Your branch angles aren't a problem IMO. The seem to come out at about 45 degrees and then turn upwards later. That's fine as far as strength is concerned. I don't think you'll have a problem with bark inclusions. And you'll have plenty of blooms on new growth regardless. I don't think branch angles are going to prevent fruit setting. The worst thing I see about this tree is that all the growth appears to be on one side. If it were my tree I would cut the main trunk down to leave the lowest 4 strong branches. Making sure to keep that one on the upper left, cuz that will help to balance the tree as much as possible. Then I'd cut each of those four branches way back to encourage branching as low as I can. Next year I'd consider removing one of the 4 branches if they're still too crowded on that side of the tree. Keep all four this year and see how they grow before making that decision. I would do this cuz I like to maintain my trees short, well-branched and bushy. Your mileage may vary.

njmomma - I'm a semi professional photographer (art fairs and so forth) and use Photoshop CS. Photoshop Elements is like a Photoshop lite and can do it also MUCH cheaper. I have a blog where I'm documenting all of my gardens and landscaping with photos so I can see the progression. Not just the pretty photos but when things happen so NEXT year I'll understand the timing of everything. Like a learning project - I've only been "into" gardening for 3 years and started with a new house and mud lawn - now I have 4 gardens. A Rockery, Mailbox, Clay and Butterfly garden all doing doing different things at different times. I get SO confused LOL Here is a link that might be useful: My garden/landscaping blog

Hi Charlie! Thanks for the compliments... I love my DLs! I wish I had a farm somewhere around... the closest is Jack Carpenter, and it is about a 2+ hour drive each way... maybe someday this summer we will make an overnight trip. I don't play golf, but I hear Myrtle Beach is fab. Sometimes just the clubhouse is worth the visit. Beautiful grounds, good cocktails etc... :o) berrytea4me - Stella started doing that towards the end of a very hot season last year. All the finishing blooms were very unique. I'll tell you, I have about 10 clumps of Stella, and I love the way she looks, especially in the front yard... I have been too scardy cat to put anything of value out there. LOL. What if someone comes by and decides to plant-nap my Jerry Nettles, or Little Blue Bell. I would die.

I don't have pictures yet, but I can tell you you get what you put into it. (MrsShayne, your kitchen is lovely.) If it's too much work, you'll get a too DIY job. Plain and simple. I.. Sanded Primed w/ STIX, an Inselx adhesive, oil based primer, now owned by BM. Oil based primer is severely different than oil based paint. For some reason, even easier clean-up. sanded & primed again. painted w/ Cabinet Coat, (acrylic) another Inselx product now owned by BM. sanded & painted again. Note that CabinetCoat is made for woodwork and dries hard as nails. It cleans beautifully. I will use it for everything I possibly can. On a few pieces that were definitely not top of the line, I used Pore-o-pac, too. It fills the grain beautifully. Insert before the priming steps: applying, sanding, applying & sanding this again. Glass finish. The easiest way to get over your prejudice is to do something, a door, or something the way you want to: Half-assed, er, oops, I mean Quick & easy. Then, take another piece and do it right. That will convince you. Remember you don't and can't do it all at once. Plan time to let things sit and cure. I found if I painted at night, by the time I slept, went to work and came home again, things were really nicely ready to do another coat on. The weekends I double shifted & they sat for 3 days? Like Buttha! With proper priming, it's almost a pleasure to apply the paint it goes on so smoothly! If your time is worth more than the investment, pay someone to do it right.