For having the variety that Nick does he could charge anything he wants. The only way most of us could get a hold of those apples is by going to the USDA and trying to get them imported through the Brogdale trust. He's also around 85 years old and bustin' it out into the Oregon winter - I only say this 'cause I want to be him when I grow up - Rickster

Rick, my favorite apple seems to change every time someone asks, but from last year I now have particularly fond memories of Margil, Gold Rush, and Freyburg. I think Gold Rush and Freyburg will also go over well with kids, plenty of crisp and sweet there. If you look in the archives of this forum you will find some good discussions on favorite apples. It sounds like you are going to pass me on varieties in a few years, I am at about 500 now but not much room for more. Feel free to send me an email next winter if you are looking for something you can't find on my list. I have been "done adding things" for the past several years but there always seem to be a few new things I just have to cram in somewhere! Scott

Chris, mine's on 111 and it does seem like a spurry tree that could easily get runted out on a full dwarfing rootstock. The small tree in my nursery had a lot of fruit for such a young tree. Should have removed them to keep the tree growing vigorously. Sometimes you can coax a runt back to vigor by cutting off spurs and favoring only newest growth.

I was having trouble finding any record of a deciduous azalea named "Topaz". Searching various catalogs, I found: "Gold Topaz", an Exbury azalea from Glendoick Nursery in Scotland. Looking in Ken Cox's book "Rhododendrons & Azaleas, A Colour Guide" there is a listing: "Goldtopas, Orange-yellow, strongly blotched orange. Dark-green foliage is reddish brown on the young growth, probably the best of any Exbury hybrid. One of the most impressive yellow-hybrids, but we don't find it all that easy to propagate. Hachmann" Looking for "Goldtopas" there is a photo at: http://www.rhodogarden.com/main/deciduous_azalea_hybrids.html where it describes "Goldtopas" as: Knap Hill azalea 'Goldtopas' Parentage: ('Cecile' x 'Klondyke') x 'Marion Merriman', Hachmann, 1983. Habit: Compact wide habit. Height 1 m in ten years. Flowers: Vivid yellow to light orange yellow with a strong orange blotch. Flower size 6.5 to 7.5 cm. Cold Hardiness: -15°F, -26°C. Having gone through this, Glendoick in Scotland and Hachmann in Germany are the only sources I can find and that is for "Goldtopas". I don't have the slightest idea how to get one to Tennessee. Here is a link that might be useful: Kristian Theqvist's photo of Goldtopas