"not alleopathic, just very efficient at squelching the competition." Thanks, LZ!! That sounds sensible. Around here, (and you're right, foggy it ain't) this season, when all is terribly dry and brittle everywhere and will be for months, I think I'll leave a layer on the ground of both eucs and the ironwood, and put the mucho extra in the long term bin, watering it every now and again. If I run out of browns for the house pile, in they'll go, in smallish amounts. The house pile is ready for the second pile after about two months - the second I do nothing to and in a month it's useable for lasagna. A thought - our rainy season is October to March. That's it for the year, BTW. If all the allelopathic qualities drip down from fog, would rain do the same thing? That would make dripping leaves "poisoning" the ground 5 months, then the fallen dry ones relatively harmless, ergo useable. I don't want to over think this, but it's very interesting as a general idea about which trees do what and how to deal with them. Thank you all for your reasoned and thoughtful ideas on this!!!! Yes, Israel is a world leader in drip irrigation. Oddly enough, mostly small gardeners use it, larger market farms and agricultural growers use it less. Most of the cutting edge green low tech is not used here, but exported - knowledge and tools - to Africa and Asia, but for some cuckoo reason, it's not used here including low water, solar stuff and all the rest. And pn, see ya on HT!

"I hope we can still get that cool rainbow look but I'm really just happy I'm getting any growth at all right now." Not in Virginia Beach but it's impressive, surprising even, that it managed to return from the roots. Where did your gift giver get it - or did you ask? I think they are pretty rare in commerce. "We have a lot of crepe mertles here that people cut back and the tree regrows its branches back, would a eucalyptus do the same?" It would but it's a bad idea, especially for crape myrtle. Google "crape murder" - I believe there used to be a website.

Digdig, if any of these magnolias croak we won't replace them with more magnolias. I think you're right in that they won't bounce back fully. The other tree that was recommended for a lollipop form was a portuguese laurel. May try a Euc neglecta if the space is open, need to find out what kind of root system a neglecta forms over time since this is a raised bed. The little blue Euc gunnii snapped about 2" from the ground. Wonder if it will grow up from roots. Was young and small but such an exquisite color. The huge curly willow in the front has innumerable large limbs snapped at the tops. Only a tall bucket truck can reach those. It used to be a magnificent tree, the largest curly willow I've ever seen. Willows tend to grow back but this one has some sort of wilt problem in spring. It has lost so much bulk that all the trees under and around it will now get a lot more sunlight. Have 4 Oregon myrtles (slow growing) along back that I'll transplant to spots where other trees died. Won't be buying many more trees, except the tight columnar Norway Spruce Cupressinas to replace squashed arbor vitae. Had a sweet broom that was getting really big. It looks fried from the deep freeze. Wonder if it will sprout back from wood. Bamboo, lots snapped. Ppl say bamboo is indestructible but I've had trouble with mine. It was already here and tends to shear off about 11' up from the ground in wind. Bungeed it to house but it isn't right, isn't thriving. Yellowish, should be green. Cannot yet get to back of yard, silver dust leyland laying down, a bit uprooted, will have to be re-planted. Yard guy supposed to come tomorrow to help me. Arbutus marina croaked, as did a golden chain tree. Will not buy a staghorn sumac or forest pansy redbud. Will leave more space in yard. The sun beating down here in the summer is so fierce it's hard to imagine having too much shade, but hopefully trees will grow. 3 years of my life totally dedicated to these trees, and it looks like a war zone. And this morning I looked out the window and saw a retarded neighborhood cat climbing to the top of one of the young horse chestnuts. It had already tried to climb the spindly Cyprus Cedar and broken off 2 main branches. If not ice, the damn cat. The neighborhood has a few big old strong trees but this cat is obsessed with damaging the trees in my yard.

Try this: ICRAF-Malaybalay Office Lantapan Field Office Sungco, Lantapan, Bukidnon Tel (Mobile): +63 09177070878 Avocado St., Casisang, Malaybalay City 8700 Malaybalay, Bukidnon - PHILIPPINES Tel. +63 (088) 2213187 Telefax: +63 (088) 2213859 Email: icraf@mozcom.com Contact: Dr. Delia Catacutan NRM Research Officer & Mindanao Programme Coordinator Email: delia_icraf@yahoo.com ---------------- Since they are used for pulpwood in the Phils, ICRAF Mindanao may be able to put you onto a seed source. The Rainbow Eucalypt is native to west of the Wallace line i.e. Indonesia and western Mindanao, therefore Zamboanga City rather than Bukidnon though the Botanists may put my provenance right on this. Because they are relatively free of essential oils these rainforest Eucs do not explode as firebombs like those no-no 'gumtrees' in the big fires in Calif a year ago, Oct 08. Goodluck - the trunks are beautiful. Sweeney