You know, I see these recommendations about fall being a great time to plant trees & shrubs - and if they're container-grown or b&b specimens, I have no doubt that that's the case. But, digging, bare-rooting, and transplanting seedlings may(or may not) be a very different proposition. I've also seen recommendations from folks I trust implicity that fall is NOT the ideal time to dig and transplant a number of species, like oaks/hickories/pecans. I just don't know - but I'm gonna do a small-scale experiment this fall and transplant some sizeable oaks & pecans after leaf fall, in hopes that they can get a root system established before the summer drought season sets in, 'cause they'll be in a location where irrigation won't be a possibility.

We are pushing the limits of good sense here in north Texas planting out our tomato transplants last Sunday. (Surely these plants will be 'blessed' because we put them in on Sunday????) They certainly enjoyed the multi-inch rain on Tuesday and the mild temps since. One of our first projects was to re-do the small water feature near the back porch. The old one developed a leak and had to be replaced. The new container is in and the fountain is splashing merrily. It needs the rocks fussed with and fresh mulch, but it sounds and looks good. We've scraped up the old mulch path in the white garden....ummmmmmm good mulch. And replaced with fresh pine bark nuggets. The swing in that garden got stripped and repainted as well. Today I put in a few white petunias and the area looks so good. We sprayed our home-made bunny-be-gone on some potential munchies....now the new growth on the daylilies will last longer than a day. Every time I go outside I want to take photos of the red tulips in the front yard. I've already taken photos, but the flowers are so bright and fresh, I want to take more. LOL See the tulips on my blog, linked below. Happy spring everyone! Here is a link that might be useful: Creative Soul

Outsmarting the tree rats (squirrels) around my house is a full time job. This past spring I hit on a new idea. When I plant a container I invert an empty wire hanging basket over the container and the plant gets sun and can be watered but the squirrels can't dig in it. Another idea: I bring in a lot of plants to "over winter" under lights in my garage. I have so many that it is hard to reach my hand under the lights (4 shop lights) to the middle for watering. So I bought a pump sprayer with a long wand and it works great! In late winter I add a little liquid Dawn detergent, few drops, to each gallon of water and not only does the soil get wet easier but the worms that are waiting to hatch into distructive pets just don't hatch. Don't know what it costs me to run those four shop lights all winter but I don't care. It is a small price to pay to be able to "garden" every weekend in the garage. Many people have mentioned that they mark their outdoor plants with a "permanent Sharpie". In my experience there isn't a "permanent Sharpie", they all fade and quickly too. A grease pencil/china marker or expensive "no fade" garden center marker are the only markers I have found that won't disappoint you by fading. Eight years ago I decided to learn about gardening so I tapped into my local library. I checked out nearly every book they had on gardening and learned so much. The Gardenweb forums are also a wealth of information and entertainment. There is always something new to learn and I appreciate all of you who take the time to write in your ideas. One last idea from me...I keep a small notebook on my computer table and jot down any idea I find that's new and I will want to try. Little pieces of paper get lost but I always know where my notebook is and also use it when I order "on line" so I will remember the name of the company and the order date. Tina or Trowelgal

Hello, I'm in Alpine Utah. As someone else mentioned the Linden is a good alternative for the Poplar and there are many varieties of Linden to consider. They do well here, flexible branches/less prone to break and smell wonderful when they bloom (and attract bees). Some varieties of Ash grow as fast as Cottonwood, but like other fast growing trees, they are even weaker branched than Poplar! We have a good size property, so I did plant some cottonless cottonwood on the edge of my property because I love the flicker of the leaves and the roots there won't be a problem (for neighbors either). You might look at Mountain Ash (Sorbus) not related to Ash (Fraxinus I think). They do maginficent out here and have beautiful fall color, flowers in late spring, berries into the winter. I love the Bur Oak also, but slow grower. Also I would not recommend Silver Maple as a fast growing tree. They are brittle and don't look so Silver as they do Chlorotic (Chlorosis, sickly yellow).