I've also tried contacting Burchell and received no reply. I was trying to find a local nursery that sells their trees. I'm only 20 miles away so you'd think somebody here would carry them. I don't think they really care about the retail market. When you sell more than a million almond trees a year (Duarte sold 2 million in 2013, Dave Wilson expected to sell 5 million in 2014) home growers are small potatoes. Those numbers are from an article in 2013. I don't how the drought is affecting sales, but growers are pulling out everything and replanting in almonds. All the way down to Bakersfield. There are much, much fewer fig orchards around Fresno, all gone to almonds. But I digress... I will occasionally see a Burchell tree in a local nursery, but very seldom. I was going to say that I doubt that any mail order nursery carries Burchell trees but then I remembered that I (surprisingly) received a Shipley's Blenheim from Arboreum that had a Burchell tag on it. gary

Jay...more details please? I don't know what nursery you used & have no personal stake in this issue, but would like to know more of the facts. You said: "I used a nursery with a good reputation here and on Gardenwatchdog and received my bareroot plant via USPS in pretty poor condition, wilted with all the leaves falling off. I followed instructions to soak the plant and placed it in a shaded location for recovery. It never did..." How was the plant packaged (was there anything around the roots to keep them from drying out?), how long was the plant enroute to you, other than the leaf conditions (I think dying leaves might be expected on a shipped plant) what was "wrong" with the plant when you received it, you're in zone 6/7 - did you put this plant outdoors & what temps were you having at the time (did you have other brugs outdoors at that time)? In my area, zone 6/7 this early in the year has cold nights and cool days..this would a shock for a plant coming out of zone 9/10 or more than likely, out of a warm greenhouse. All I can tell from the photo is that it appeared to be a well-rooted plant. What condition were the roots in when you received the plant? Bottom line...were you given an inferior plant? Or was there a problem in either the delivery of the plant or the environment you placed it in after receiving it? If a vendor has an established good reputation, they're not likely to be sending out bad plants. Their explanation on the UPS situation seems very logical, not only from the point of the cost of using UPS, but also the impracticality and lack of cost effectiveness in the 50-mile trip required to use UPS. Any time a living organism, whether baby chicks, plants, etc., is shipped there is a risk involved that is beyond the control of the shipper. If they've done everything right up to the point of shipping, they can't be responsible for events that happen after that. What does the vendor's web site say their policy is on plant replacement? Is their response to you in compliance with that policy? While I know I'd be disappointed, I'd have to ask myself "was the vendor truly at fault (sending a 'bad' plant in the first place) or did the problem arise after the plant left their hands?. Also, I think the time to speak up to a vendor on an issue like this is immediately upon receipt of the plant. If it looks bad upon arrival, I'd notify them immediately & advise them on what efforts I was about to make in an attempt to revive the plant. If they know there's a problem at that point, they might weigh a little more in your favor than after you've had it for awhile. I don't mean to sound like I'm taking the nursery's "side" on this issue, but am trying to make observations from a neutral viewpoint. Patrick

Try a search for "CO oraganic soil" and also Craigs List which currently has about 5 free offers. For free you could rent a truck at $19 and come out well on the cost side. The other option is to fill those planters with leaves, grasses, newspaper and start again for next spring. Perhaps take the plants you have now and put them in pots for this year, if it is early for some cover them with milk bottles or large baggies with holes. We still have 3 weeks for planting most of our veggies. Gardening takes time, we all need the patience for nature to take it's course. Even planning ahead can find nature changing it's direction. If I could have my whole yard done this year it would be wonderful, but reality is this won't happen.....so I remind myself that patience is at the head of the list. Link below is a nursery that carries organic. Also try calling every nursery around...takes time, but can be worth it. There are a number of nurseries listed in RMG. Tagawas would definitely have organic and is close to you. Here is a link that might be useful: Oraganic soil

Well, my seeds arrived this afternoon!! For those of you that are interested it took exactly 7 days for them to arrive. He states 14 to 21 days on his site because of customs but I guess they didn't hold the package for long. Also, keep in mind if you order from him that he is 8GMT (I believe) which is 12 hours ahead of EST if that makes it easier. He only keeps a translator on the weekdays so if you email him Friday evening to Sunday evening he probably won't get back to you until at least Monday (his time) His process is that he takes order (direct and Ebay) all week but he has to have the money for your order by Tuesday of each week because his quarantine officer only comes every Wednesday (his time) to do an inspection. Then he ships all orders Wednesday afternoon.