My Jeri Jennings is growing in dappled light all day. It's only two, so it's at the "creep" stage but healthy, blooming and growing well. Very happy with it. It would probably be larger in more sunlight, but like you, I've already allocated the sunshine spots. Good luck and thanks for sharing the lovely description of RVR. I haven't been able to get down there this year and I love the location of the stunning garden.

scoring the sides of a root bound plant is NOT sufficient ... when the leaves fall off.. pull it out ... hose off all soil.. and you might be shocked at what little you did with the scoring ... replant at proper height.. in a hole sized as suggested.. NO SOIL AMENDMENTS ... as per this weekends wind.. did the tree move at all??? .... if not.. then whats the point of all the roping??? .. dylan said it best when he said: the answer my friend .... is blowing in the wind ... when i plant in my sand.. once back filled about 66% .. i step in there.. and really tamp down the soil ... while insuring it doesnt end up too deep ... my soil is obviously not your clay soil.. but if you are so lightly setting it in the hole ... then that is your potential problem... in heavy clay soil.. many recommend actually planting about half of the root mass above grade.. and making a berm or mound with good soil ... ken

Thanks for the replies. I have included a Photobucket link with some photos. Hopefully this works. If not, I will work on it to fix. The tree is hard to see in some pics due to background greenery, but in other photos, against the sky, it is obvious. There is about a 3' branch hanging just over the top of the fence. The yard is a mess as we are killing and removing everything for new landscaping (which may be influenced by the presence of this oak). But, it gives you some idea of the area the oak could shade. The dirt shown is where I had hoped to plant a lawn. Our house is about 37' away from the fence (to the right, when pic is shot down the fence line). Perhaps the oak may provide some benefit. The oak is somewhat downwind of a much bigger pine tree, which drops debris in our yard. One long branch of the oak has already made contact with the limbs of the pine. Wonder who wins that battle. http://s832.photobucket.com/user/PhilJr/slideshow/Valley Oak I-emailed the owner Monday and no response, but will knock on the door, and even offer to have someone else take it down, and if they want, I will buy another more suitable tree to replace it. One other thing. I don't think we will be here longer than 8 - 10 years. How big will this oak be in that time? How old does the oak look now. About 17' feet tall, and maybe 15' wide. I can prune the oak on my side, but once it grows tall enough, I won't be able to reach it, and then what? Thank you. Phil Here is a link that might be useful: Photobucket Pics This post was edited by Phil3 on Thu, Apr 17, 14 at 15:17

Oh my! you can see a little face in the middle! It is so cute!!!