Glad everyone enjoyed and appreciate the comments. Look forward to seeing more fall pics from those around the country. John and ark are always good for a few fall pics. You're telling me! I had to wait for all the people to move away from the tree just to slip in a picture. You might be right on the proposed oak being a hickory. It was off the beaten path and I just snapped a quick pic just because it had a richer yellow than most trees. I actually felt like I was lost as I was on the bike trail...still don't know how I got out there, lol.

Okay, well, I got HALF of them planted - the other half will wait until tomorrow. Bed temperatures are nice and warm when you stick your hand in there. I put down a good thick straw mulch and buried them deeply - they look so small now! Thunderstorms predicted for Friday in my area, but I have milk jug covers ready to protect the plants from taking a beating. I am really happy with these plants. Despite cold beginnings they have come full circle and look as good as plants in the best nurseries, although not as large in general. With good weather they will double in size in one week - I have seen it before. Here we go!

Thanks and good to know about the purplish leaf. They seem to be doing little to nothing so far since putting them in the ground, but I'll keep them watered and wait and see. Heather, I don't recall the seeds I soaked as being particularly slimy. Don't know if that really tells you anything. I also stuck some leftover seed directly in the soil next to my seedlings just in case. I suspect that even if they do sprout, our season may be to short for flowering. We'll see! It's always fun to have an experiement going on as long as the entire garden isn't affected. We have "drought" conditions in our area which is highly unusual for this time of year. It may be tough pin pointing shortfalls. Leigh

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