Lisa- Willows are messy plants that will drop a lot of small branches, leaves, and catkins to clog your pool filter. So never a good choice near a pool. And I doubt that they would survive the first winter in a container in zone 5a. (See below) I don’t know of any bamboo that will survive in a container in zone 5a. There are a few types of bamboo that will survive in the ground, but not many. A container is exposed to air temperatures on all but the bottom, rather than being surrounded by a huge mass of soil from the ground around it like with in-ground plants. Because of this, the container soil will freeze solid in cold weather and will have many cycles of freeze-thaw over the course of the winter. Based on my experience as well as what I read, few plants can survive this. The ground, because only the top surface is exposed to air temperatures, may freeze a few inches down, but doesn’t freeze below that unless it is in an area that is without plants, mulch, or snowcover, and even then there won’t be the kind of temperature extremes and swings that happen in even the largest containers because it takes a long time for in-gound soil temperatures to change due to the enormous mass. Year-round container growing works for warmer areas, but not zone 5. I have found one plant only of many tried that will grow and survive in a container, ribbon grass, something that is too much of a thug to let loose in a garden. However, it isn’t tall enough to votive you much privacy, perhaps 2’ tall. So plant large, quick-growing annual vines on trellises in your pots, something like some of the larger cultivars of mandevilla vine or Black-eyed Susan vine (Thunbergia) or scarlet runner beans. Add some groundcover or draping plants like wave petunias or golden creeping Jenny and you will have a colorful set of pots for your pool that will offer privacy. Be sure to read up on container soils and have some type of irrigation system to keep them looking good. Or consider freestanding screens that can be moved into place to provide privacy.

Hi everyone. This is the first time posting on this forum and I'm looking forward to getting some great advice on what's going on with my favorite tree, my willow. Today I notice down towards the base of the tree about 12-15 inches from the ground, there seems to be some sort of crack or hole in the tree with this wet black ooze coming out of it. I couldn't get close enough to try and smell it but the tree was really wet and squishy. I also noticed that some of the bark is peeling off and I didn't think that this was typical of this kind of tree. I do know that the past few summers the leaves have had black spots of them and then they turn yellow and fall off. The tree seems to be growing very well, but that might be because we made the HUGE mistake of planting our willow right underneath our septic tank leach lines. Oops. Not sure of we should rip the tree up now while it's still young or wait until there may or may not be a problem. Poor tree planning on our part. Anyway, I'm really concerned about our tree and as you know, the web can really confuse you on troubles that your tree may be having. So if anyone might know what's going on with our tree, I would be greatly appreciative and also if you could direct us in the right way to fix the problem if at all possible. Thank you so very much. Many blessings to you all.

botann, I used to have a landscaping business as well, for 14 years. I understand about a fabric then sand base under the liner. I preferred concrete for various reasons, one of them being integrity of material. I agree that properly installed liners can work just fine. There is zero information given that indicates proper installation of the subject pond, and basic physics tells us condensation occurs on the liner on the soil side; fine roots like this condition a lot. Eventually fine roots form large roots that expand in diameter and may create a condition that punctures the liner. I am not saying that the liner will definitely be punctured, but rather 1. the assertions made above that I responded to were not germane/problematic to the issues in the OP (and I should have stated "may poke the pond liner" @ May 11, 10 at 0:53) and 2. large roots near a pond liner - botanically and physically - have the potential to eventually put the liner at risk. Will it happen? Not guaranteed, but why do something over if the proper choice can be made the first time? Small pond, match the scale with a smallish specimen plant for design and botanical reasons. Best regards, Dan

The Northern Sweetbay Magnolia (Magnolia virginiana var. virginiana) tree is native to my region of New Jersey. However, I have never seen this tree in natural occurance at all - it must be rare for my region, and only listed for the sake of a few rare discoveries. It is a known host of the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail. Do you think that Eastern Tiger Swallowtails will be drawn to the two Sweetbay Magnolia trees that I planted, once mature and large. Will the scent likely trigger an attractive response? I think that scent/chemical signal may be more important to butterflies and moths, more then sight and memory. Yet, the local Tiger Swallowtails may not be genetically related to populations that have speciated in association with Sweetbays. I hope so - the scent of the flowers is extremely strong. Steve