Hey treebird101 i can give you all the info on the "LOCK" shellbark if it is one that you got from Fredblankenship or Tyler Halvin i am a friend of the man that has the tree in his yard. Tree is in zone 6A in Southeast, KS rcurtis24 This nut was weighed yesterday from my samples I havn't talked to Dick this year to see if it had nuts will call him today if you want samples of the nut email me at rcurtis@wavewls.com with your address.

Stingray is a form of alocasia odora, I think... One of the most common EE around! As youngsters they can be a bit touchy, once they get up to that size, full dun should be fine, don't bake it tho, and if it's in full sun, DONOT let it dry out! As for the mites...good luck! Once you got em, you got em! There's a whole slew of treatments that vary in effect, avid and azamax work well, but will likely only hold them at bay, they love little stingrays! It's highly unlikely they killed your previous plant, they grow from a tuber, had you cut the leaves off and given it proper care it most likely would have resprouted...whatever you got a nice one now! That big plant will have numerous offset tubers underground, they won't grow until seperated from the mother, you can do this yourself when you repot it, or eventually they will do it themselves... I'd say 3G pot is ok for now, but it's too small to sustain that plant. It's all pumped up from the grower and will recede some naturally. Heavily am men's your soil, or as suggested, keep it potted.

I don't grow it, but it's in Nuccio's catalog, described as "medium upright plant with very unusual zigzag growth pattern. At each leaf, growth proceeds in opposite direction at 45 degree angle. Single, small, deep pink [flowers]. M[edium]." They also sell their own hybrid "Egao Corkscrew," described as an "outstanding mutation from a great camellia, Egao. Not only a distinctive zigzag growth habit which is super for bonsai, but a beautiful flower form as well. Ruffled petals, semi-double to loose peony form. Pink, medium, spreading growth. M." And they're working on (or may have by now - my catalog's a few years old) Shibori Egao Corkscrew. I grow the regular Shibori Egao & can vouch for what a gorgeous plant it is (with regular growth pattern). Once again, for those who don't know: Nuccio's is at 3555 Chaney Trail, Altadena CA 91001, 626/794-3383. No website. During the summer: M-Tu, Fri-Sat 8-4:30 PDT.

Resin: I appreciate your willingness to continue making suggestions, especially in light of my resistance. You have given me good ideas. Now I need to take field trips to W&M and the Botanical Garden in Norfolk. I'd love to find a conifers expert in this geographic area because it is quite different from most of the Southeast. Beng - Yes, there was something about the Aleppo pine that struck me too. You described it perfectly. I'd like to try growing it. I'll look into the Table Mountain pine and Resin's recommendations as well. David, you are right about our climate. We live on Stingray Point, at the end of a peninsula that juts out into the Bay. Being surrounded by a large body of water on three sides is a strong influence on our climate. Temps and humidity are much lower here than 2-3 miles away. The wind blows most of the time, but we are protected from winds out of the north and northeast by a band of trees. Winters are mild with the first freeze in late Nov to early Dec; last frost around mid-March. The Bay has a cooling effect in the spring and early summer - our temps are often 10 degrees lower than the nearest town 3 miles away. Yes, Pamela Harper lives a few miles south of here, as the crow flies. Now anyone reading this thread knows more than you wanted to know about SE VA. I am sorely tempted to ask about cedars (see photo #2 above) that can take a fair amount of wind, usually from the south, that may go on for weeks in the spring and summer. Given what you know about my climate, would Cedrus libani manage? Cedrus atlantica var. glauca? Neither? Other? Tomorrow is Thanksgiving so I give thanks for your patience and your help. I hope you have a peaceful, happy Thanksgiving. I'll be planting trees so I'll be happy! Pam