Simple answer: sempervirens can be grown in the southeast and can take the heat. giganteum does not like high humidity heat, and grows much slower in east coast summers than it does out west with dry summers. Can be grown, but will not thrive and the amount of maintenance required usually makes it more of a specimen tree for arboretums and botanic gardens than anything else. Basically, you want to grow a tree in the redwood family requiring less maintenance and much more ease, and you live on the east coast, stick with cunninghamia, cryptomeria, taxodium or metasequoia (or go for the gold with glyptostrobus if you live in zones 8 and above). not sure about athrotaxis or taiwania on the east coast, any experience?

I agree with a few people here. Its hard to choose. While it would be nice to have finer definitions of area whether by state or zone or what ever. I also like that when you post something it doesn't take several months to hear from someone else. It bothers me that you cannot post to other states forums. I would love to join into some of the exciting conversations that happen elsewhere that are relevant to me. It's kinda like everyone else has 'exclusive' memberships and we are open to the public. However, if things were to be divided I would probably want to hang out on the Delaware forum and lurk the MD forum. Being one of the people on the eastern shore I think the Delaware forum would have more in common with my garden. Ending my rambling I would like to say that I am glad that I have been 'stuck' with you all in the 'open to the public forum' as you are a wonderful bunch to be with. Lettssee

Ok, so where to begin... I had nothing but problems with Wayne homes. I used their excavator and contracted price for clearing my lot of 52 trees. he left 7 or eight. no credit for that. he took 90% of my wonderful dirt that he REFUSED to let me keep, said I had to pay more to haul out extra. I told him I wanted my dirt, nope he said. then charged me more money to bring in two truck loads of CLAY because SURPRISE i needed it for the final grade because now he doesn't have enough dirt. then had a nerve to try and charge me almost 7k over contract for extra time and work because he was too lazy to read the diagram correctly to where the water company had for the location of the water tap. he dug from the wrong direction and couldn't find it. as a matter of fact, someone from his crew actually pointed at it when I asked what that faucet looking thing was under the ground that they covered up with gravel. did I pay the extra money hell no! i should have sued his ass. he tried to tell the field manager to NOT give me my keys until I paid. he made a fortune off my tree's and dirt, broke the silt fence with his tonka truck and had the city on my back because my neighbor complained about the mud running into their yard. my house was built in mid 2015 and I still have trouble growing sustainable grass on that clay. nothing but grass dying in patches every year. Next, within the first two years I've had the fix it guy come out and adjust doors, change the parts in the toilet which went bad in their cheap Gerber toilets. two more have since went bad and they only like Gerber parts! universal parts allow water to leak. Next, I was told a cleaning crew would come in and clean out the vents of the drywall dust and stuff before final walk through. That never happened. framing crew threw plastic and tie wraps in the hole under my front porch like they didn't care about the environment. another crew was in the garage smoking and throwing butts inside the garage in the gravel. I DON'T SMOKE thank you! I know everyone take lunch when the time come, but don't leave your spilled cups with sold on the floor. I don't care for ants! next on the list that I'm mad I didn't see before, was my front doors placement. A two year old must have measured the placement because it's not centered! someone even went as far as cut a chunk out of the corner of the molding to make it fit! hurry up and get done in 4 moths right? shh... don't tell the field manner or homeowner and lets hope they won't notice it, because we will have to fix it and I want to get paid now!. 250k house? not worth it with the cheap materials used. the only wood in the house is probably the kitchen cabinets. lastly, my basement wall. as of the middle of august 2019, I've contacted Wayne homes about my basement wall being wet. before you saying anything about the two year fit and finish, I pointed at my wet wall before the second year was up. I was told someone would contact me about it. did they NO! did I call? Yes i did and multiple times at that. left messages, phone always busy, never got threw to anyone. I figured I'd let the ground settle more, heck I'm new to this stuff and thought that was the problem. almost five years later and the wall is so bad with salt crystals coming through the blocks. i called again frustrated, put a message through a website that deals with the waterproofing and finally had someone come out. the solution you ask? probably have to go to court. everyone's pointing fingers, Wayne is trying to say i'm past the 2 years but I told them about the problem before their guy retired (within the two years) now their saying there was nothing in my file about it? Of course it isn't . they have all the files, a recycle bin and shredder. Waterproofing said it was a footer tile after he did a water test. footer tiles were checked and yes it is a footer tile sitting at the wrong angle water has to climb up to get to the water pump but will only get there once the pipe is filled with water and allowing water into my concrete blocks. my old small house is built better than this. heat vents that go from the furnace to the rooms? not anymore. now there's this new thing called cardboard sheets that run along the studs to act like the metal box tubes we all new and loved. Remember that wood trim that goes on the sides and top of the window? they must be invisible. I didn't know that was the new thing now. for 250k, should that come with the over-inflated price? hollow doors, i can hear my kids piss and take showers in a ranch that is 2200 sf and we don't have bedrooms or bathrooms close to each other. I could probably say more but i'm going to stop here. Stay away from Wayne home's PERIOD! can you believe a contractor from Wayne home told me they laugh about how cheaply made the houses are? said all they need is a hammer to go through the outside wall. there wasn't much said in complaints when I was looking for a builder. I guess the type of house I chose is why I picked them. models you go look at have 50k more put into them to make them really stand out but I guess they know that because no one would choose any of the houses in their basic packages.

********* To find out what is happening in your area, check the Mid-Atlantic forum and its Conversations, and the Get-Togethers forum. Or check the local Pennsylvania, Virginia, or New Jersey forums. * Posted by: rustynail z10 MD (My Page) on Wed, Jul 24, 02 at 6:31 Basically, what we've done in the past is this: We pick a location and a date. Then the type 'A's start working. (I'm very shy so I'm merely the silent keeper of the lists.) You get all excited so you run out and dig and pot what you can spare and share; then you worry about whether you've dug and potted enough so you run back outside and...well, you repeat that process over and over until the day of the meet. We have had MD and VA swaps in the Fall and there may be a NJ one also. Wow! We're quite into this! The MD one is our 3rd that I know of (Fall 2002). Most of us bring extras that we're willing to give away but of course, special plants you should arrange to trade; there are some very sophisticated gardeners in our group who can match your best with theirs. Watch 'Conversations' for more news and/or search the past pages. I guarantee you'll have a wonderful time and that it will be drearily rainy come swap day but if you let yourself go, you'll be a true MAGer in no time. Like everyone else, I always plan to stay an hour or so but end up leaving long past that time; I bring my DH to remind me that I have a home. Fun and funny people in this Forum--I sure like them. * Posted by: Treehouse z7 MD USA (My Page) on Wed, Jul 24, 02 at 12:48 Swaps can be lots of fun, and they are done different ways. You got the Mid-Atlantic style from rustynail. The Lancaster, PA, style goes like this. There are no or very few prearranged swaps. You bring 12 plants for the exchange, something to eat for the picnic, a chair cuz Skeeter doesn't have a lot, and a card table to hide your new babies under. Some people brought little red wagons to haul their choices around rather than walk to and fro with the plants. You sign in, get a nametag and report the number of plants you brought. Your trades are put out in a specified area, and then you 'shop'- walk around and drool over all the goodies that are there. Eating is done BEFORE the swap- you need the energy and AFTER the swap cuz you are exhausted. At a specified time the swap leader gathers all the drool laden people. The swap leader reminds you about good manners and no fighting, calls out 'GO' and then you go and get the goodies you were drooling about. You take as many plants as you brought. There was such a variety that if you didn't get your first choice there was another beauty waiting for the taking. This is good for around 35 people. The main point is to socialize, and have fun. * Posted by: rustynail z10 MD (My Page) on Wed, Jul 24, 02 at 20:05 Well, darn, Treehouse, that 'shop til you drop' approach takes all of the fun out it though you've got the eating and socializing part down pat! I had a blast scoping out my neighbor's/relative's gardens after seeing something special on the wish lists--bringing somebody's dream made me feel like Santa. Seriously, Okie, lists help facilitate orderliness but aren't required. I came to the last swap swearing I wanted nothing but to dump my surplus on some poor unsuspecting souls; I came home with some of the best plants I never hoped for. Goodtogrow pushed a passionflower on me--it was so beautiful when it bloomed I thought someone had stuck a fake flower in my beds and I received the neatest cuke from Shirley--darn thing is producing up a storm. Oodles of other unexpected treasures now fill my gardens and continue to delight me; I hope my humble offerings made others happy. * Posted by: Cynthia z7 MD (My Page) on Thu, Jul 25, 02 at 0:07 I thought rustynail did a very nice job explaining the process. I would have said something like "show up, take plants, talk plants, eat food, have a good time, and bring an umbrella, 'cause like she said - it always rains on swap day." Treehouse, I like the Lancaster process, maybe we can use that for the open swap. (I tried to put controls/agenda around the spring swap and was outvoted.) * Posted by: Alfie_MD6 z6 MD (My Page) on Thu, Jul 25, 02 at 15:35 As Lord High Commissioner of the Fall 2002 Maryland-area plant swap, I decree that this is how the swap works: 1. Arrive with a large, empty vehicle and a large, empty stomach. If you have to borrow your sister-in-law's custom van and fast for three days beforehand, so be it.2. Fill your vehicle with the plants that everybody else brought (unless the plants were specially designated beforehand as going home with somebody else.)3. Fill your stomach with brownies, potato salad, brownies, fried chicken, brownies, zucchini bread, brownies, hot dogs, and brownies.4. Drive home. (For pre-arranged trades, check out member's lists or the swap site list, then e-mail the people who have what you want or want what you have.) * Posted by: Blueangel Md 7 (My Page) on Thu, Jul 25, 02 at 15:56 We're doing rules? * Posted by: Alfie_MD6 z6 MD (My Page) on Thu, Jul 25, 02 at 19:09 Well, they're not really rules. They're more like suggestions. For example, you don't have to eat hot dogs. * Posted by: Alfie_MD6 z6 MD (My Page) on Mon, May 19, 03 at 12:56 What I Learned - Duties of Grand Poobah: 1. Delegate someone to start haves and wants lists.2. Delegate someone to start food lists and be in charge of food.3. Respond patiently when people keep asking questions that have already been answered. (Notably: where is the swap, when is the swap, where do I post what I have and want, and can I still come even if I don't have anything to trade?)4. Post directions to the swap site.5. Arrive at the swap site early enough to put up a sign (or delegate someone to do this). Not so hard? Alfie, retired Grand Poobah (Maryland Fall Swap 2002) * Posted by: Cynthia (The Queen of the Maryland Spring 2003 Swap) in z7 MD (My Page) on Fri, Mar 28, 03 at 20:12 Selecting a Location! Key criteria are: 1)Large private parking area (usually have 20 to 30 vehicles so this is critical.)2) Hibachi grills, for hot dogs to go with all of the cold entries, and to warm our hands over.3) Restrooms4) Permission! for dangerous plantaholics to congregate in a public place (You think I'm kidding but I'm not!)5) Zero cost to participants.6) Pavilions or shelter nearby if possible since it always rains on swap day. For those who are planning a swap, it's a good idea to run a signup for food etc so that you'll know what everyone is bringing and you don't end up with lots of beverages and zero cups :-) Non-food Needs:-Self-adhesive labels for participants (Nothing fancy, I used old Floppy Disk labels for the Fall Swap)-Charcoal and Lighter Fluid for Charcoal if you're planning to grill- a few non-gardening husbands to run the grill (makes 'em feel useful).-Utensils-Napkins and Paper Towels-Paper Plates-Paper or Plastic Cups-Large Heavy Duty Garbage Bags for Clean-up-Anything I've forgotten to list.Food:-Beverages-Appetizers-Main Courses-Brownies-Other desserts-Condiments: Mustard, Relish, Catsup, salt & pepper.-Rolls if you're having hot dogs and burgers ACCEPTABLE SWAP ITEMS (Newbies take heed!):Food and plants, including:outdoor plants, indoor plants, houseplants, plastic plants of the tasteful kind,cuttings rooted or unrooted, annuals or perennials,baby trees for bonzai, water plants, seeds of all types including grass (no, not that kind!), grass (sod), Anything related to gardening, including: gardening books or magazines, or books and magazines you'd like to read in the garden, clay, plastic or metal pots of any size or type, potting soil, seed starting mix or other bagged dirt,peat pots, plastic sixpaks, or Dixie cups for starting seeds, dried herbs, herbal tea, herbal soap, herbal cookies (no, not that kind!)decorative flowerpots for inside or outside, supplies, garden furniture, birdhouses, toadhouses or doghouses, bricks, stones, pavers, cinder blocks, sand or gravel, goldfish, koi, or mosquito fish, mosquito dunks or barley straw, egg cartons for Chickenpea, paper yard waste bags, hoses, sprinklers, or watering cans, extra Roundup, fertilizer, lime, or other garden chemicals, tools automatic or not, straw, hay or bagged leaves, garden tchotches, garden gnomes, pink flamingos, rabbit poopies, horse manure, llama dung ... (you get the idea) Be creative. Extra points for food containing chocolate. Most importantly, if you are a newbie and have nothing to trade - you are still welcome if you bring food or offer to help with the setup and cleanup. Heck - you're welcome anyway! There are usually plenty of plants to go around at a Mid-Atlantic swap meet. **More Free Advice: Helpful Hints for the Day of the Swap** 1. Sign in with the swap organizer. If you need to find someone, check the sign-in list to see if they've arrived. 2. Wear a nametag. Put your Gardenweb name on it, and your real name if you want. Remember - you know what you look like but we don't, and our mental image of you is usually quite different from reality. 3. Spouses, significant others, children and other pets should also get a nametag "John, DH of ChrisMD" or whatever so we know who they belong to. That's also how we know who they aren't. 4. Dress appropriately. Every Maryland swap (fall and spring) has been rainy, grey and cold. You'll be outdoors for 3 hours so wear clothes that can get muddy and waterproof shoes. Eat lots of brownies to keep your body temperature up. Dress the spouses, significant others, children and other pets too so you don't have to listen to "Can we leave now?" for three hours. Feed them lots of brownies - chocolate is a sedative. 5. Bring a piece of paper and label your car with your Gardenweb name. We usually park nose-in and have the trunks open so you can just tape the car's "name-tag" to the top of the open trunk. This sounds really dumb but believe me it helps tremendously in sorting out who is who. 6. Label your plants, either ahead of time, or bring markers to the swap for those who don't play 'name that plant' too well. Cynthia keeps plant labels by the PC and as she agrees to prearranged trades, marks one side of the label with the plant name and the other side with the recipient's name. It also makes it easier for her to sort everything the night before the swap. Clean Popsicle sticks are cheap and make good labels. 7. If you have special trades, presort out each recipient's goodies as you fill your car. ChrisMD puts each recipient's together in a paper grocery bag, labels the bag with the Gardenweb name of the recipient, and leaves it next to her car. That way, people can find her car and find their bag of goodies even if she is not standing right there. This also saves carrying plants from car to car looking for trading partners. When you have a lot of trades, this is critical to YOUR enjoyment of the swap. 8. Remember, a lot of times trading is not directly one-to-one. A gives to B who gives to C who gives to A. There's plenty to go around. There's going to be a LOT of stuff coming to the swap and it's all going to have to leave with someone. The only traders who leave disappointed are the ones who insisted on one-to-one even-steven trades. 9. If you're a newbie and you see something that's new to you, ask what it is. We're happy to share our experience, and our hostas and our physostegias and our rudbeckias.... 10. Please come at the opening time if possible and expect to stay for a while. You'll need that long if you plan on talking to EVERYONE. Plus, we have all those brownie breaks. 11. Free for all is after lunch. Anything not traded or gifted before lunch must be taken home by anyone who even looks at it. If you ask a question, you get two. 12. If the police show up (they usually do) do not offer them Cleome. Offer them brownies. 13. Remember to HAVE A GREAT TIME! Swaps: Fall 2001 - Temple Hills church - Mary Spring 2002 - (Centennial Park in Howard County ?) - ? Fall 2002 - Black Hills Regional Park - Alfie Spring 2003 - Laurel's house in Baltimore Co. - Cynthia or Laurel Fall 2003 - Sandy Springs Friends School - Professor Dirt and ChrisMD Spring 2004 PG County (Oxon Hill)? Fall 2004 - Sandy Springs Friends School - Professor Dirt Spring 2005 Black Hills Regional Park? Fall 2005 - Sandy Springs Friends School - Professor Dirt Spring 2006 - Burtonsville - GardenGranma Fall 2006 - Aquasco near Waldorf - Vlad Spring 2007 - Burtonsville - Gardengramma Fall 2007 - Black Hills Regional Park - Avoirgold Spring 2008 - Burtonsville - Gardengramma Fall 2008 - Black Hills Regional Park - Avoirgold Spring 2009 - Burtonsville Gardengramma Fall 2009 Black Hills Regional Park - Alfie