I live in East Tennessee near Knoxville, and I've just planted two pecan trees - Kanza and Peruque. I wanted just one pecan tree, but decided to make sure that the variety I have could cross pollinate. I got the Peruque as a pollinator but I'm sure the many Blue Jays and squirrels on my property (where they raid the existing black cherries and hickory nuts) will steal all the soft nuts. I'm hoping to get a taste of Peruque once in a while but I'm counting on the Kanza to produce for me in about 6 years. My soil is pretty heavy in clay, so I'm not sure if they'll do ok or live long enough for me to see the day of the harvest. I've got the potted grafted trees through Stark Bros, and they looked tiny but they were healthy. I've also got 4 other bareroots (3 Asian Pears and 1 Almond) from Star Bros along with the Pecans, and they're all budding well. I'm pretty happy with the purchases given all the varieties I was able to get along with a free shipping promo. This post was edited by bluema on Wed, May 22, 13 at 13:53

Thanks, fruitnut. Ideally, I might have gotten the trees in the fall and planted them right away, and if I had known we'd have so much rain this spring I might have planted them this spring (although the late freezes would have been hard on them.) I also bought 2 pecan trees last year. I planted one and potted the other to plant later (in the fall.) The one that I kept in a pot for the extra year looks so much better now than the one that I planted directly. It had seemed to me that getting a really good, big root system built up before planting was really helpful for withstanding summer drought stress. And that was all that much more a consideration for me this time, because I want to plant these two trees where I won't very well be able to water them. You may be right about the pots being too wet. Maybe I should cut even more drainage holes in that one pot. I don't suppose it will hurt, and I haven't got much to lose at this point. I had planned to plant out both these trees this fall, by the way, as soon as the ground softens up again with whatever early fall rains we (hopefully) get. Thanks again!

Deebs, I have 5 trees planted, 2 in the back, but it'll be awhile before they get large enough for the birds to nest in them. They used to use my large climbers too. With all the cats they'd have to make them up really high. One is a redwood though hitting close to 20 feet tall now, not as easily climbed so maybe. I can't distinguish really between all the worms on the roses, most eat holes through the buds and eat the roses, others the foliage too. I'd like to think the ones I miss are eatting aphids:) Duchesse, they tried to petition the subdivision owner on the claim they didn't know the ponding basin was going to be there. That's a lie, I went through the same process they did to pick the house I wanted. It was right there on the site plan and the layout. In fact we paid extra to get a larger lot to be sort of behind it, about 20ft. They bought their houses knowing that was behind them, they were all sold at a premium price for that much yard. They wanted the basin filled in. Won't happen, by city law there has to be a basin at each new subdivison for the water to go when it rains to help on flooding. The only activity I ever see at the basin area is a couple times a year they come through with a tractor and take out all the weeds. The basin is home to mud ducks and others and geese off and on all year. I like to hear the honks and bullfrogs over dogs barking anytime. I think some of them walk around and squish them on purpose. I saw one of the neighbors vacuuming them up with one of those shop vacs one year. These are all relatively young people that have never owned a home before. They have no idea what they're suppressing and the price they'll pay. They just want to complain about nature. This was a walnut orchard and home to all the birds in the past. I imagine there are so many toads because nature is responding to the masses of white flies. I imagine over time the number will diminish especially with all the poisons/chemicals they'll put out on their yards and bushes. Sorry, pet rant:) I've admired your roses and gardens Patricia, I'm only resistant because they've already ruined those roses, I can't reclaim that now. It's too late. That one rose in the pics above is Irresistible, a mini. There isn't a bud that doesn't look like that. I found 14 ladybugs on it yesterday. The white looking bush behind it is a floribunda hitting over 5' tall for size on this rose. You can barely see the canes behind the redwood even taller. This was last night and these bushes just don't photo well for me in the sun and not enough light, but it gives you an idea of how large. I did try the flour on some of them yesterday skipping where the ladybugs were. That was almost as much fun as blasting with water, some were startled into flight. Some washed off easier, but others are crammed into every nook and cranny of the buds and leaves and new growth. It irritated the bees, lucky they don't like me:) As far as Murphy's Law goes, I was too pleased with early spring and all the healthy looking bushes. I was last year too and spider mites devastated them about this time. So, yeah you better knock on wood, LOL* I know what you're talking over on the Hover Bees but I think they're called something else, Deebs, still I have all different colored ones. Dark green, light green, stripped not stripped. This one had stripes too, from last year's infestation:) I have a terrible memory so if I find one of these, I kill them. Thanks for all the help, I do appreciate all the advice and thoughts on this. Patricia I may yet resort to that spray.

One of the limbs has a hole in it, about the size of a softball. This tree is so big, it's hard to see much but the base of the trunk. Like all giant pecan trees, it throws branches down occasionally, but nothing unusual from what very little I know about such things. I know it's impossible to say over the internet "yes, your tree is dying," or, "no, it's fine and will live another 50 years for sure." Just wondering if trees that DO live another 50 years go through times when they look like this one. And yes, I'm sure it was raining the whole time they were supposed to be pollinated. It rained from mid-june to mid-Aug., hardly missing a day, sometimes several times a day. Thanks for your input! As I was clicking submit, I remembered, saw my Mom's tree is FULL of nuts the other day... a few miles away, so same weather! This post was edited by purpleinopp on Mon, Sep 2, 13 at 10:19