So, I'm still here a year later and still trying to decide on trees. We will plant in the fall. We just finished the main part of our total landscape overhaul and I'm waiting for cooler fall temps to put in trees. Since last year, I have discovered a new form of the Little Leaf Linden that has chartruse foliage- I can't remember the name of it, it's some Japanese name. So I am considering that. I am reconsidering planting a Burr Oak but a smaller one based on suggestions here- still not sure about that. I have a perfect spot for a Tricolor Beech that will be protected from the hot southern sun. I want a smallish, purple leaf something but I hate the purple leaf plums (Thundercloud et al). They always end up looking diseased and haggard around here. I'm thinking about a Crimson Sentry maple which is a slightly smaller, more upright form than the crimson king. When you speak of planting 'more interesting trees', I'd love some suggestions. I'm willing to push hardiness zones etc. with other plants but not so much with trees. Too much invested. My soil is strongly alkaline as I live at the low point of the Salt Lake Valley- Salt Lake being the important part of that. My soil ph is around 8.

davidcalgary29 ... those blooms on 'Purple Robe' look great! Friends of mine in Edmonton had purchased two of these trees from Home Depot and for several years they performed very well and the folks were very enthusiastic about the blooms and foliage. Though, unfortunately, even after nicely establishing themselves, the trees both died back severely and then were completely dead the following spring. These specimens had been planted in an exposed location with the full brunt of the north and west winds. On the other hand, I live in an elevated location outside of Edmonton and with a very protected back yard and seldom ever experience temperatures any lower than what is recorded in downtown Edmonton ... so, I'm thinking I would have a good chance with this tree if I could obtain it. Terrance

Living in Wisconsin I do adore so many different trees. But my Mom had a gorgeous flowering mini crab apple tree that in spring would smell so wonderful, like almost a musky Hibiscus type scent that would last about 4 weeks. The fruit on this tree was about as small as a pea and was very abundant as the tree itself in bloom would look like one big huge flower on it's own. But most of the pea sized apples that would never have any issues with scabbing or insects would stay on the tree through the winter that would be a #1 staple of the bird life that never flew south for the winter time as my Mom would also have bird houses and Cardinals would stay along with Red Winged Black Birds and others. When the trees were flowering they would attract so many butterflies, humming birds and honey bees, that the next door neighbor would surly get his fill from, and even offer up honey to my Mom, otherwise he wouldn't have had so much honey and bees wax to sell at the farmers market. But unfortunately in 2012, my Mom's condo association voted on removing her wonderful bird and furry ground fellows tree (Yes! Also the squirrels of at least 3 to 5 different kinds would take advantage of all of the tiny apples that had fell to ground, along with chipmunks and some other furry ground animals, so I never did see what the big deal was. They had said that tree had made a mess. Well I beg to differ, and the closing vote was neighbor that actually got kicked out by the banks foreclosure no more than 4 months later. Now my 2nd favorite tree would be the lilac tree, not the bush but the actual tree. I remember when I had one right outside my bedroom window and the scent of lilacs would come in through out the lilac season, and my Dad had planted them to flower 2 weeks apart from each other, so I had that scent in my bedroom going for a good 4-6 weeks long at least! Now Wisconsin has a law in place that no one is allowed and will be fined if they are to plant any sort of troublesome tree. One big one being the darn Cotton Wood Tree. And for those that have them on their land that are in neighborhoods that clog up gutters and fly over to parks in which the fire departments HAVE to do a controlled burn to keep them from growing out of control every single year. This junk get into your air filters and in your cars, garages, homes and all over the place. I really hate these trees, and I just don't understand why people would take advantage of free removal by the city, especially if they have a fire place, free wood to burn for them for the winter time. And now these trees are huge! It's just unreal what you pull out of your gutters every year. Even though we want to enjoy our spring times and not have our usual floods as that is what usually happens here, but when you have Cotton Wood trees, you almost beg for rain every day so these seeds will only drop on the owners home and not yours when floating through the air and causing allergies with watery eyes, sneezing and being all stuffed up from just trying to enjoy the outside, which is impossible when you have a cantankerous neighbor that just won't take down that damn tree, even though it almost looks like it's 1/2 way dead anyway. Maybe some day it will get hit by lightning, and then he will have to use his home owners insurance to fix what ever damage it has caused and Karma will win in end. Just because he didn't do right by others. I know if I bought property, I would surely call the city and have them come and take it down as soon as they were able. And one more tree I don't care for all that much for at all either, is the Maple tree and for some reason, the seeds or what some people call whirly birds or helicopters I think they are a real pain in ars and for some reason the are falling off all year long and are green and slimy. Leaving the steps and landings all stained with this slimy mess so you can't even sit down and dry your hair naturally in the nice weather. And sometimes they even drop in clumps but when they do that they are too heave and drop onto the lawn, or what ever is left of it, when it rains it's a muddy mess on that side. I am doing my best to get the heck out of here, but I have some issues I need take care of right away! Heath issues that are stopping me from doing the simplest tasks. I never thought I'd need to be calling the HDRC for help like this. But I need to get out of here. Plus I just got a letter from my land lord that my rent is going up (only by $5.00) but still, I've been here for 14 years now. And I have been so unhappy and haven't had a single update done since I move in here. Sorry for over sharing, but she knows she has me over a barrel here, I have 3 auto immune disorders and many other medical issues that she used to be very empathetic to and I don't know what's happened to her now. She just no longer cares anymore at all! Now my Thyroid is effecting me. I knew years ago they found a nodule on my thyroid, but I went to a specialist and he said it's very common. My Dr. then always kept up with the testing. He now moved and I'm left with this flippent woman of a GP that is only in it for the money. Need to get rid of her now, and see if I can get a blood test tomorrow while I'm at the hospital anyway with 2 appts. back to back. I did feel so sorry for my Mom, she not only had a shade tree that she loved watching her birds every morning, but it was also a tree that gave her some privacy from her kitchen window and I think that was totally unfair for them to just take that away from her. She loves wildlife and birds, and loved waking up to it, watching and hearing the Cardinals and seeing all of the beautiful butterflies and other germinating creatures. Even the honey bees seemed very docile and as if they were trained to be non violent and just be busy worker bees along with all of the humming birds of every color of the rainbow that would stay still just long enough to make out their colors, I even saw a turquoise one, my favorite color. I went on google maps and they really need to update their pictures. That tree is still there on Google maps. I couldn't believe that when I saw that. Oh well, It's been awhile and they must have taken that picture right before they took that tree down. All I see is people raving about how much the love those trees and how glad they are they chose them. Mom moved in when that tree was a bit young yet. I wish I could turn back time, and announce her neighbors were being kicked out by the bank. That would have changed things a lot back then. They wouldn't have had a voice or a leg to stand on. And I believe the bank would have said "Keep that tree!" It only adds to the curb appeal and beauty for the next buyers. Oh well, to late now, Thanks for taking the time to read this. And God Bless to all those that have or have chosen the Mini Crab Apple Trees, you know what I'm talking about!

Ladies we have a celebrity in our midst!!! This picture and article appeared in the Monday April 21st edition of the Quincy Herald-Whig. Way to go Michelle!!!! lOLLY WAGNER Herald-Wnig Staff Writer The gardener's house on South 19th Street is easy to spot from the street. Michelle Reynolds' minuscule front yard is more straw than grass, but the tulips poking up in bunches around a tree stump, and the yard ornaments and bird feeders distract the eye. But the real work is going on inside, where the cold, dark days have been banished by grow lights and win­dow gardens. "The plants keep me busy," Reynolds said. "It gets me through winter to have stuff blooming here all the time." Reynolds will be putting most of her vegetable seedlings into the com- munity plots on North Eighth Street. She also has the beginnings of several butterfly and kitchen gardens for her­self, friends and relatives. While she regrets that the garden is too far to walk to, she's glad that it's away from the curious fingers of her sons, 5-year-old Timmy and 2-year-old Jeremy. This is her second year, and she has plants to share with the other gar­deners and flowers to contribute. The perennials have already sprouted in two portable greenhouses on the front porch. Reynolds put the shelves of flats, encased in plastic, on the porch last January and the seeds started to sprout last month. "I just water them," Reynolds said. A lot of seeds need the freeze-thaw cycle to germinate. "I just let nature do it." Reynolds' kitchen is a laboratory with plants in pots, plants wintering-over, a shelf-top greenhouse, house plants, Timmy's seedlings and plants hanging and sitting everywhere they'll find natural light. Outside the kitchen door, protected from freezing temperatures in the "mud room" on the back porch, are two more portable greenhouses sheltering seedlings. They hold snapdragon, roses, and cardinal climbers that will bloom with red trumpets that appeal to hum­mingbirds. The tiny backyard is completely mulched. "I want to water plants, not grass," she explains. The wood chips also provide a relatively clean play area for the boys, "not that they wouldn't love to play in the mud," Reynolds said. Birdhouses hang from the garage wall, and in the corner are several raised gardens for flowers. The hard-working plants are in the base­ment. More than 100 tomato plants, along with eggplants, pepper plants, and more flowers sprout from flats on the shelves that line three walls, leaving just enough room for the washer and dryer. Each shelf has a fluorescent bulb hanging from chains so it can be raised as the plants grow. "It's taken me a couple of years to get it where I want it," Reynolds said. Here are the beginnings of several kitchen gardens and a winter's worth of canned toma­toes and salsa. While Reynolds has not gotten involved with groups promoting locally grown foods, she's discovered the pleasure of being surrounded by nature and helping things to grow. "I talk about them to anybody who will lis­ten," she said. hwagner@whig.com/221-3374 GARDENWEB.COM Michelle Reynolds plants more seeds than she can use. She plans to give away her extras, including trading plants online at GardenWeb.com. She also has several kitchen gar­dens planned for friends and relatives. At only a few feet square, "a kitchen garden is something anybody can put in their yards," Reynolds said. Her kitchen gardens hold a few tomato plants, eggplants, onions, radishes, carrots and lettuce, "just any­thing you can toss in dinner," she said. There are also herbs such as basil and fennel for cooking, for the butterflies and just for the delicious aroma when they are crushed between the fingers.