I can relate to the clay soil. I use wood chips for paths so I can walk around even when things are waterlogged. I know this will generate some discussion, on several issues, but here is what I did with clay and wood chips. I made a new bed in clay/sandstone, and I dug in quite a bit of partially broken down wood chips. I first hired a backhoe to dig out the huge rocks. Lots of subsoil got mixed around in the process, but the "topsoil" was about as bad. I dumped about 8 inches of wood chips on top along with some non-organic fertilizer (It was what I had, and budget was limited) plus some chicken manure (free for cleaning out a chicken house.. next time will wear a good mask!) I turned it with a spading fork, a little at a time when I had time. Over the winter I double-dug it, a bit at a time. It was getting pretty well broken down. The next spring I spaded in some more manure and some bagged compost, and planted tomatoes in one end. I had to fertilize again with some non organic fertilizer, but I had a good crop. Over the rest of the area, I planted a buckwheat/cowpea mixture and turned in, several crops over the summer. I planted a winter cover crop last fall (oats, vetch, fava beans, peas). This spring I turned it in, along with some homemade compost to the area to be planted in tomatoes. I have canned lots and lots of tomatoes already this year. The soil is starting to look like real garden soil. In last year's tomato area, I have bush beans, blackeyed peas, and some peanuts just for fun. Earlier this spring I had snow peas with good yield. I have used no chemical fertilizer this year. I am finding earthworms, where there were none. I am not having drainage problems, despite heavy rains, in the former clay. All the hard labor is paying off, but I was not keen to repeat it. All that for a 12 by 30 veggie garden. So.. I took a different tack for the next project. I had an area next to concrete and thick with bermuda grass. It needed a flower bed. I layered newspaper, wood chips, manure, and more wood chips. The idea was to have a nice bed in a year, free of bermuda grass. The bermuda loves it. Thick, lush... I am mowing it. I will have to resign myself to another winter and spring of hard labor. In the long run the soil will be good. Another use for wood chips: "mulch trenches". I have a sloped lot. Heavy rain runs off, the clay erodes and what's left bakes hard. I have dug several trenches with the pickaxe, perpendicular to the flow of water. I filled them with wood chips, and overfilled one to make a raised path across the drainage area. The trenches trap the rain water. During wet weather, they provide some drainage and keep the area in between the trenches from being waterlogged. During the dry spells, the trenches are small "reservoirs" for what little rain we get. During the downpours, some silt washes into the trenches, rather than down the hill. When I do get ready to do something with this area in a few years, the wood chips in the trenches should be well rotted. I am already getting grass and wildflowers (OK, weeds) back in an area that was nothing but an eroded ditch. I love wood chips. I get them by the pickup load free at the city greenwaste place. They usually save the good stuff (rotted, mixed, partially composted) for the commercial outfits that buy it by the truckload. I have learned that if I go on a Sunday morning, with coffee and homemade cookies, when the big trucks aren't there, the stuff they put in the pickup is a lot richer and darker.

Here on the east coast there is one nursery that I would recommend visiting, Sylvan's Nursery in Westport, MA. They have hundreds of conifers and specialize in "landscape size" trees and shrubs although they have huge supplies of small affordable plants. They have several "farms" and cover a total of 350 acres or so. They are mostly wholesale but if you sign in and sign out (I guess in case you get lost) they let you roam around the greenhouses and grounds; they'll even drive you in a golf cart. I don't know why they even let me in there as I have seen professionals buying tens of thousands of dollars worth of premium stock. They do, and they are always very friendly and treat me just as well with my $60 purchase as the guy next to me shelling out thousands; of course the mark-up is higher with me (5% discount for cash though). Prices for the premium stuff is premium and the smaller stuff is higher than the box stores, but they no doubt probably have what you want, when you want it and the size you want at a fair price. Anyway, it is worth the trip (probably not from Oregon) as they are located along the Westport River and Buzzard's Bay and it is God's country. Don't go at 3 PM as the irrigation goes off (strange, they always say to water in the early AM) no matter what and you will get soaked. Not bad if its hot. I'm jealous of all the great places and choices you have in the Northwest, but thought I would give a plug for some decent people here. Here is a link that might be useful: Sylvan's nursery

This week I'll review my experiences with Stanley and Sons nursery. ***************************** STANLEY AND SONS ***************************** Stanley and Sons Inc. is a Wholesale nursery located in NW Oregon. They have specialized in rare and unusual conifers and Japanese maples since the mid-1970s with some ten acres of nursery grounds and grafting/offering more then 2000 different conifers. While they are 'wholesale', they do occasionally offer their wares to avid collectors, provided you meet certain requirements. Since Stanley and Sons is a wholesale seller, often the prices of the plants are unbeatable. To acquire such plants, retailers or collectors usually must have a retail nursery or membership into the ACS - American Conifer Society. Also, orders must contain a minimum number of plants(depending on the size of the plants). www.stanleyandsons.com Inventory: ***** S&S has the largest overall offering of conifers that I'm aware of online. Offering some 2,000+ conifers, including new ones every year from Holland/New Zealand, they offer both common plants you might find at Lowes, to very rare plants seldom seen in any but the most exclusive online nurseries. They also offer large stock supplies of many of their conifers, with some conifer inventories listed in the thousands. For the retailer, S&S offers a gigantic selection of very well priced conifers covering both large and small. I have friends who run a landscaping business and they have recently pledged future funds in return for unique conifers to provide their customers landscapes. I have also found S&S to be an extremely reliable source to find rare and unusual conifers - particularly 'large upright' conifers that I've had a very hard time finding online. Stock quality/size: **** S&S offers many sized plants, but the overwhelming majority of plants listed for sale are 4" pot and 1 gallon sized plants. S&S does offer 3-gallon and 10-gallon(or larger) plants, but these are much less common and are also sometimes too large to ship via UPS. The size of the plants varies from small one-year grafts to large, overflowing plants that are 3-5 years old or more. I've ordered a half dozen plants in three gallon sizes and I was impressed every time. Generally speaking, the 4" pots are 'starter' plants, often very recent cuttings. Where the size might be lacking is more then made up for in quality - Stanley and Sons offers some of the healthiest looking plants I've experienced from any nursery online. General experience/Customer service: *** Stanley and Sons has an impressive packaging/shipping routine. Every conifer is well labled with size/habit details and every box is extremely well packaged. Shipping for me here in the Northwest is both inexpensive and very quick, usually overnight. Of course I live within 3 hours of S&S nurseries, so East coast travel times may be longer. Stanley and Sons is a WHOLESALE nursery, so they operate much differently then other nurseries you may have experienced. From what I have seen and read here on these forums, it can be difficult to contact them directly and they may even scold customers from calling/asking specific details. Really, any collector/conifer enthusiast should be happy enough if they are offered these conifers in the first place. Complaints/pestering, etc. are not likely to be well received, especially given the huge discount you're already looking at on very fine plants. Orders are usually placed online with a pre-given CC# and confirmation of the order is usually given in 24 to 48 hours. Sometimes stock may not be present even if it shows on their availability list - again, another aspect of the wholesale industry. I've never had a bad experience with Stanley and Sons and would recommend them for anyone with retail needs or looking to add to their collection. Just keep in mind that they are wholesale, so being able to even shop from them is a huge perk. Value: **** Unquestionably, S&S offers some of the least expensive plants I have come across. I've purchased several dozen plants between $7.50 and $15 that have thrilled my landscaping friends. Though they aren't 'instant gratification plants', the rarity of some of these plants gives them top value. While other nurseries offer older stock, S&S has the best prices. This of course is an uncomfortable point - Stanley and Sons is WHOLESALE, and their are ethical questions whether or not 'retail consumers' should even have access. It's not one I'll argue either way as I am just a small fish and new to all of this - just keep it in mind if you're considering placing and order - and certainly don't be upset if you're denied access. Personally I have found many nurseries to have redeeming qualities when it comes to their own offerings, and I have and will continue to place orders with other nurseries, but for the conifer enthusiast on a budget, S&S really is sort of your holy grail of nurseries. If you have more time then money, it is probably one of your best options. In the end, whether you're a retail nursery owner or a very avid conifer collector, Stanley and Sons offers an extremely reliable, inexpensive way to further increase your wares. It's impossible not to recommend them. A typical 'cart' of 15 4" pots. Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Confucious' 1GAL - $7.50 Cryptomeria japonica 'Black Dragon' 1GAL - $7.50 Cryptomeria japonica 'Elegans Compacta' 1GAL - $7.50 (Huge plant for 1 gallon sized) Picea abies 'Chrudim WB' 4" POT - $10 Picea abies 'Hildburghausen' 3GAL - $25 Pinus nigra 'Gaelle Bregeon' 3GAL - $25 Psuedotsuga menziessi 'Valdstejn' 1GAL - $15 Next week: Cloud Mountain Farms and Girards Nursery. Will

dndsmom, At that price level you can get a beautiful Italian pro-style range. European ranges come with smaller ovens. But they are quite attractive and are of good quality. You can get a Bertazzoni Professional X304GGV or a Verona VEFSGG30SS. Most people here prefer the Bertazzoni or "Berta." If you search threads here for Bertazzoni you will find my postings making fun of the small Berta oven. I am looking to get a red range. Berta plus color is just about the same price as Bluestar with color. About $4k. And the Bluestar has a huge oven that fits a full size pro baking sheet. Plus powerful 22k burners. The 30" SS Berta is about $2700 delivered. Color adds about $700. There is a recent surge of interest for the NXR. It is a Chinese made pro-style range half the cost of the American made ranges. When it comes it health,safety,food preperation I prefer to steer clear of Chinese made products. Especially for $2K.