Well... of course, as soon as I post this I find a list from the Arbor Day order (or at least, I think it was that year's order). No idea which is which (which of the ones that came in this bundle actually survived), but could the third photo be a young Sargeant Crabapple? That's on the list, as is Eastern Redbud, Washington Hawthorn, dogwood (I know it's not that), Goldenraintree and crapemyrtle (I remember wondering why on earth they were shipping crapemyrtles to New England!!) In theory (meaning assuming they sent what they said they were sending), it should be one of those -- and the crabapple seems like the only one it could be? I'd be floored if they were shipping free Bradford pears (though someone on the tree forum suggested some form of pear as well) -- aren't they considered more or less invasive plants in a lot of areas these days? So I'm hoping for Sargeant crabapple since I wouldn't mind having one of those for the birds (means the little guy can stay right where he is now, in the bird/butterfly garden).

Nice haul, Frank! It looks like someone got hungry and decided to gnaw on Sydney, which is strange... I was under the impression that nothing bothered with Hippeastrum bulbs, except insects. As long as that hole doesn't go all the way through to the interior, I think you're safe. I would invest in some Captan, if you haven't already, and give that bulb a good a coat of the powder before potting. I'd also plant it a lot less shallow, keeping the damaged parts above soil level so they can heal without rotting. Gosh... everyone else is so lucky... the only stores in our area that carry bulbs have the same varieties as last year... it would be nice to have a Smith & Hawkin or other gardening based stores within reach! Good luck with your new babies!

Sorry to not have gotten back online since the end of May - we were finally able to repair our house on the coast, sell it and buy one outside of Tulsa and get moved in. So it's been busy. Then there was the job hunt which turned out beautifully. Now I'm able to get back online from time to time. Especially to Clara, thanks for the offer as far as my wish list. What I'm craving these days are fruits (tree or vine - fig, hearty kiwi, berries, etc.) and color - tons of color. I am now at a point where I have some seeds to trade - datura, tons of different tomatoes, some various flowers. So Clara if you have something to trade and I've got what you want, drop me an email. I can give you a more up to date list of trades at that time if your interested. I think I'll drop you an email Sunday. Thanx!

I recently attempted to make an online purchase of a product that costs less than $4. The weight of the product (in a padded envelope) would be about 2 ounces -- including the weight of the envelope! The shipping charge was over $8, and there were no options for different shipping methods. I wrote a comment in the "Comments" section of the purchase page, saying that they really should offer more shipping options, especially on such a light-weight product. I keyed in my credit card and shipping info, etc., and clicked the Submit button. (For what it's worth, I never would have ordered it online and paid double the product cost for shipping, but I could not find the product ANYWHERE.) I immediately got an error messsage that I had exceeded the allowed character length by TWO CHARACTERS in some section (it had an obtuse name -- didn't say "Comments Section"), and I figured it had to be the Comments section because I hadn't written anything extra anywhere else. So, I went back and edited my comments to eliminate many more than two characters, and again clicked the Submit button. I immediately got the error message again, but this time it said I had FIVE too many characters! This time I went back and removed my entire "comment," and clicked Submit. Error - no particular reason given. I tried again, and again got an error message. By this time I was thoroughly ticked off, and didn't know if my credit card would be charged twice, or not at all. So, I went back to one of the site's product pages, and clicked on the bottom-of-the-page link to "Contact Us." I sent a short, terse, message that although I loved the company's products I hated their web site and wanted to ensure that my order would be canceled. The owner of the company sent me a very nice, very apologetic, return message. The message said that they knew their web ordering left much to be desired and that it was in the process of being upgraded. A few days later I received a box with well over $100 worth of their fabulous products. ~*~*~*~* About 35 years ago, all of the print ads for a ladies shaving foam included a razor that was obviously designed for women. I wanted one like it! I looked high and low for that razor in every store that carried razors, but couldn't find it. So, I wrote to the company (snail mail!) and asked if they could tell me where I could find one. Several weeks later I received a box from the company. There was a letter inside, saying that the razor didn't really exist -- it was a prop made specifically for the photo shoot. Also inside the box were about a dozen full-size bottles/cans/etc. of various other products made by the company.