Hi Osprey, Yes, except 'wet sand' sounds a bit too wet! Only damp, not dripping. A regular refrigerator will work, though they are (usually) a degree or two warmer than is ideal - maybe set the thermostat a little lower (but obviously not so cold that your milk freezes!) Best time for sowing - indoors, as soon as the cold treatment is over, by the end of February. Outdoors, wait until all risk of frost is over (keep the seeds in the 'fridge until then); they will also need protection from mice, birds, etc., if sowing outdoors. Bury the seeds under their own thickness of soil (for Pseudotsuga macrocarpa, that'll be about 8-10mm deep). An acidic soil mix will reduce fungal disease risks slightly. Keep the seeds well spaced, ideally one seed per pot, both to reduce the risks of disease spreading, and also so you don't have to disentangle root systems when planting out. Resin

This is a GREAT plant. I had my specimen in 4-5 hours of direct sun last year and it colored up pretty strongly. I will be bumping it up to 6-8 hours this year(the beauty of conifers in pots) to test if it has any sun burn issues and to see how much brighter it will be(which is certainly will be even brighter then these photos). It's certainly comparable and probably a much better plant than 'Seattle Mountain'. To confirm what a few have mentioned, it is the coastal variety, not the Rocky mountain subspecies. Closer. -Will

hi, There are ways to increase chance of survival of marginaly hardy plants MULCH helps a lot and if you have a real faviorte speciman you can help it by taking very hot water and placing it in bottles in a circle around your plant just before a very cold night. your foundation will also help. THe lake/pond might keep things 1-4* warmer at most it's not going to really help. Living in SE NY NW of NYC I get a nice "pond effect" from the atlantic ocean but a body of water that freezes won't help much.

Edwin, I often drive by that P. strobiformis, since it's close to where I live. It's a striking tree standing out by itself in a meadow. One day I asked Jerry if he knew about it, and coincidentally he said he gave that tree to the property owner many years ago. The monophylla selections are new, provisionally named 'Uno' and 'Two minus one'. I guess there's some logic to that. Strobiformis and monophylla don't grow natively near Denver, but I'm hoping to see them in their original range someday! Mutantplantlover, you win. It's a mango! The prize is a conifer tree. Where in Michigan are you? Here are a few photos from this weekend's foray to the mountains. Pinus flexilis trunk emerging from the rocks Pseudotsuga menziesii Abies lasiocarpa Pseudotsuga menziesii broom I hope this branch can hang on until winter!