Noted Edwin. I am going to log the two plants sold under different names and keep an eye out to ensure they are the same. This seems to be the case with several Picea sitchensis cultivars, duplicates under different names. Here is the plant sold to me as: Picea sitchensis 'Christina'(now 'Christine Berkau'). Now another curious situation, also discussed some last year. Picea sitchensis 'Aurea'. Sold by Iseli, faster growth, apparently no burn on the gold in full sun. This specimen received little sun this year both due to shading and lack of general nice Spring weather. 'Bentham's Sunlight'. Much brighter, though it should be noted that this specimen was purchased as 'Haida' which is incorrect. 'Bentham's Sunlight'. More sun. 'Bentham's Sunlight'. 95% shade. Was a nicer gold earlier in the year.

Thank you Mike. Indeed it is hard to imagine Greece with snowfalls but we do get some. Extensive snowfall this year up to 5-6 feet in some nothern regions with higher elevations. For me, at 2800 feet altitude, 2 feet is a lot of snow, but I recall my grandparents telling me stories of 5-6 feet in the old days. Maybe true, I don't know. But it's strange seeing a lot of US gardens, even in zones down to 5, not completely covered in snow this time of year (Ken's for example), or do I see autumn images uploaded instead of fresh images? Sam, this is just a usual Cupressus macrocarpa 'Goldcrest' planted last, late winter and never irrigated. Just 5-6 waterings through july and August. I guess the combination of full sun, low temps (around -8C during night) and dry conditions through spring-summer brought up nice coloring. It is quite bright yellow-white all year round for me. Best regards, Fotis

All this tree-planting is wonderfully encouraging! But if you want to get serious about reforesting your property, then you're just scratching the surface by planting these mostly token specimen trees. If you want to see the fastest and most lush growth, then Mother Nature can do that with a little guidance. She does it with things called pioneer species and secondary succession. You basically need to turn the turf grass into patches of fallen leaves and pine needles that stay undisturbed on the ground all year long. It may sound messy or ugly, but it will explode in lush, native growth within a few years. With a little thinning and pruning, you should be able to guide an assortment of naturally-sprouting tree, shrub, and vine seedlings into a gorgeous patch of woods. It's kind of like "letting things go wild"...but with some guidance and assistance to Mother Nature. You won't read about it in most gardening resources. You'll get better information from forestry experts. It's inexpensive, simple once you get the hang of it, and produces unparalleled results.

I see a lot of amazing pictures of birds, does anyone have any Old Birdhouse pictures with or without birds in them. I found a cool site that has a photo gallery for them. Here is a link that might be useful: The Old Birdhouse Gallery