coy broadwell used to answer the phone in the eves from 7-8 or 8-9, i can't recall which. his # is 639-2952. they didn't used to have the varieties by name, but tagged by color. you can definitely get a lot more bang for the buck if you aren't picky about exactly which variety you get(just the color). we bought a 10'+ one with a 400# rootball(4' in diameter) a number of yrs ago that was 'watermelon red', and it was about $35. probably around 50 now, but you won't find full size trees for that anywhere else. the big ones are balled & burlapped. i think they carry smaller sizes in big pots, too. rob, the guy across the rd who's coy's nephew at old stage nursery will also have them, and they may be named varieties over there. his # is 772-6214 in eve, 631-5729 cell(but that could be old). good luck! tammy

When would be a good time to get the trees and shrubs planted this year? I was thinking of having the plant material bought by the end of Augustor beginning of september and having it laid out in the area by the end of September to mark the spots to plant the treee/shrubs in and then have it planted by the middle of October. Does this sound like a good plan or should I wait for it to get colder before I plant the trees/shrubs?

I think hollies are great but only in certain locations. I prefer to walk around barefoot and even though hollies are evergreen they do shed their leaves and those little spines hurt - so I limit my use of hollies and try to keep them far away from where I walk. About the berries being bird food - yes they might be a food source if our winters were colder, but you'll notice the berries stay on the trees for most of the winter. That means they are the last thing the birds choose to eat - only after they've eaten every other berry in the neighborhood will they come back for hollies. So, plant them if you want that Christmas-ey look during the winter but don't keep them just because the literature says they are a primary wildlife food (maybe in the mountains but not here on the Piedmont). The Hawthornes are probably Indian Hawthorne or Raphiolepis. Tough as nails and blooms kinda pretty in the spring. They are worth having around since you do nothing to take care of them. We have swaps in Raleigh twice a year (the fall swap is next month - see the details in the Exchange subforum here) where you can get all the free starts or seedlings you will ever want.

Hi Hair, Fellow Buckeye here, born and raised in Ohio. Most of northern Guilford and Forsyth are 7a. I'm near the edge of Guilford and south of Forsyth in Davidson Co, still 7a. A lot of people live out this way and still work in Greensboro or Winston. Kernersville is a nice area too and in between the two (G'bro & WS). Cryptomeria (my favs) do fine here. I have a few... Araucarioides Globosa Nana Gyoku Ryu Yoshino Rasen - similar to Spiralis' ...and am always looking for more. Some of the Cryptomerias have problems with winter burn so best to site those with taller trees that will give them some winter protection. Of the ones I listed, all have wintered well,... except for the Rasen which was just planted last spring. We'll find out soon just how it'll do. Plant Delights and Camellia Forest both carry some of the cultivars. Do a serch on this forum for cryptomeria and you should find more info about it. I didn't garden much in Ohio and it's been abt 30 yrs since I left there, but don't plan on the hybrid tulips which were gorgeous up there. Instead look for the species types. People down here grow the hybrid types as annuals. The species are smaller, but sweet and they spread better without all the hassle of lifting. Lilacs are also tuff to grow down here. Look for the ones bred for the southern heat like Miss Kim. I have some of the more common lilacs (which I love) but they are difficult and mildew can be a constant problem. I feed mine lime and try to site them on the north or northeast side where they enjoy the cooler winter air. [IMG]http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y203/Rootdigger/Flowers%20Apr2005/4c745071.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y203/Rootdigger/Flowers%20Apr2005/c76146fa.jpg[/IMG]