Yes, the seed is fine and surface sown, covering the seed pots with plastic wrap and removing that at the first sign of germination is one way of keeping them moist until they can germinate. A. chinensis comes up like lettuce and just about as fast for me, other types could take as long as 60 days or more to sprout. I don't think you'd have trouble with the seed, but if you do or if you are looking for a specific variety and cannot find seed for it, buying about 1/3 the number of plants you need, dividing those when you get them home to plant them is another possibility.

I've found it very easy to find forecasts (predictions) but much harder to find actual data (observations). Even in the newspapers, the weather for "yesterday" is disappearing. But things are improving. Go to http://www.weather.gov/climate/index.php?wfo=ffc and you can find archived observations for four GA cities (Atl, Athens, Macon, Columbus).

Hello again :-) someone wrote and asked about how my Penelope rose is doing, so I thought I would update. We moved it about 2 weeks ago into it's new position next to a 4ft tall fence. Gave it no special treatment, just dug a hole and in it went. It had already started showing leaf buds but hadn't opened yet. It seems to be doing okay right now, but not as spectacular as last year in the spring, but it is still early. I think it is still trying to adjust to the move. There are leaves starting to open on it. The canes didn't die back to the ground and I kept 6ft long canes on the plant while moving it..lol. I did cut back about a half dozen pencil thin canes in the front and left 3 large canes arching out to the left and the right. I am going to try to train the arching branches horizontally along the fence, sort of like an espaliered fruit tree. So, it is moved and leaves are opening and it made it through the winter with canes intact. We did have a milder winter than usual. So I will give a report as the season goes on again this year and let you know how it does. I might even be able to take a few photos this year. :-) adam

Thanks Ken, I'll do some more research online. I agree, I'm not looking for a very fast growing tree as I know the problems with such trees. I'm fine with 2-3' of growth each year. It just looks like most Oaks will outgrow my yard, probably not while I'm in the house but I don't want it to be a problem for the next owner. The tree would be 20-30' from my house and my neighbors. I would be sold on the Blackgum but they are hard to find and hard to transplant. I'd hate to waste another year on a Blackgum that ends up dying, but maybe I'm worrying too much. As for the Shantung maple, I don't need to plant anything under it, but it may be somewhat close to a stone patio I will install in the near future, so I wouldn't want the roots to become a problem with that. So I think I'm between Blackgum and Shantung Maple now. Eastern Redbud is another option, but from what I read they are relatively short-lived. Am I right in avoiding Oaks due to the size? Or will it look ok 30-50 years from now towering over my house?