fruitnut: you amaze me! how do you measure for brix? may i ask if the trees in the pots dwarf or standard trees? also, what type of potting soil are you using or could recommend a good potting soil mix "recipe?" i'm still reading up on al's gritty mix as well as the 5-1-1 mix but wasn't sure if those mixes were good for "stone" fruit trees as well? i was hoping to repot my new citrus and plum trees this weekend. if i'm not able to get all the "ingredients" for al's gritty mix, i may just use a mixture of cactus, palm and citrus (whitney farms) with etna's best potting soil. all of which i already have on hand. think that will be okay? thanks for posting these photos. they're WONDERFUL!!!

Robert, Sandhill Preservation is a affordable source for a wide variety of open pollinated seed. Glenn does not take orders over the internet or telephone. You will need to send in a check or money order (no credit cards) via snail mail. No orders processed between Aug 15-Dec 25, and be sure to check the out of stock page first. Packets for any RED tomatoes are $1.50 each, any combination of 5 for $7.00, any 10 for $13.50, any 20 for $25.00 (Can be mixed with yellow, pink, black, green. or white for quantity discounts.) Packets will contain at least 25 seeds, usually 50-100. Packets for any CHERRY tomatoes are $1.25 each, any combination of 5 for $5.00, any 10 for $9.00, any 20 for $17.00. Packets will contain between 25-100 seeds Longkeepers, stuffers and paste types cost more. You may also want to visit the exchange section of the growing tomatoes forum as there are occasionally free offers posted over there. There's a couple right now... I'd also like to suggest to that at least half of your selections should be small fruited (cherry to 2-4 oz), and early to early-midseason maturity. Small fruited varieties tend to set fruit better in the heat. Stupice is a good one to try for your area, so is Black Cherry. Here is a link that might be useful: growing tomatoes forum

Hi Mark - first, are you familiar with the instructions for canning dried beans? http://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can_04/beans_peas_shelled.html <My idea is to prepare maybe three or four kinds for canning by doing a long soak, simmering each kind in separate pots, then keeping them hot in the oven as I fill individual jars to get a full canner load. > No problem as long as you can make sure each jar gets enough liquid in it and you get the jars filled quickly. < I've had success with canning baked beans in a pressure canner. Has anyone done this before? What difficulties, problems or bad ideas am I overlooking?> Baked Beans are a little bit different. http://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can_04/beans_baked.html Hope this answers your questions. Dave

Since you are in Chicago, you could take a wander around the Chicago Botanical Garden along with some good nurseries to get some ideas, and you would be able to judge fall color if you go this weekend. I often look up plants on the Missouri Botanical Garden's plant finder website while I am wandering to see if its size and habit will work in my space. I try to consider long term appeal - flowers, fall color, overall plant shape and structure, and winter silhouette in a spot like yours. Check disease resistance, and if you have Japanese beetles or other insects that can cause issues, see how badly they effect the plants. From what others have said on GW, there seems to be some range of soils in the Chicago area from sandy to those with quite a bit of clay. What's yours like? Have you had a soil test done so you know the soil pH? That will effect what will grow well. Also, is there any chance you could post a photo of a larger view such as from the curb or across the street so we can see the entire front of the house and the property from side to side? Your inspiration photo shows a much larger space with the tree set farther from the house, and I wonder if your small tree/shrub might be better placed farther from the house also. Would the bed look better if extended forward to the outer edge of the walkway and with a wider spot for the tree as in the inspiration photo? Some ideas to consider: Tree form Hydrangea paniculata (panicle hydrangea) has a several month season of bloom and I like the dried flowers in winter as well. You could get one and train it through pruning to be multistemmed and it would be less expensive than buying a tree form one which is usually single trunked. Look at the larger ones like Limelight and Pinky Winky, and consider if you want stiffer stems that hold the flowers more upright or a more weeping form. Also look at the shape, color, and density of the flower panicles since they vary from almost rounded and lacy to dense and conical. There are many photos on the Hydrangea forum. (Pinky Winky vs Vanilla Strawberry and Pinky Winky vs Quickfire and Limelight) If you would consider a single stem, that would be a great spot for one of the smaller, disease resistant crabapples such as Sparkling Sprite, Sargent, Pink Princess, Firebird or Adirondack. All of those I listed should stay within 15' and have excellent disease resistance, though some other crabs are disease prone or much larger, so choose carefully. Be sure to set it far enough from the house to accommodate width. Look at some of the smaller magnolias such as Ann, Betty, Jane, and Susan (all from the Girls collection bred at the National Arboretum in the 1950s) which tend bloom late enough so that they don't get zapped by late spring frosts. In addition to spring flowers, I enjoy the winter look of pale bark and large silvery fuzzy buds. There are others in the series as well (Pinky, Randi, Judy, and Ricki) but I've never seen them offered. Check out some of the smaller Magnolia stellata (star magnolia) such as 'Waterlily' and smaller M. x loebneri such as 'Leonard Messel'. In my garden Leonard Messel blooms late enough to not get hit by spring frosts and has gorgeous clear yellow fall color as well as the blooms and winter attributes. I don't grow the others, so don't know about fall color. They may get to 20', but my LM at ~10 years old hasn't yet hit 10', so it would be quite a number of years. Some of the star and Loebner magnolias get bigger so be sure to check on MOBOT listed above. Plant tags tend to give size at 5-10 years. Japanese tree lilac (Syringa reticulata) 'Ivory Silk' has creamy spring flowers and pretty bark. Be sure you like the scent of the flowers since it isn't the same as regular lilacs. Some of the larger Viburnums may work there, though would need pruning to be more tree-like. Spring flowers, great fall color. I like Indianagardengirl's suggestion of Autumn Brilliance, though it may get larger than you want. I'd research to see if there are smaller serviceberries (or if you can pull it away from the house more and use a larger plant like this.) In some areas they may be disease prone, but where they aren't they are stunning - spring flowers and lightly colored spring foliage just as the buds open, berries that the birds love, and gorgeous fall color. I like the winter look as well. Before looking seriously at Logan's suggestion of Japanese maples, see how they do in your area. Where I am, some of the hardier types do OK in city heat islands, but only a very few are hardy enough here in my more rural setting, and they may get killed back in harsh winters even in cities. You don't want an easily damaged tree in such a prominent spot. You will also need to choose a cultivar that stays small - many get much bigger than 15'. Not multistemmed, but interesting form. For your evergreens, be sure you like the smell of boxwoods before planting them near the door and window. Some folks find the scent unappealing. How far is the window above the ground? As Embothrium said, you don't need to cover up the foundation, so low-growing evergreens such as perennials could work as well as shrubs there. As mad gallica commented, with a south-facing exposure here, many broad-leafed evergreens will winter burn (Leucothoe, box, Rhododendrons, Pieris/andromeda, etc) so you may be restricted to perennials or conifers. The low conifers in your inspiration photo around the tree look to be low junipers.