Dave--(or anyone else?): I am really confused by these "weeping" Norway spruce cultivars. You show one picture of a 'Reflexa' that was not staked but is growing erect, then another picture of the same kind of tree that had to be staked. So, does this tree grow erect sometimes, and not all the time? As for the P. abies 'Frohburg' I find confusing statements. You say it needs to be staked or it will grow prostrate. Iseli nursery, and a couple of other places on-line, says it is an upright grower. Elsewhere I see a cultivar name P. abies 'Frohburg Prostrata,' with the 'Prostrata' sugggesting a flopping tree. So what am I supposed to think? Now in the Gotelli collection at the National Arboretum in DC they have two P. abies 'Inversa' trees. Both of these have picturesque irregular habits, but they are definately not prostrate. One, or I think both, have multiple erect trunks growing upright with severely pendulous side branches. I would like to grow one of these, but several sources say they will not grow upright. I have also seen another P. abies 'Inversa,' or so it is labelled, in the courtyard of the Winterthur museum in Delaware. This tree is also growing upright without any staking. And there is another similar tree growing prominently in the National Memorial Park in Fairfax, VA, but this tree has no label at all. I don't know if you have seen my postings in the trees forum under the topic "Large Willow" where I comment on the rampant confusion about golden weeping willows, but I may be even more confused and frustrated in trying to get information about the growth habit of these so-called weeping varieties of NS. I want to grow one or more, but what do I buy? And from whom? Are those I saw labelled 'Inversa' actually something that I can buy as 'Inversa," or is that an incorrect name? And this 'Frohburg' thing? Is there a 'Frohburg' that grows erect, and then another that is 'Frohburg Prostrata' that must always be staked--or which is more properly meant to grow along the ground. Of course, I assume that any of these that are potentially erect growers probably must be staked for a time, but from what I have seen with my own eyes (at the Nat Arb, and at Winterthur, and at the Nat Mem Park), at least one, and maybe more than one of these cultivars, can grow on their own after a period of time being staked, in at least some irregular erect fashion. So, is 'Inversa' one of these? Or 'Frohburg' or what? I have seen them, want one, but what one, or ones is/are it/they?? H E L P!! this is driving me nuts!! --Spruce

how can we say transplant shock .. when you did not tell us of such ... regardless ... it is ... you didnt expect berries this year.. did you??? put a lawn chair over it for a few days.. to allow the roots to get going.. to support the leaves ... any other key info.. other than the leaves are brown.. might help ... as in.. how can i tell if you are over watering.. if you dont tell me how you are watering .... ken

the soil seemed dry but I made the judgment that the plant's stems were firm and not mushy and from what I am reading that means they were probably under watered. I poured about a gallon for every patch of dry soil across that 2 by 5 foot patch totaling about four gallons of water. when I was done the soil had puddles of water and I checked the soil just a few minutes ago and it was still nice and wet. its been five hours since I watered it and it doesn't look super perky, but it also hasn't wilted any more and in fact seems to have perked up just a tiny bit. here's to hoping I did it right!

also x-cross posting to plumbing. I am going to install an undercounter water filtration system and have looked at all the major brands - aquapure, aquasana, GE, Whirlpool, Culligan and they all seem to do the job in terms of filtration. My concern is plumbing. I have read the stories of leaks and floods and so I want to be sure the plumbing and parts are as good as the unit. From what I read it seems the problems are due to plastic tubes and parts and using a saddle valve (which I have no idea what that is. Some of the units can use copper tubing and brass t-valves which from reading seems to be a better approach. For those of you who have installed or do installations - please, please give me some advice as to the best system, parts, and way to install to reduce the risk of leaks and floods. thanks!