My favorite also. I've been looking for seed online because I hear cuttings don't produce flowers the first year. Anyone have a seed source for the purple variety? I need quite a few seeds because I'm planning to do a mass planting in the front of my community next spring. Want to start seeds this winter. Thanks blanesgarden!

That is a great price! I just checked what I paid in April 2004 for a 20HP with a 54" deck - $4949 plus tax. I also got a plow assembly, weights and chains at an extra cost. I have had the tractor for three years and it has been great. I have plenty of power for mowing and have plowed some deep snow in the past. My son and I are very pleased with it. We also had a JD before but got this tractor because of the dealer. JD was not interested in selling me a new tractor that year. I wish you good luck with your bargain!!!!

Here is what I have found so far. There are three types of engine lubrication; 1) splash - least desireable and not good on hilly yards. 2) partial pressure - only pressure on bottom end of engine. Not sure about hill use. 3)full pressure - best for hill use and engine life. This seems the best choice. There are several transmission choices; clutch, automatic (hydrostatic) and disc. I am leaning toward a clutch type as that reads as the best choice for hills. I do not know much about a disc type (Snapper). Disk type may have good qualities, but I just have not found out yet. I am also leaning to a twin cylinder over a single. The craftsman warranty is two years. I have not checked on any others yet. I think a 42 inch cut is enough. The sears salesman seemed to think that fuel efficency is worse in the more recent models. Good fuel economy is important to me. Some posts talk about seat comfort, but with limited experience I do not have a valid criteria for comparison. Thanks for the help so far.

Heh, Weed, yeah, you tried. The realization you're having will do you good going forward though. Planting smallish trees is way easier, all things considered, the time of adjustment to their new homes is typically shorter, and above all, trees grow faster than many people seem to realize. I'd bet you will come to enjoy watching the young stock take hold and take off! And I find it admirable that a guy as busy as you obviously are is taking the time to get a lot of trees growing.. I'll give you one example of something I've been doing. I own a few acres that are partially wooded, partially farm field. This is in the part of my state where there are still farms but they are marginal. Only a couple miles to the north, the great woods begins as there, the soil is sand, gravel, and rock. I've still got some loamy stuff though. Anyway, my first seedlings went in in spring of 08. Some of these are hybrid larch, a known fast grower. And the tallest of these must be pushing twelve feet-maybe more. That's not bad considering the initial stock was literally the size of a pencil. Norway spruce are growing like weeds there also. The best of those are not far behind the larch. Then last year and the year before, I broke down and planted some red pine. It wouldn't be Wisconsin if there weren't red pine,lol! And those things, well let me tell you, they're going to be right up with the spruce and larch in no time. So different species than you'll be dealing with down there but the point being, this is too much fun! +oM