The reason(s) amending of soils in small areas is counterproductive do not vary with the type of soil. Sandy, silty or clay-like, it makes no difference. You do not want to install plants in pockets, strips or zones of one soil texture surrounded by soil of a different texture, as this sets them up for likely problems with how water moves into and out of the soil around their roots. In the case of plants to be left in place for many years (or indefinitely) without lifting and re-planting there is no point in incorporating organic soil texture modification materials (bark, compost, peat...) even if the bed is large enough to minimize or eliminate water movement problems for most of the plants - once the amendments decompose the effects they produce will be lost. Inorganic amendments like perlite and sand do not decompose but enormous amounts of these have to be added to change a heavy soil into a light one. And if too much is added then a droughty and infertile (leaching) situation may be produced, that may be more limiting than a heavy clay-like soil. The most straightforward approach is to choose plants adapted to the existing soil type and plant these in wide, shallow holes dug out of that, loosening it over a wide area beforehand and mulching well afterward. The most satisfactory mulch for woody plants appears to be clean wood chips. If arborist wood chips available nearby tend to have bramble stem sections or other undesirable material mixed in then play chips from a local dealer may be the best bet. Ones we obtain here as cedar play chips are very nice but have become quite pricey, as far as it goes.

I just got some acrylic hardener and haven't tried it yet. Other concrete artists have said it really cuts down on surface abrasion. Is there any info on your bottle about setting time? Also, warm water will speed up setting time, just in case you used it. Cold water will retard it. But keep your speed up when working with concrete, and don't get sidetracked. My tap water is acidic and heavy in iron, so I am changing from it to distilled water for mixing my concrete. I am suspicious that the condition of the water is the cause of those stupid holes. Two things I've discovered about using leaves as molds: Any remaining leaf parts will rot out with weather; and once they've hardened for a couple of days, I will put them in the dog's swimming pool (small, rigid, plastic, $9) to soak. This last prevents the drying out problem that I have in summer, and helps rot out the leaf parts. A soft brush will help dislodge the leaf parts, too, after they are soft. I don't know that acrylic alters the alkalinity of concrete all that much. If it's important, like I'm making planters to hold acid-loving plants, I will soak them for a goodly period to make sure to leach out most of the alkali. I guess I should make a small planter and plant an acid-loving plant in it without soaking, and see if it kills it. Then I would know! Sue

For thirty years I lived in the colder world of the north and enjoyed the beauty of its deciduoous forests and beautiful evergreens. I looked forward to every season the north had to offer. Then one day, I went south, and my gardening world has never been the same. Here I plant palms next to oaks, banannas next to holly, with many other uncommon pairings, and the harmony of them all creates a wonderful and peaceful environment. The plants and trees of my garden live side by side and complement each other instead of fighting "the look" of the deciduous or "feel" of the tropics. My garden is unique and always a souce of curiousity and pleasure. While I understand the zone "purists" and the need to keep a theme in ones surroundings with native plants, remember that many "natives" were brought to you from far away lands by individuals who longed for the "look" of their homes left behind. The world is many shades of green...

You will see, if you read this entire thread, that there is no such thing as the PERFECT TREE (or plant either, for that matter). All have good points and bad. You need to do adequate research and then decide what you want and what you can live with. Of your list, I can speak to three from personal experience. A Natchez Crape Myrtle would be a nearly ideal size for your home and the amount of space that you have to give it. They, of course, bloom (white) in the summer, have nice fall color, and if pruned and trained properly are at their glorious best in their sculptural leaf-bare selves in the winter. Their bark looks like a giraffe's skin before it peels, and the trunks, as they get larger take on the look of human muscle. Your own organic sculpture. They grow fast (a five gallon plant can easily reach 15 or more feet in three years) and are very drought tolerant once established. On the down side, they require consistent pruning, especially in the first few years, but this is not extremely time consuming. Simply choose three or four (or whatever) trunks that you like and keep limbing them up until the lowest limbs are above your head level. Remove other trunks and suckers that inevitably come up around the base of the tree. If the higher limbs fail to branch at a good height, cut them off ONCE and then remove all but two or three branches that form at the cuts the following year. Do not EVER just amputate limbs, or worse, trunks, because someone tells you the tree will bloom better unless you just like the look of a tree that looks like an upside down witch's broom. Give it some fertilizer to make it bloom, and congratulate yourself all winter on the beautiful structure of your un-maimed tree. (Sorry. I just can't help myself. Crape murder is a personal pet peeve of mine.) Anyway, the other downside of Crape myrtles is the blooms can damage the paint on cars parked below them. On very hot days, the blooms just seem to become one with the paint. (Position the tree away from the driveway. End of problem.) And, they create a fair amount of bloom litter over concrete. Careful positioning can solve this, or just be willing to sweep. River Birches are beautiful, multi-season trees. Their peeling bark is a big plus, and the grace of the trees swaying in the breeze is one big reason they are so popular. They are fast growing, and in this case, they tend to be brittle because of it. Expect alot of limb drop in high winds or ice storms. Although most people think of them as small trees, at least some of them can surprise you and get to be quite large. Be sure you know what you are buying. Also, in very moist soil, they can become invasive. I have planted several Red Maples over the years and have a very hard time getting them to establish. This may be because of my incredibly tight clay. I don't know. Check around with folks in your area before plunking down your hard earned money. Most maples are notorious for having very...