to answer your question specifically ... yes its a natural healing process .. its bark was severely damaged ... but based on the level of healing.. at least a year or two ago ... maybe sunscald.. or if field grown.. when it was dug and potted ... mechanical injury .... can it survive... sure.. why not.. planted properly.. and cared for properly ... see link is there anything you should do to help it.. no ... as you say.. its a natural process ... was it a bargain... yes.. was it worth what you paid for it... i dont know.. you didnt say what 80% was ... a pic of the whole tree.. might help ... ken Here is a link that might be useful: link

Yes the weather has been beautiful but I haven't accomplished much. I don't feel so well: My hands are shaking and my knees are weak, I can't seem to stand on my own two feet. For you kids out there those are lyrics from Elvis' song "All Shook Up." What I would "like" to do is cut down some existing trees and plant some of the ones I have grafted which are cutting-edge hybrid American seedless persimmons. I would also like to plant some nut trees like butternut, heartnut and english walnut. My garden also needs a lot of neatening up as my wife is complaining about the piles of junk I have. The front yard looks okay, it's the back that is a disgrace. I have been hauling in bags of leaves for the past two years and spreading them around in the back so at least I don't have to cut any grass back there and eventually it will break down into duff that will become humus-rich top soil. I can look at my 'Vulcan' magnolia and see there are no flower buds on it so there will be no looms next year even though it bloomed last year. My 'Stellar Pink' dogwood, which is a cross between cornus kousa and cornus florida, has been such a disappointment over the years that I cut it down and will plant something else in its place. The grandson is here today so I may not get a thing done again today in the garden but it is a worthwhile trade off.

Here are some plants with different shapes, color, and texture. 1. Ilex aquipernyi 'Meschick' or simply a Dragon Lady Holly. This is a tight, vertical, holly that grows about 6 or 7 inches a year. Given much time, it may get to 15' some day. I have 3 of these and they are a nice rich, dark green. If you have a male blue holly nearby, you will get red berries. See the .pdf file below for blue males. http://www.skh.com/NurseryPdf/holly.pdf 2. Nandina dom Gulf Stream or Gulf Stream Heavenly Bamboo. I had one of these at my other house in full sun. It was colorful. I have three at my current home - one in full sun and two in sun to about 3 pm. They have nice color too. These fellows are soft to the touch, totally carefree, and will get to a 4 foot tall mound. You can prune these. They will give you a variety of red colors at their tips--maybe better. 3. Euonymous japonica 'Green Giant' Green Spire Euonymous or ilex crenata 'Sky Pencil' Sky Pencil Japanese Holly. These two plants look a bit alike and you mentioned the Green Spire. I have 4 green spires and about 10 pencil hollies. Both plants grow vertically. The Green Spire is softer than the Sky Pencil and more affected by wind and snow. The Green Spire will be wider and less stiff than the Sky Pencil. However, in their first Winter--which was colder than last Winter--my Green Spires lost their leaves and it took them some time to get them back in the Spring. The Sky Pencils kept their leaves and grow fully and erect. My Sky Pencils grow faster than the Green Spires. 4. If you want burgundy foliage and rose/pink Spring blooms, check out Weigela Wine & Roses. I have about 15 of these. They do want to do their own thing when it comes to space so they need about 5' by 5'. I haven't pruned these yet but I suppose you can. These seem to be carefree also. Mine are in full sun and quite full inside the shrub. Consider these a substitute for the barberry which I do not like. 5. Someone mentioned Abelia. I have two types and about 7 of each. A nice little mound is Rose Creek Abelia. My 7 Rose Creeks are filled with white blooms now. Talk about sturdy, last year the nursery worker gave me a miserable looking one for free to go with several other nice ones I purchased. The miserable looking one is now a nice round blooming masterpiece. These guys do send a shoot off the top of the plant but you just have to cut it right off and it goes on blooming. 6. Spiraea Magic Carpet. This will become a 4' by 3' mound. Its a double your pleasure plant. It has pink flowers and also deep pink/red tips at th end of its branches which look like blooms. Its lighter leaves contrast with dark green evergreens or the weigela I mentioned above. 7. If you have a side spot somewhere and like butterflies but will tolerate bumble bees, try leptodermis oblonga. I have one in the very front yard. It is a sturdy 3' tall plant that is more vertical than wide. However, it has been covered with purple/pink flowers for some time now. At times, you will notice a nice fragrance from it too. 8. Finally, the best of the bunch--crape myrtle 'Chickasaw.' These are true dwarfs that are about 2' wide around and about 10 inches tall. Think of them as perennials and not munchkin trees. I have about 10 of these wonderful little guys. They have deep, deep, green foliage and mine are filled with pink blooms now that follow little red beads. These will make you smile everytime you see them. One thing about these little guys. Give them plenty of time to start growing in the late Spring. You will think they are dead. However, they are just sleepy-heads waiting to make their grand little entrance. In their first year, they will grow from their roots for the most part. After the first year, they will start growing from some of its branches. Have fun designing your garden.

P.S. There is a difference between downsizing and organizing. The skill sets cross over, and many organizers are also offering downsizing services to help Boomers and their parents, but make sure you have contracted with someone who does this, to avoid wasting time. Downsizers usually offer the service of taking the stuff away after the session. If not, you need to work with them to have a system in place, otherwise you will just end up with boxes full of stuff YOU need to get rid of. From the get-go, the organizer should set up a system of categorizing stuff into piles by where it is intended to go. Goodwill, recycling, trash, domestic abuse shelter, etc. Find out what your recycling center does and does not take ahead of time. Same with domestic shelter needs, church collection services, etc. If your local library has a book sale, find out when and where they take donations. Etc., etc. Also forgot to mention, give some thought to how you do want to organize what is left. For example, I have shelving units in my bedroom, and there is a certain size and type storage container that fits on them. I have a set of spare ones too, which would have some in handy during an organizing session, instead of using off sized opaque brown boxes with the intent of later getting the right-sized clear storage containers for the stuff. Be ready to be free of what you don't want by the end of the session and have what is left all organized. This may require some pre thought and planning on your part. Or two sessions with the organizer. A short consultation visit might be best beforehand under those circumstances.