shrublover, thanks for reviving this topic! I didn't knew there was such topic, so after almost a year it's time to introduce myself too. :) My name is Alexander, I'm currently 19 years old and I'm from Belgium, somewhere near Antwerp. My nickname (a giant sea reptile which is extincted for 155 million yrs or so) may seem weird for use on a gardening forum, but it's a relict of me watching "Walking with Dinosaurs" more than ten years ago; and now I got quite used to it. And best of all: that nickname seems to be always available! ;) I started liking conifers as a small boy when walking through spruce forests in Wallonia and Germany. Since a few years, that "liking" developed itself into a fascination; beginning with mostly spruces and firs, and now for all conifers, especially the Pinaceae. Living in one of the most densely populated regions in one of the most densely populated countries in one of the most densely populated parts of the world, I sadly lack space to plant all trees I would like to plant. Driven by the eagerness to still have as many as possible I'm currently exploring the world of the dwarf conifers. I'm also occupying myself (in a very amateuristic manner I must confess) with growing conifers from seeds extracted from cones I found in the wild. Disadvantage is that all those species are regular forest species, and thus will get too big too soon, so I'll have to find a way to get rid of most (give them away, plant them somewhere where I'm allowed to), but that's one of the things you don't think about when having fun! :)

Ykli- Isn't it human nature to be jealous and want what others have? Just kidding! It is a beautiful plant, and I'm happy for you, but I still really want one myself! I did get my Stanley order yesterday, and they are all very nice plants. Watch the new thread for pics hopefully later today of many of them! I was really disappointed though, I had several Calocedrus on the order and I guess they lost their whole crop over the winter. Might make me reconsider trying them here depending on what caused their demise in Oregon! They are rated to Zone 6 and though we are rated as 6 I still think we are a 5b at best. Though with careful selection of sites, I can usually keep Zone 6 plants alive with no problems. Keith- Thanks, I will contact you for the list. I have never ordered from Dennis though I always hear great things about him. I have been on the website several times before, but as you said it is wildly outdated...As mush as I hate to admit it, I am part of the modern McDonald's society that wants it Right Now!!! Eliot

Actually, that was the side I didn't do anything to other than cut a few of the larger berry bushes at the bottom of the hill. That birch is in rough shape and without staking it up and waiting several years, it won't survive. I would just assume take it down since it's not really in a great location anyway. I hate to do it since they are becoming relatively scarce due to disease and insects. This picture http://minus.com/lbx4OfKnwRF4xc shows what are definitely blackberry/raspberry bushes. I wouldn't mind having them, in fact I would welcome having a ton more, just not here. Being on the slope they will not be easy to get to when the mature and have fruit. If there was a way to transplant them or something I would love to hear it. I had tried it in the past, but the only way I have ever seen them grow was by accident and negligence. Based on the size of a few of the lower bushes, I would bet they may produce a limited amount of fruit. The smaller ones at the top of the hill however are definitely not mature enough from my experience. Going off on a tangent... I loved having berry bushes growing up and we had a large sandy area on my parent's property that they grew like crazy in. They eventually began to die off and my dad chopped them all down. The began to come back by the time I went to college, but it took a while to get any amount of fruit from them. My last year at college I rented a small cottage on a back road that had the biggest patch of black raspberries I had ever seen. I started picking as soon as they began to ripen and then ever couple days for the next 3 weeks. I stopped for lack of room in the freezer for 1gal ziplock bags. I made at least a dozen pint jars of jam and a few quarts. I gave a bunch away but i'm hoarding the last few of the "good" batch for myself. :) So in other words, I would love to have berry bushes, just not where they are. A lot of what you see on the ground on the left side (looking from the house) is debris and not much in the way of live plants other than some weeds. Obviously it is still very early here and not much has come up yet though. The tree shown in the background of this picture http://minus.com/lbwhVJrx76OE9d appears to be planted from what is left of the mulch/preparation around the base. This shot http://minus.com/lvFny84VUSjeW shows a rock swail that comes down from what is left of the last owners fish pond sort of thing. There is a reddish low lying plant growing on either side that I failed to get a close up picture of. It appears that it will look nice later in the spring but needs some weeding and/or mulching. I will take your advice and try posting some pictures on the "name that plant" forum. In the meantime, would I benefit from getting some sort of tall meadow grass mix to put down in a few weeks? *whoops, I wrote a book

Welcome Pharoh. Thank you so much for sharing those kitchen photos, which of course totally blew me away like everyone else. Being a biologist with a particular interest in thing aquatic, your kitchen was like a dream to me, like a "I've died and gone to heavan" kitchen. My own kitchen is very small and completely lacking in counter space. Since it is a row house, no chance of expanding, lol! I'm a vegetarain too, although no gourmet. I'm basically what I call a "hash cook." I have no patience for manipulating and arranging my food, so I specialize in stews and soups! Also cheap food. I can no more do good phyllo than play the violin, lol! I love eating Indian and Asian food, although I don't cook it that often, I just don't have the ingredients around for it. I seem to specialize in mediterranean cooking, I have yet to find a mediterranean cuisine that I didn't love, most recently I have been doing N. African due to the influence of this forum and one of our virtual dinners. How I envy you living in CA, you have access to all the best ingredients all the time. Welcome, glad you're here! Lpink