Shamefully, Christin, I find myself returning to the apocalypse you call a garden, in order to reassure myself that January ALWAYS looks like this - wet, dreary, cold, unwelcoming and as far as possible from the lush summer garden. Having spent a dispiriting time shivering at the allotment, where I forced myself to concentrate on one tiny job because the big picture was horrifying (pruning the blackcurrants and apple cordons), it is always comforting to share the misery.....although, it is only January and I am having little shivers of anxiety that this year, it will all finally prove too much. Require some stiff motivation to actually get down and dirty amongst the mud and weeds. We (in east anglia) are also classed as semi-arid although it feels as though the entire UK is drowning, grey and by the time I have had the 13th cup of tea and dragged my pyjamas off, it feels like there are only 20 minutes of light left! Those hardy Alaskans, Canadians, New Englanders are obviously made of sterner stuff than this wimpy fair-weather gardener.

So... Assuming I wanted the best chance to save these 5 trees (if that's at all possible), should I replant them early this year? Or, leave them be until later in the growing season to see if they green up, and then transplant them before they get hit with road salt next winter. I guess my first priority is to establish some more road salt tolerant evergreens like Austrian Pine in their place. Also, should Greenwood nursery still be responsible to send me 5 replacements at 50% off, even though I placed them in harms way? There is nothing in their advertising to suggest that they should not be placed near road salt. It's a shame because I have neighbors with "Arborvitae like" lush green privacy rows along the same road, which is what gave me the idea in the first place. Thanks. -Ian

Good point to think out the placement of the understudy. I wouldn't get too worried about the fall zone though (but yes you don't want something 5' off the main trunk). There are several creative ways to take down a tree. Might be better off planning to save some extra cash to make that happen as time is priceless especially if you're waiting 10 years to get a sizable tree. I've thought long and hard on my lot line to ensure I had a back-up plant to block a view. Not the most stellar designs in some cases where you have an overlapping vertical at some angles but it boils down to whats important and I just don't like to see what my neighbor is doing nor their homes or their tchotchke throughout the yard.

MANY THINGS.. THAT ARE LITERALLY... crikey ... growing.. IN A FENCE ... are carp plants.. planted by bird droppings ... when they sat on tyhe fence and deposited them ... odds are ... your instinct is right.. and they all should go ... personally.. it would be a summer job for me ... so in the mean time.. i would let them leaf out.. get the IDs .... and have at them ... however ... if your motivated now ... it will be much easier.. to simply get rid of them ... and then.. once its all cleaned up ... then design and plant your own future nightmare.. lol .. like we all did ... that bath tub or whatever ... i know a lot of gardeners who would die for that in there yard .. so much design potential ... heck.. you could even make a fish pond out of it with a pump ...and im just talking 10 cent goldfish ... be done with it.. clean it all out.. and by fall .. you will be happy with it all ... ken