amount down). September 1: Apply starter fertilizer at bag rate. September 15: Apply 3 tablespoons per thousand square feet of 20 Mule Team borax.