Do you have to worry about how long regular mail will take a box to get within four states of you? I've learned something today, thanks! You are still using Priority mail, but you are instead just paying by the pound. If you are going to do much plant trading it really helps to have a digital postal scale so you always know what it the best value...by the LB or Flat Rate. You can usually get a good cheap scale on Ebay for $20 or less (including postage) and it will soon pay for itself in the $$ saved. I use it too to weigh bubble envelopes, so I never have to guess or put excess postage on them, just to be sure they are not short. Sue Here is a link that might be useful: Good economical scales on Ebay

Thanks so much for all your helpful responses! I knew it was a good choice to ask here. This espaliering idea sounds very enticing =] I've never heard of it, I'll be sure to read up about it. I really like persimmons and would love to have one, but thought there was no way I would have room for one. Is any particular type of rootstock required for it (semi-dwarf or dwarf), or is a regular tree fine for the purpose? I am attaching an aerial view of my house, right side is North (amazing what the internet gives you these days): 1. Location of presumed apricot tree. 2. Now I am thinking of planting the Red Baron peach in this location to give it some breathing room. I think it would look more aesthetic a little removed from the apricot. What are your ideas? About 6 feet to the right is a flower bed directly next to the wall and I was thinking of also planting a Washington Navel semi-dwarf or dwarf there. But maybe that would be a good location for the espaliered persimmon instead. 3. I was thinking of planting a kumquat in this patch, do you think it would be a good idea? Backyardener, in those pictures the backyard indeed looks dim and wet, but during the day the side depicted gets a lot of sun and is quite bright, and then lawn had just been watered hence the wetness. I'm hoping I'll be able to pull of some of these trees (fingers crossed). Do you think it's possible to prune that old unruly grapevine all the way down to the trunk and re-train it? I'll take your advice and probably use a 4-arm Kniffin training. mudflapper, thanks for the blueberry tips. I'm a little discouraged that they won't have optimal conditions since they seem to be picky plants, but after paying $40 for both of them I'm damn well gonna try getting them to grow. glenn_russel, some really great ideas, I was thinking about raised beds too. I'll have to see just how and where I could implement them. ashleysf, wooooow that is impressive. 25 types of fruit! Thanks for the link, some really interesting ideas on that website with planting four trees in the same area and keeping them trimmed to a manageable size. tagtail, thanks a lot for the fruit tree list! I like the Fuyu persimmon choice, always ended up eating the Hachiya ones early and getting that nasty astringent throat. I'm impressed you were able to tell I have a fig tree in the background. When we first got the house I actually thought it was a guava for a while until I googled some pictures =) So you would pick espaliered fruit trees over grapes? I'm definitely excited about the idea and would like to try it on at least one tree, but I also don't really want to throw all five of my grapes away. Maybe I'll mix and match. How young of a tree should I get for espaliering? I'm guessing rootstock is preferable? Up till now I have been buying potted containers.

From what I can find on the net, you seem to be correct in that it's a mulberry. What about the different shaped leaves on the same branch? Is that normal? On the second to last photo at my site, you can clearly see one leaf that is small and has a quilted look to it and right next to it a a waxy leaf with a spear head shape... ?

dandy, I think you might be over-reacting :-) These things happen and not necessarily through any fault of the homeowner or gardener. Many of us inherit gardens that are plagued with invasive species - we just do our best to remove them or control them as best we can. And one of the primary characteristics of an invasive species is its ability to spread freely, often due to wind, weather or wildlife, none of which we can control, so it is not uncommon for an invasive to pop up in our garden or wooded property. But neither is a reason to give up gardening!! Just be diligent about not planting any thing that is considered to be invasive for your area and promptly remove those that do find their way in.