I have a wall of river rock. It is the wall behind the stairs from the living room leading to the second floor. Af first it was the rock adhered with epoxy to the wall. There was a coating of clear varnish to show the colors but it was too dull for the rest of the house decor. So I painted the rocks a forest green high gloss. I then went over the rocks with a paint brush almost dry except for a small amount of flat white paint on the brush. This brought out the texture of the rocks and created a wonderful mix of texture, shape and colors. People who see it for the first time love it and want to know how to recreate the look. It sounds like I had more rock to work with then you do, but the idea might stir some creative thoughts for you. Lisa

" There is also a very large, and interesting plantation of them in Maui, not the southeast, but still a really warm humid climate" Nope! Wrong again! The redwoods there are mostly planted above 5000', a climate where dewpoints are always << 60F, thus nights are going to be in the 50s at worse, and even 30s and 40s in winter. Highs probably never hit 80f, even during the worst heatwaves. Not at all a "really warm humid climate". A few are a bit lower, down to 3000', but their growth seems to become abnormal. Even there, summer are as cool or cooler than Boston's!

edlincoln(6A) /beng12(z6 west Md) /wisconsitom / wisconsitom(Zone 4/5) 1.) Austrian Pine - Ok enough of you are saying bad Choice, so its gone. 8.) Black Locust - This is indeed invasive. Its the same as honey locust except no thorns and different color wood and flowers. I wouldve wanted to keep all these honey locust trees, if they didnt have those huge poker. But there are 3 logical reasons why I decided to keep it. A - This tree has great erosion control abilities in wetlands. B - Its wood value (rot resistant/ dense/ nice grain) is excellent along with its growth rate. Need alot of post. It can try to be as invasive as it wants. Also C - Im a pretty heavy Halloween decorator, and these are the creepest looking live trees ive seen. 9.) Atlas Cedar - Just going to plant 3. If they dont make it, no big deal, I will grow something else. Substitutions: Not bad trees, but other trees are better choices 1.) English Oak - I agree with what your saying and will only grow 12 of these and mix them in. If they dont make it then I will put something else in its place. 2.) Red Pine - I dont disagree, but we have these trees on the property upnorth and the kids went through the trouble of getting the seeds out of the cones. Plus the rest of the family members are sentimental over them and if giving them a few trees will allow me to do some of my future products, then I will bite the bullet. 3) Red Maple - I think the difference from what I been reading is one produces soft maple wood and the other produces Hard maple wood. Regardless though, the rest of the family members each picked out their own favorite maple trees and the rest of this answer is the same as the answer for Red Pine. 4.) European Beech Im planting for wood purposes and wildlife, so im planting both. Additions: 1.) Tupelo (Nyssa Sylvatica) - Everything on the list is being planted except for things with a line through it or a X next to it. Obviously this will be planted. 2.) American Holly - I believe this is on the decorative tree list. 3. ) Did you say there was another list of flowering trees? I'd like to see that. - Granted - you have been extremely helpful and would appreciate additional feedback! Will put the other 2 list up in about 10 minutes. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- /beng12(z6 west Md) - TY very much for posting pictures and giving me confirmation of the loblolly x pitch / Arizona Cypress / Loblolly / and Pondarosa pine. I really appreciate that! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- kitasei(6b lower Hudson Valley, NY) - Yeah, I cant disagree with what your saying. But my arrogance is based off of logic/proof/OCD that is coming from lots of people experts in the fields giving me the same information, forcing my stances. So if there is no logic/proof/or a group of people to back a claim, then yes my mind will not change easily. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- waynedanielson - 1st - I dont do notebooks. They fill up too fast. 2nd - But I do have 56 word documents with around 200 pages for various things to jot/remember. 423 excel documents highly detailed for various list. Just know that I am doing what your saying, except on a pc. I got my hands in lots of cookie jars and I like to keep everything organized for reference purposes.

Yep, these kind of properties beg for dogs, especially large dogs who love the outdoors, humans and especially kids. And it's worth pointing out that properties with ponds and water often have frogs, turtles (large snappers sometimes!) and even fish! Having lived with a near-by pond and stream I can vouch for the wonderful appeal of watching the frogs and turtles sun themselves during the day, and sitting out back in the early evening listening to the sound of the young "peepers" in the Spring, and later in the year the baritone serenades of the mature frogs! Positively wonderful. Hint: a nice glass of wine and a good companion are also great additions on such evenings. Architectural suggestion: Design your house so that the water is a positive integral element in the design and living experience ('cause as Anglophilia points out above, it's gonna be an element in your daily life whether or not you want it to be!).