Ken - We aren't slandering them... We're mearly letting other users know our experience so they can make an informed decision and if the stock is worth the price. I've ordered a good 150 plants in the last 2 years. I've ordered from new places and I've ordered from same places over and over again. Out of the 150 plants 10 where from them. They were so distorted looking and ugly that I had to get my money back. No responce through e-mail and when you call they want to give you credit on a future order. I planted 6 of the 10 plants if I can recall... Of the 6 planted only 1 didn't make it... 2 still look great... that leaves me with 3 others in the ground and 4 in 1 gallon containers. A total of 7... you still follow? I ripped the 3 out of the ground... then I took the 4 in 1 gallon containers and tossed them in the burning pile. Most didn't make it, not because of stress or planting, but because I couldn't stand looking at them each time I walked around lol. I understand that their will be some degree of failture when planting, but some plants aren't worth planting to begin with. If someone is going to ask about this company... I will tell them my experience... You don't send someone plants that look like this and offer them store credit on future orders... I know they trapped Whaas in the endless cylce until he finally had enough. I think he ordered from them 3-4 times and each time he called and they gave hime store credit for future use. Frankly, I haven't had a problem with ANY other company... all stock has been healthy. I've placed probably 15 orders through 4-5 different companies in the last two years. Some stock was expensive, some not so much, some cheap. They fall in the mid price range. I did have one bad plant of the 50 I bought over the past two years from SongSparrow. one plant I just had a concern with. I didn't want a replacement... I just called to let them know just incase it turned south after planting. They told me not to worry about it and to go ahead and plant it. In the meantime they will send a replacement just incase that it didnt. Now mary can make her own judgement on this company once she receives the plants. Who knows she may receive great looking plants. If she does I hope she will post a positive review... if she doesn't I hope that she will post a negative review. Whaas got from them looked pretty nice... it all just depeds on their stock at the moment. I'm more upset with customer service and how they handle replacements then the plants themselves.

As an inexperienced grower, under/over-watering are the most apt to be the tree's undoing. 'Regular' potting soil isn't the best choice for containerized trees, but you can help eliminate over-watering issues & reduce the likelihood of under-watering by burying the pot up to the soil line. This will also go a long way toward eliminating the high soil temps associated with container culture during the dog days.When the tree loses its leaves in the fall, pot it out of the ground, severing any roots growing through the drain hole. It should put on enough growth this year that you can plant it out next spring before buds move. When you do, it's preferable to bare root before planting, any time after the frost is out & up until it's pushing foliage, and correct any apparent root problems at that time. Fertilize every 2-3 weeks with a soluble fertilizer - MG 24-8-16 or 12-4-8 are both good choices. Al

Unless it was planted right in the root zone of a very thirsty tree, it should never need water everyday. It's entirely possible that you killed it with too much water. (Sorry to say.) Fertilizer when a plant is stressed is never a good idea either. If it's any comfort, I once killed a $125 Japanese maple that way. (Long term lesson, let me tell you.) If I were you, I would back off the water pronto. Give it a good watering once a week if it doesn't get rain. Chances are very good that it's a goner, but there is a slight chance that it will make some new growth next spring. I wouldn't give up on it until then. Again, if you get rain, do NOT water more!

Your vet may not have the unflavored HW preventative in stock. You may want to call ahead to give them time to order it or write you a script to get it online. You shouldn't feel bad at all about not wanting to do the allergy testing. It is really only useful if you are going to put your dog on allergy shots. The tests are not reliable for testing for food allergies (by the labs' own admission), so they would likely only tell you which varieties of trees and grasses your dog is allergic to. I do suggest that you consider a thyroid test though. Hypothyroidism can trigger allergies. Trying to solve allergies without treating an underlying thyroid problem will be like beating your head against the wall. The testing can cost ~ $100, but the treatment is easy, cheap and might just cure his itching, ear problems, and low energy. I disagree with joepyeweed about cutting down on baths to avoid soaps. Baths are a great tool to decrease the amount of pollen on your dogs fur. The best shampoo to use would one provided by your vet that is designed to help with allergy symptoms. You just want to make sure to rinse well and get him well dried afterwards.