Here I am, finally! Sorry I never got around to taking any pictures; maybe this year, though the trees I have aren't all that impressive. Spring time in the Rockies, not much money for more conifers this year - spent too much last year with mixed results. Of the dwarf conifers I planted, almost half of them had died by the end of the summer, and one more succumbed over the winter. :-( This is a list of the ones that I actually planted last spring: Abies balsamea 'Nana' Juniperus communis 'Kalebab' Picea abies 'Tompa' Picea pungens 'Mile Up 92' (a gift from Nate (sluice) Picea pungens 'The Blues' Picea glauca (probably mariana??) 'Echiniformis' Pinus aristata Bristlecone Pine (a gift from treebarb) Pinus banksiana 'Angel' Pinus banksiana 'Rochester Pendula' Pinus banksiana 'Tucker's Dwarf' Pinus contorta 'Chief Joseph' Pinus mugo 'Zundert' Pinus x schwerrnii 'Wiethorst' Thuja occidentalis 'Little Champion' Thuja occidentalis 'Sherwood Frost' Thuja occidentalis 'Zmatlik' Tsuga canadensis 'Moon Frost' These are the ones that are still alive and seem to be doing well: Juniperus communis 'Kalebab' Pinus banksiana 'Rochester Pendula' Pinus banksiana 'Angel' Pinus contorta 'Chief Joseph' Pinus mugo 'Zundert' Thuja occidentalis 'Little Champion' Thuja occidentalis 'Sherwood Frost' Tsuga canadensis 'Moon Frost' Pinus banksiana 'Tucker's Dwarf' is still alive but doesn't look all that good, lots of die back which doesn't bode well for such a tiny plant... The two I regret losing the most are the 'Mile Up 92' and the 'Wiethorst.' The 'Mile Up' is irreplaceable as this was a clone that sluice grew and I won't get another chance at it - surprisingly, when I dug it up after it died it had almost no root ball. Perhaps I should have kept it in the pot for another year. I will try to replace the 'Weithorst' as it is really a wonderful looking tree; still can't find a source other than Klehms Song Sparrow Farms, though. Since the one I got from them died (of course, wasn't my fault, right?!?) I am somewhat reluctant to buy another one from them... Is that foolish? But, since they seem to be the only source here in the USA, I will no doubt try again - after all, the 'Moon Frost' that I got from them is doing fine. So, that's my sad tale! Not much encouragement for trying more conifers this year, so I guess it is a good thing that I don't have the $$, although I did buy a cheapy from Home Depot this weekend, a Picea abies 'Reflexa' (of course, incorrectly labeled as a 'Pendula.') Happy Spring to everyone, hope you had a better survival rate than I did and that you have eagerly added to your collection for 2012. :-D Holly

The RC, blue plastic pots are also in the HD in North Bergen (which is southernmost Bergen--to confuse the non-locals). The plants are kind of inside the the store and it looks like they just arrived. I picked up another Needle. The ones listed as Needles at the Hackensack store are definitely mislabeled (they are really Sabals--probably minors. The HD in NB also had Phoenix canariensis and silvestris (both of which I have enough of as I grew a bunch of them from seed several years ago). Easy to distinguish green Canaries from the Silvestris and the are definitely not all Canaries. Was tempted to buy the one being sold as Cretan Island Date but wonder if it's just a mislabeled silvestris as the distributor can't even distinguish Needles from Sabals (not really that hard). If it is a Ctetan Date, I understand that they are really prickly and probably best in a dry climate (not here!). My current inventory of Dates now includes--P. -dactyfilera, canariensis, rebelllini, reclinata, and silvestris. Anyone growing the Cretan island have input on its hardiness in a cold/wet winter?

Close, I am in the new KB neighborhood off of 56th and Pena. Currently, I am trying to save my 3 yr old lawn. About 50% of my KBG has already gone away and has been replaced by a blend of short grass that must have been mixed in with the sod. I didn't know about mowing heights until after the first year and was mowing my lawn down to about 1-1.5", instead of the recommended height of 2-4" for KBG. Also, my roots didn't establish well and I have a very thick spongy layer of roots and thatch in many spots. So I'm going organic to help fight back my thatch problem. I'm also overseeding each spring which has helped some, but I think I'm going to start moving 2" plugs from healthy parts to scarce parts of my lawn to help speed up the process. We don't get as much rain out here by the airport, so watering schedules has still been problematic. I think that watering 3 days a week has caused the root/thatch problem, but when I water 2 days a week for longer intervals, my lawn dries out too quickly. I am also trying to start a perennial garden in the back, but am still struggling to figure out my watering schedule to keep the garden soil from drying out. I've lost more than half my plants, but the garden is probably for another thread.

Just had a great alfresco dinner with DH on the porch after I got home from the YellowHammer. We had a Parker Sonoma white....grapefruit flavors...the wines I bought at the Green Market are WONDERFUL. I am planning on having some shipped to GA as that is OK legally...my DD will accept them at her address . I will tell DB you loved Buddy :)....the cat ?? Can't stop telling DS1 how great NYC food scene is....he is sold...now to get time off to bring him. c