A couple of full tree shots. The more I look at this Fireglow the more the ultimate shape solidifies in my mind. I'm very glad that Al (tapla) encouraged me to remove the main trunk on this tree. The lower limb is going to turn into a beautiful 2-3' tall tree. The basic shape of this tree is there. There are multiple plains (vertically) and multiple clusters (in the round). Now, over the next couple of years, I need to put into practice what I've been reading about judicious pruning, bud pinching (to reduce internode length and finish each limb), and partial defoliation (to reduce leaf size). Probably my favorite tree at this point. The Corallinum (due mostly to Al's help in pruning) is developing its top on on side. This tree certainly has shown resilience after loosing alot of it's root mass when dug out of the ground this spring. Now to keep the top in check so the bottom back buds and begins to fill in. Some back budding is already beginning low on this tree. Yay! Thanks for the encouragement and guidance Al. Blake

I think we all can agree that beating a dead horse is useless, but this one still has a little life in it! Bboy, I do know there are people that analyze their food intake for such parameters as calories, etc. yet in my 54 years of experience in eating, I have consistently been able to gauge proper amounts to eat using the "eyeball method". This really works! Now about these soil tests many are saying are necessary, the one key thing they will not tell you is the N status in the soil. And in nearly every case, whether in the managed landscape, or in a woods, the addition of N will yield a positive response. So, from that perspective, can we say the N was "needed"? Maybe, maybe not. Again, it depends on the goals for the given plant(s). And now, a little about tree roots. The fine absorptive roots are not permanent. They are used up, primarily during the summer, and new ones are regenerated, with the Fall season being one of the key times when this can happen. As such, Fall can indeed be a good time to add some N to the system to aid in this regeneration. The basic rule is that soil temps must be at or above around 50 degrees F for this growth to be taking place. Adequate soil moisture need be present as well. Thetman, your experience of applying hollytone to that one tree is interesting: This would seem to indicate there was either a nutrient deficiency in the soil, or a pH problem making one or more nutrients unavailable to the plant. However, as far as I know, the genus Thuja is not one having very narrow soil pH parameters, and in fact, our own T. occidentalis in my rgion has a strong affinity for higher pH soils, or at least, those soils having a good supply of calcium/magnesium, which goes a long way towards explaining why, of all parts of the state I live in, they are most numerous and vigorous here in the east, where we are underlain by dolomite, a form of limestone high in both of those minerals. And this makes me wonder if the GGs are that different that an acid-type fertilizer....Hollytone....would elicit such a strong response. But soil buffering capacity could account for this otherwise "wrong" fert. type still working! As you can see, there's quite a bit to this, and I could really bring in a lot more, but won't for now. That's one of the reasons why I say, if you want to fertilize, go ahead, but keep it on the mellow side. +oM

O nut... Is there a reason you are not concerned about damaging your soil in the rain? Claire... It is a very long post for sure. :-) I think all this rain is great for a new garden. I put in new shrubs last spring and then got hit with drought for 2 months. I barely kept up with the watering enough, and this year, they are loving all this rain. So are my trees that got hit with caterpillars bad this spring. DtD... I am glad to hear you had improvement with adding compost. It seems like compost is the cure for everything. [g] You must have a lot of shrubs to end up with that many trimmings. Ego... This year, I don't have much to deadhead yet, with all this rain. [g] Thanks for the reminder to try to keep out of the beds when they are wet. drippy... looking out my window this morning, it looks so still and dark, with no air moving at all. Sooner or later, we are bound to have sun again..and then probably no rain the rest of the summer. lol So, deadheading, pruning, weeding, transplanting with bagged potting soil. I am all for it. I love being out in the rain. I just have some lingering concerns about whether the pruning, deadheading can spread disease. What about something like Hollyhocks that often have rust? Would touching those leaves and then touching other plants spread that? I know with tomato plants, I have read not to touch the leaves while wet so as not to spread disease. Isn't this the type of weather the kind that promotes tomato diseases? I noticed some of the lower leaves on one tomato yesterday looking a little funky, even though they have been mulched. That and the zinnias I had last year were very mildewy, so if I don't have obvious problems like rust on Hollyhocks or mildew on zinnias, is that something I should be concerned about? Speaking of boots...really pretty blue color. Does anyone have any particular brand of clogs/rain boots that they prefer? So did we cover all the bases, of what everyone is doing in the garden during the rain? Any other jobs that you attempt to do in the rain? [g] Has anyone heard of a 'rain garden'?

I've completed the survey. Best of luck with your idea!