Dear "julio01", My name is Everett and I live just south of you in the Water Valley area. I have been in the practice of collecting leaves in the Fall for the past 10 years. Each year, I seal my collected leaves in telephone books until Spring, at which point, I rubber cement them to cardboard and laminate them to make colorful displays that last for about 2-4 years (before they begin to fade). This year, I am specifically on the hunt to find some olive trees nearby where I live. Someone at work had mentioned that Mississippi University had some olive trees on their campus (which you confirmed by mentioning in one of your reply posts above), but that's a 2 1/2 hour drive from Water Valley. I'm trying to find some trees located closer nearby (within driving distance). I found your post by plugging "olive trees in Mississippi" into my browser's search engine. So, I became a member and am posting a reply in hopes that I'll reach you in time... What I'm looking to do is get a few small clippings off the end of some olive tree branches. If your trees' leaves have not already browned or fallen off, could I possibly arrange a meeting to make a few 2"-4" clippings from branch endings on one of your trees for my collection for the 2012-2013 lamination season? I'd be more than happy to make you a leaf laminate this Spring in exchange for some clippings. Just to show my sincerity in following through with what I say, I have posted links to a few pics from Mr. McCullough's yellow maple tree (he lives at University & Ninth in Oxford) which he gave me permission to take leaves from last Fall (2011). I made him a laminate this Spring (2012) in exchange for leaves from his tree. To view the pics, copy and paste the links below into your browser's address window in a new tab to view them. http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=421910634495932&set=a.101148946572104.2516.100000309971650&type=3&theater http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=421911031162559&set=a.101148946572104.2516.100000309971650&type=3&theater http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=421902244496771&set=a.101148946572104.2516.100000309971650&type=3&theater I have a portfolio book of prior year's laminations which I can bring along to show you when we meet in person. I hope that you enjoy the three pics and that I'll hear back from you sometime soon (hopefully before your olive tree leaves have perished for the Fall)! Sincerely, Everett MaestroBaran@gmail.com

John, I thought of that palm but wondered about the lack of sunlight all winter long. What do you think of those conditions Rhizo, that's why I suggested that a Pindo be planted in a raised bed affording good drainage. I think it would be fine in a protected location with little direct sunlight, as long as it isn't sitting there all winter with wet feet. I'd also recommend that they start with the largest specimen that their budget will allow. Will a Pindo provide a tall enough canopy to sit/walk under? No, not for many, many years, unless you're willing to spend big $$$ for a huge specimen that would most likely have to be professionally installed. The best trunking cold hardy palm that will grow quickly would be a windmill (Trachycarpus fortunei), and it would indeed be more forgiving of your winter low light conditions. Two other bush, shrub type palms that would still give you a tropical look would be a sabal minor or a needle palm (Rhapidophyllum hystrix). They're not trunking, but are extremely cold hardy & would still thrive in spite of a lack of wintertime direct sunlight. If you decide to visit ColdPalms as Rhizo suggested, I would strongly recommend that you take along a good picture of the area you're wanting to landscape & of course detail the growing conditions to them as you have here. They're very knowledgeable about palms & have a huge inventory to choose from. I'm sure they would be able to help you select the right one for your location.

i wouldnt doubt it because there are naturalized parrots in many cool areas. Brooklyn is a zone 7 and has parrots thriving in some communities. They are in abundance too but arent very widespread and live together. Just like all other city birds they eat a lot of food that is on the ground but will eat a lot of other foods too. They dont look like tropical parrots, but can be trained to talk, but probably will never do so in the wild. Definitely not those beautiful tropical looking parrots you see as pets or in the zoo, but they do have nice green colors to them. But as far as stealing fruit, there are lots of other much more common birds that will do that job a lot quicker than these parrots in brooklyn (I believe they are called quaker parrots and are from argentina). I think they are also in other areas but Im really only familiar with the ones in Brooklyn. Good luck! -Alex

Am I missing something in these posts? Why are people ordering Osmanthus fragrans from websites outside the country? I can go on almost any U.S. mail order nursery site and find Osmamthus fragrans available in sizes ranging from a 4" pot to five gallon size pots... And every size in between ... All for a reasonable cost and reasonable shipping charges. I myself have an Osmamthus fragrans I ordered last spring... And it was delivered safe and sound to my doorstep three days later. It is currently blooming its head off.