"...do all magnolias have large root balls?" I'd feel more comfortable saying that most should and that yours should. "How do I know if enough of the root ball is being dug up?" Someone else may be able to come up with a guide better suited for this situation, but here's (click for link) one that could give you an idea of the absolute minimum size (in other words, the rootball would need to be larger than what you'll see in this generic guide). "What does "fleshy rooted" mean?" The roots are much thicker and less branched than most other species. Sometimes they are described as "rope-like". "Is that a better time to move it?" As Bboy said, the best time would be just before or just as it starts putting on new growth. __________________________ "...sweeping generalizations...is never or almost never a good idea are misleading" I don't consider my comments as being even slightly more over-generalized than I meant for them to be (unless there's something I am overlooking). In fact, I tried to be careful to make statements that would be valid even in the more unusual/rare situations I could think of. "Japanese maples and magnolias are two trees that require loose, highly organic soil if they are to flourish..." and "Most trees - no soil amendment. Magnolias and Japanese maples ... most definitely benefit from it." Bboy covered this VERY well, but I'll add that from what I've seen the vastly overwhelming amount of scientific evidence agrees with Bboy's comments. "If you start with a large area, and maintain a mulch layer the chances of creating the dreaded bathtub are nearly nonexistent." No, actually, the amount of area has zero effect on this phenomenon. Depth can be a factor (depending on soil profile), but not area. __________________________ Ahhh, so we're talking a raised bed.... Raised beds/berms, placed on top of native soil, are not backfill, so amendments are not necessarily a bad thing. The "bathtub effect" usually doesn't apply to raised beds, but the soil interface issues still can (depending on the relative size of the bed/berm). However, as pointed out in the planting guide, organic components should probably be limited to around 5%. You could easily extrapolate Bboy's original comments above to this situation. Whether your soil blend is ideal or not is impossible to know without more info, but, as you said, it's too late to worry about that now. I'll place my bet that it'll be fine. (-: This post was edited by brandon7 on Fri, Jan 4, 13 at 22:44

Ah, yes, grandpa. In 1989 I moved into the house that grandpa built. It was quite a dump, with nothing but overgrown oleanders and head-high weeds. Straight out of graduate school, with no money, I scraped together my nickles for a walnut tree for the front yard, to replace grandpa's tree, which had died. When I was small, we used to sit under the tree at the redwood picnic bench and clean enough walnuts to pay the property taxes every year! The new tree is not nearly as much of an economic asset, but the walnut husk flies and the squirrels appreciate it. It is my favorite tree, and the scent is of late summers and grandpa. Second favorite: the descendants of grandpa's old-fashioned purple German irises. When I first moved in, I found rhizomes under one of the oleanders, still alive after over 20 years of neglect! They now grace my back garden, and I cut them every year to fill the house with grandpa perfume. Renee

The live oak may not be hardy in her zone. I like natives too but in this case I am going to suggest the Oriental dogwood - cornus kousa. It is immune to dogwood anthracnose, is unusual in that it blooms a month or more later than our native dogwoods with lots of brilliant white bracts that have pointed tips and it has edible fruit. It will also take those dry conditions she mentioned after it is established (which means you must water it the first year, maybe two then it's on its own) Google it and you will see what I mean. I am in a distinct minority when it comes to magnolias, I do like the native magnolias like Ashei which is a smaller form of the bigleaf magnolia plus it has a more exquisite flower form but I am not crazy about Little Gem as the upturned leaves showing their brown undersides is not appealing to me (and probably me alone). Each person is different (just like dogs) and I am a fruit tree advocate and I would plant a heartnut, a butternut, an English walnut or a seedless American persimmon. Though not as showy as the others they are a practical tree that will keep giving for generations. You can see that many of us are firm in our preferences but the final choice is up to you. By the way, it's easy to reply individually, just click on the senders underlined name.

Not a tile fan. Beautiful (especially Bill V's work! Gorgeous!) but not for me. I might put down stone tile on a floor but never a countertop. Just don't care for the look atop a cabinet, whereas we have several floors with vinyl slate-look tile or sheet, LOL. Had laminate kitchen counters (which replaced old worn tile; but we ran out of $$$), eventually replaced in 2003 with Swanstone which is similar to Corian. It's a neutral beige granite-look - more like beach sand color, actually - and love it. Two big corner seams in our U-shaped kitchen are INVISIBLE. The installers spent over 1/2 hour sanding on each one. Every once in a while I'm rolling out pre-purchased dough. Love being able to sprinkle flour all over the countertop and then scrape 98% off with a stainless hand scraper! So easy. Heatproof to 375 degrees. Being used to laminate, I toss a double-thick potholder down if I'm putting anything down that's over that temp. I love and needed the quiet of solid surface. Our kitchen is right above our MBR suite and I'm often in the kitchen in the early a.m. when DH is still asleep.