I'm planning on putting in a couple dozen dawn redwoods, black locust and willows in a month or two in an area that needs some trees really fast for erosion control and screening but not in my yard. In my yard, this year for me is going to most likely be the year of removal rather than planting. Stuff that didn't work out. The Norway spruce and apple trees. Apple trees! Gosh what was I thinking? This is Georgia, not Vermont! Also will be thinning some young woods behind the house to ensure the trees I want will keep growing and say goodbye to the ones that didn't make the cut.

If it makes you feel any better 3 of 4 norway spruce I planted appear to be dead. All were planted as a small seedling and one is for-sure gone. Two others have less needle mass than they did at planting. One is thriving. My apple trees are growing like weeds, but who knows if we'll ever have apples (northern AL, so yeah)

Good luck with those DRs and Willows. Sounds fun!

I probably will plant a few more of shantung maples close to my house for extra shade during Texas summers. Maybe crape myrtles in the heck strip along my backyard for extra screening. I had thought about planting a row of osmanthus fragrans (sweet olives) in that heck strip. Still have plenty of time left to think about it. I just planted a few rose shrubs last month but they won't be growing much for a while if this colder than normal winter keeps up. I just got blanketed with a foot of snow (in Dallas) and I'd be glad to see them gone for good today or tomorrow...

I learn a lot more from my mistakes than successes. I'm not adding many trees this year. I want to put in a couple of conifers to the northeast side of the yard for privacy and wind block. There are power lines there, so it's going to require some careful thought and planning. I did order a London Plane tree that will be here mid-April. I've always admired that tree. I won't be planting it anywhere near the house. I'm debating on planting it in the horse corral since the horses will be out on pasture by then and that area could use the shade. But, I'd have to fence around it to keep the horses off of it and I really want it somewhere where I can admire it. Sounds like I'm planning mistakes, doesn't it?
Barb

hogman, the apples trees grow here but the fruit take a beating. I kept them around for the flower blooms but the fruit leave a mess and the flies are bad. Norway spruce are hit or miss here, mostly miss. I don't think they are tolerant to our compacted soil. A few years ago I put in 5 of them. Only two are still alive. One looks good, the other looks like it's through with. I think I'll take out the good one just to get it over with though. At the time I picked them up, I though they would do ok here because of a number of mature trees I've seen from a distance. Upon closer inspection after the fact, those trees turned out to be chinafirs.

Yeah. I saw my folks try to grow apples in mid-GA.

I'm forever the optimist though. Heck, I even have sweet cherry trees planted. (I can try!)

Treebarb, that london planetree sounds like a great idea. Just think what a landmark it will be for future generations.

Good timing for this thread. Last week I transplanted a J.maple to a shadier location. This week I transplanted a 6ft river birch, planted a peach (low chill, nice flowers) and am looking at a flowering cherry for the backyard. I still have to remove a banana mat and dig a 15 foot crape myrtle to relocate it. Not looking forward to this task. Also, I'm redoing some of the gardens, so a few medium azaleas and Junipers will be transplanted. I'll wait to the summer to see if my date palm and citrus trees need to be replaced. Lots to do and already halfway thru February.

Thanks for mentioning landmark, Hogman. I need the reminder that a plane tree will reach its full potential after I'm gone and I better pick the right spot! Med, Lou, Iforget and Hogman, I'm a little jealous that you're at your yardwork already. The ground is still quite frozen here and will be until, well, until it warms up! I can't do much but order seed and plan my garden plot. I enjoy hearing what you southern folk are up to!

I'm in south Alabama so I pretty much plant anytime between December and March.

Hogman, I have a "Anna" apple and a "Ein Shemer(sp?)" apple, they are both supposed to do well with low chilling hours, we'll see. I also have a few wild "Southern crabapples" and they grow much better and faster than the cultivars.

I planted a few Swamp Chestnut Oak seedlings at the back of my property where it stays wet during the winter. I collected some Pond Cypress seeds and I planted those in deep tree pots. Other than that I have mostly been working clearing out some deformed (and weedy) Water oaks and Red maples that were tangled in vines, gotta make room for better things!

Oh yeah, I got some palms ready to go in the ground but will probably wait till April for those.

I got that crepe myrtle moved yesterday, glad that's finished. Now I need to decide what takes its place. It's a west location, but is being shaded by the neighbors green ash, hence the reason for the move. Maybe a Sasanqua camilia, but I don't know if it could handle the midday-afternoon sun down here.

Anyone else have palms/cycads injured this winter. Our large cardboard palm was completely defoliated and a sago
was burnt 50/50 brown/green. And this was with protection.
The small date palm was also injured, but the small windmill seemed to thrive in this unusually cold winter.

Med,

Pretty much everyone here has burnt palms after several nights of low to mid teen degrees. Not sure what exactly they are but they are just all brown everywhere I see them around here.

All of the Washingtonia palms (Mex fan palm) are brown here, but the Sabals and Butias still look good.

We had a sunny, slightly warm weekend, but my order isn't due for another week.

I dug up a sourwood seedling I had planted last year since it was planted at least an inch too deep. I had been meaning to move it slightly "above grade" all winter, but I just now got to it.

I also watered the dormant bald cypress and dawn redwood seedlings thinking we wouldn't get rain (per the updated forecast). Then we got .47 in. of rain. So there ya go. I ain't going to complain.