Will, "How much of the mossy/covering did you plant? Any"? All are ground covers that I have planted and have growing abundantly in my garden. Actually I have 3 larger trees. Species Ginkgo, Brakens Brown and the small Fagus. Acer palm leaf drop is not worth talking about. My problem is the prevailing SW winds that blow all the neighbors leaves into my yard. A really big clean up for me in the spring. I love the neighbors oaks that always drop their leaves in March/April after clean up. I am confused about the Picea austromandshurica 'Silba'. From Google: Picea austromandshurica Silba Family Pinaceae, Genus Picea Taxonomic data provided by Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2008 Annual Checklist, using Conifer Database version Jun 2006 Latest taxonomic scrutiny: Farjon A., 11-Jan-2006 This name is incorrect - it's a synonym for Picea jezoensis subsp. jezoensis Dax and all: I will post a close up when rain stops. Dave Here is a link that might be useful: Picea austromandshurica 'Silba'

kent your maples make me dream!tamukeyama and shishigashira have a great contrast together,the two shirasawanum are lovelly and also the very red tsukushigata would love to be there!!!! Hope the tamukeyama will have got some seeds you may send me! cheers Marco

Hi xman, yep I'll have to move a few things soon. I think the little 'Baldsmith' in the bottom center will be the first thing to get moved early next Spring. Most of my stuff is planted too close for ultimate size, but I like combining color and texture and I'm tight on space, so sometimes I make my own rules. The A.s. 'Aureum' and A.p. 'Red Dragon' are staying put. I've had the 'Aureum' for about 7 years and if I'm able to raise it until maturity it'll grow up and over the 'Red Dragon'. I'm not adverse to pruning either. I think done correctly, it can improve the form of a tree while getting it to go where you want it too. The 'Red Dragon', I've been selectively pruning for about six years and it's starting to develop a beautiful winter silouette. Guess that was a long answer, the short answer is yes they're too close together : ) Thanks for the response, Dan

I'm in zone 5 Ottawa,Canada. Zone 4 for you in the US. They used to say you couldn't grow J.maples around here. But for 20 years I always could, and have never lost any, except 2 variegated ones. I have about 25 varieties, a sort of J. maple forest in my back yard & I am running out of room. Good thing they are dwarf trees, unlike our native maples that grow to 50 ft. I wholesale them from (grown in)BC, zone 7-8. They do not loose hardiness by grafting and propagating in a milder climate. The hardiness is built into the plant. I will say that they can sometimes be slow to establish, and this is the important part. Any tree should be planted early and well cared for in the first season, so it is well established going into it's first winter. I don't believe in bare root trees doing well, too slow to establish, or over wintering in a pot. They should always be planted in the ground and well mulched. I do think they prefer a more acidic soil. Ours is neutral approx. 6-7ph, so I spread sulphur everywhere every couple of years to acidify a little.(I don't like pink hydrangeas, prefer blue) I saw a study once, out of U of Michigan I think, where when they tested plants, and they found that plants growing in acidic soil seemed a little hardier than the same plants growing in more alkaline soils. In the past I have used geo-textile fleece as a winter cover for the first few winters, but snow makes a great insulator as well. I get a bit of tip dieback sometimes, but it doesn't matter since they grow back very well, as if they were pruned. There is a sort of wilt going around in J. maples lately, others have noticed as well. It doesn't hurt the tree, it just attacks some of the newest growing tips as they are finished flushing out in summer....sort of self pruning. We regularly get to minus 22 celcius (-10 far.)here most winters, with minimal problems. Even with last winter, the worst in 20 yrs., there were no losses. The only damage I ever notice is the heavy snow pack in spring, will sometimes crack the weeping types as it weighs them down and melts. Variegated types do seem less hardy, possibly due to the fact that variegation is a mutation and therefore weaker. Red and green types are perfectly hardy. They all seem hardier as they get older. thanks, Rich