WOW AND ZER Michelle, That's just awesome. So strong and sturdy and beefy! Just imagine what he'll be like when he gets into adolescence! Wonderful job, Mom. Thanks for sharing this baby. Lrae

Ellie, That white one has a nice big face and Liz also for color and velevty look. There are some there we don't care for; but folks that visited did, so I posted those also. I'm watching what others also like as I maybe missing something. *-) Laurel, Thanks for the comments. I have a few favorites and so does Tanya, but (always a but LOL) most of those seedlings just don't have that great of branching and/or bud counts and will go to the compost pile. Some thoughts we have: We have between us about 10 plants we want to watch more out of the approx. 500 that bloomed last year. This year we should have around 1,500 new blooms to look at. Seems the more you have the easier it is to cull. Now the face makes you look and go see, but the branching and bud count makes you stop and really look. I first thought Rick Yost was cracking jokes about the best branched and bud count plants have the ugliest faces...but he wasn't! I could show you a plant with over 40 buds and 4 way branching plus terminal Y, but you really don't want to see it! It's uglier than a snapping turtle. The first year of seedlings we didn't want to cull any of them! The second year we forgot about the first years as they were better in the face, but still lacking in plant habits. It was quite abit easier to throw alot in the compost pile. Last year there are only 12 plants still around from the 1st 2 years. 47 was one both of us liked. This plant is a keeper and will be moved to a seperate bed. Nice saturated color, sunfast, water resistant, 2 branches with terminal Y, 25 BC and good height 30". This was the best of the seedlings in the 2007 crop. Thanks for the comments folks. Even a blind squirrel finds an acorn now and then. LOL Tanya and Bruce

thanks all. Upon further inspection in indoor light (it so happens I had to move plants indoors, then up to roof, while balcony floor is redone), it looks like more branches are brown than I recall in the past....I seem to recall that all branches were usually green...that it was just the trunk that could be brown in parts. Also, in the past my potted maples were kept on top of the ground...during the time I had a dirt yard. It's only been the past three years that I now live in an apartment with no yard...but rather, an elevated (3rd floor) balcony. I learned only recently that elevated balconies create additional concerns because cold winds can affect the pots not only from the top and sides, but from the bottom as well (since the bottom of the pot doesn't have the benefit of the warmer earth underneath it). So....perhaps as long as I continue to live with an elevated balcony, I can't have maples. I also recently searched online, and it seems most maples are only hardy to Zone 5? I saw none that were hardy to Zone 4 or below, and considering I am in Zone 6, I know that my POTTED plants must be hardy to at least Zone 4, and perhaps even Zone 3 due to my plants being on an elevated balcony

a pic would help ... all trees releader .. in tree time ... which starts in years.. ken