If he enjoys planting annuals, why not get him a book on annuals that will discuss things like the conditions that the plants most enjoy, and show him luscious pictures of others he can fall in love with? Or take him shopping for annuals somewhere where they carry something other than impatiens? Get him the Thompson and Morgan catalogue (or American equivalent)? KarinL

if you want pix of cones.. find a 'birder' .. a person who has a camera made for taking pix of small birds at distance and height .. i do not have the knowledge to take said pic against a sunlight blue sky.. i bet a filter was involved.. as well as a ginormous telescopic lens ... pix from my friend carol wolf ... seriously.. i have no clue how she got such clarity.. while standing on the ground.. and snapping a shot 10 feet above her head [2 of the pix] ... lets just write it off to having a real camera.. and experience ... and of course.. talent took me 2 days to find them in the Picea folder.. whats that all about ... lol ... these are not the pix i referred to previously.. again.. those are for another day ... its too early.. and my pupils are vibrating from coffee.. to tell if they are duplicates .. or double shots.. to insure a clean pic ... ken

I think you might be confused about the terms "full sun" & "full shade" and the concept of direct sunlight. "Full sun" is an area that receives direct sunlight for at least 6-8 hours per day. An area that receives direct sunlight starting in the afternoon, such as a Western exposure, should be planted with things that are for full sun. In addition to a columnar yew, there are upright, narrow junipers that would work in your situation.

Carol, como estas, amigo? There should be an upside down question mark at the beginning of that sentence. Many moons ago, I could speak some Spanish, but, sadly that language has slowly disappeared from my aged brain. You need people to converse with who are fluent to keep up your skills, which I didn't have, though if I had some get up and go, I might enjoy practicing a little Spanish even now. Clare knows some Spanish, but I think she'd run from me if wanted to practice. And my friend, Nancy, spent several months with a Central American family, trying to hone her Spanish skills. She does not have good facility for language, but was always trying to learn them, partly because she traveled everywhere. I really admired her efforts, but sadly, Italian and French were a bust, too. I don't think she'd like to practice Spanish with me, either. Jennifer I don't know anything about Francis' growth habits, but if those were two Austins planted together that closely in my garden, SW Idaho, zone 7, they would eat each other alive, except maybe, Munstead Wood. Mine have gotten quite large but are kind to their mutual neighbor, Twilight Zone. The Meilland roses I grow are pretty big, too, but I don't grow many. I love them, though. Kitty, do you parlez with Anastasia? Diane