Andy: You don't really say if this Mac seedling stuff is just a fun project for you and your daughter to share, or a serious attempt to grow out apple trees that would replicate McIntosh. If it's just for fun, I think it's a great idea, but it is not the way to grow apples, McIntosh or any other. Nearly all apples require cross-pollination to set fruit, which means that the next (seedling) generation will produce apples that are all over the map in size, flavor, and overall quality. Reversion to small, tart crab type apples is a common result. Nearly all apple trees sold these days are grafted to dwarfing or semi-dwarfing rootstocks that both limit their size and induce earlier fruiting of the trees. Seedling trees can grow quickly, and will ultimately result in very large trees -- on the order of 40 feet or more at maturity. At the same time, initiation of fruiting on seedling trees is significantly delayed. That means you may wait ten years or more for blossoms and fruit to appear, only to be seriously disappointed when you find the apples do not resemble McIntosh in any way. So you will have to have a lot of room and a lot of patience if you are to grow out these three little trees to the fruiting stage. By that time, your little daughter will be in college. So as long as your daughter is interested, you can grow out the trees in your yard, but don't let them become too large or you will have a hell of a time getting them out. And don't worry, you shouldn't have any problems with rapid growth, though no one will be able to tell you just how rapid. Do not try to do this indoors or in pots. Apple trees require the seasonal changes and dormancy that accompany outdoor growth. Meanwhile, if you want to grow apples on a tree that stands a good chance of bearing in 3-4 years in your climate, buy a nursery tree of the variety of your choice grafted to a dwarfing or semi-dwarfing rootstock. Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA

I open the Malathion label or look them up online and see warnings that say either that it will injure McIntosh and Cortland or that it will injure McIntosh and Cortland if sprayed 4 weeks from harvest. If I had already sprayed them with Malathion I would know what the injury looked like, whatever wasn't there before spraying :) The new this year problems I have are on my Cortland, McIntosh and Arkansas Black, with the Black getting the worst of it so I'm assuming that has nothing to do with the orchard spray and everything to do with the overly rainy year. I'm trying to figure out if the warning is about an "OMG, those are inedible" or "it's better than apple maggot" type injury. The last time I sprayed the orchard spray I had a lot of drops so I'd like to use something different later in the season. Other than the assortment of warnings of injury I find nothing describing it by googling.

I would be reluctant to combine chinas or teas with DA's rubbing shoulders in a hedge. The vigor, growth patterns, shape, and leaf textures would not complement each other, not to mention the incongruous flower shapes & sizes. If it's due to lack of space, I recommend you focus on size versus color harmony, start your planting with the smaller growers and moving up to the larger shrubs incrementally. For example Hermosa is a smaller plant and would be overwhelmed placed next to a six footer. If you prefer accentuating the different sizes between varieties and want a cottage garden effect, using the right perennials or annuals in between will help tremendously in smoothing out the discordance and creating a pleasing rhythm.

Getting closer on TG ..... Jeepers, its creeping along.... <tapping foot> Charles Rennie looks the same. my Kordes Blush has a couple of buds. Here's one. And the new growth on Blush is so pretty and shiny! It looks like I polished each leaf. And, then there's Blue Girl.... she put out one bloom. I might kick her to the curb. She is 6 feet tall in her pot but she struts around nekkid in front of the other plants and they don't like it.