I would love to have these seeds. Margaret

I would like these seeds Thank you okak

Plain paper envelopes have to be no more than 1/4 inch thick. The USPS has a template they use to see if your envelope will easily slide through. As long as there is padding and the seeds are protected I agree--$.65 is a better price. For thinner packing material with the same protection try cut up styrofoam meat trays or styrofoam plates. Use two pieces and tape the seeds flat between them. This helps you keep under the 1/4" requirement. Every time I take a bubble envelope to the post office it's $1.95. If I mail it myself I can put 2 or 3 stamps on it like the last post. If anyone uses flat rate boxes I recommend Click-N-Ship on the internet. The box is the same amount, but you get the tracking number for free. If I mail it downtown I have to pay more for the tracking number. If you use Click-N-Ship be sure to enter the correct date. If you're mailing the same day make sure the package gets to the mail that day. They can reject it otherwise. I would say most of us would accept seeds either bubble envelope or padded envelope as long as the seeds arrive safe. I traded for 2 years and thought a lot like you--until I received smashed seeds. They were something I really, really wanted to grow and they were toast. Other suggestions: Write the words HAND CANCEL under the stamps in the right corner. Use a dark or red permanent marker. You're doing everything you can to avoid the nasty automatic sorting machines that smash the seeds. Along the bottom of the envelope under the address write Seeds--example: Mr. Smith 123 Elm Street New Alpha, NX 89340 SEEDS-----SEEDS------SEEDS I like to use a pen or green marker. I like to tell myself the person handling my mail will use a little more TLC if they know it's seeds (and don't think I'm trying to send explosives through the mail). Never use duct tape-bombers use duct tape and the USPS may open and inspect your package. When you package your seeds into small baggies or envelopes it may be prudent to get a slightly larger baggie so the seeds can lay flat. They may fit in a tiny bag, but they may be bulkier.

I actually would like something with height in that area, to offset a tree on the other side of the lawn that's over ten feet tall. SInce another tree is out of the question over the mainline, I was thinking go small, like a shrub.This particular bush is in my possession so I was considering it as a candidate. A tall bush/ shrub I can prune into a small tree would be good, but I doubt a bush/ shrub of that size is any less a risk to the mainline plumbing. We have upgraded the piping, but we'd still like to not risk any further issues. Another consideration was to just plant something like a sage or a salvia and accept a height of around 3 feet or so with little risk to the plumbing.