So how did the plants from Miller's look? I have tossed a couple of their catalogs because of the bad comments that I have read about them.

About 10 years ago I purchased one of those pre designed gardens from a similar seller (I don't recall the name of the place). The plants seemed to be growing fine the next spring, but I sold the house before I had much of a chance to evaluate them. This year I have an order in for some daylilies and ornamental grass from Gilbert H. Wild. I am anxious to see how it turns out.

Chrismahanukwanzakha? Now that sounds like a good reason to have a beer!!

- Brent

So Vlad, what varieties of cherries & figs did you get?

Wow, Vlad!

What a surprise on an other-wise miserable day! I am also glad (vlad) to see you are totally PC on your holidays:) Now, if you can just find a cure for CRS.......you will make a million! Suz

G'Day!
my old motorcycle club was very "mixed," so we needed a general winter holiday theme and Winter Solstice just wasn't cutting it. So, for the past dozen year's, it's been Christmahanukwanzakha. The tradition is BBQ and beer in the snow 'till dusk, then inside to warm up and play "swap the unlabeled mystery gifts." The best mystery gift i got was a box of giftwrapping supplies - can't go wrong with that!

The cherry trees are stella and lapins, both dwarfed. i much prefer dwarf trees because i don't want to deal with ladders and i can fit more varieties in a smaller area. They also work better with the landscaping.
i have two figs from swaps last year, a swap cherry, and two National Arbor Day cherries (Black Tartarian and, um, some other dark sweet cherry.)

Still have room for a dozen more quality fruit trees if anyone has extras / rooted cuttings from non-grafted small trees, and any number of "generics" (self-seeded) or non-dwarfs (as from cuttings from grafted trees) are welcome for the treeline. (Still looking for grapevines and bush fruits too.)

Millers has gotten mixed reports about their ornimentals. i've only ordered "productive"plants form them and have been VERY pelased with the quality of the plants, shipping, and replacement service. (It sure wasn't their fault that the gooseberries got run over by a roof maitenance truck, but they cheerfully replaced 'em.) i think Millers is a great source for basic edibles. Stark has some more interesting varieties but slightly higher prices. Edible Landscaping has very interesting selections but substantially higher prices. Hence the combination of sources. (If anyone has others to recommend, let me know!)

While there is no cure for CRS, researchers are working around the clock to come up with an improvement over the traditional symptomatic treament of writing everything down. Several filing systems are undergoing test trials. Unfortunately, CRS has kept the reasearchers from remembering how the filing systems were supposed to work.

Happy gardening,-
vlad
The fig trees are brown turkey and celeste.

Vlasdpup -- you crack me up! Which is an appropriate state for another sufferer from CRS . . .

Hey, I'm back for awhile. At least until the 2nd phase of the kitchen remodel begins. We had a lil setback, nothing too serious tho. We just don't have a range to cook on for almost 2 weeks.

This CRS sufferer is famous for losing lists. For a long time I blamed it on the ornery spirit that lived in our last house. Then we moved...but he musta followed us here!!;)

I might have to reconsider Miller's as well. I want a fig tree and my budget is awefully slim with this kitchen remodel and all.

Have long before you anticipate you'll be getting fruit on your figs?

Hello from another sufferer of Can't Remember Squat, or its alternative name, Can't Remember Diddly Squat! One thing I do remember, Vlad, is that nice sesame seed bread you had at the last swap! Gonna bring some more to the spring swap? (hint hint)
Speaking of 'new arrivals' I just got a nice order from Parks: a blueberry plant to replace the one that Certain Scatter-Brained Dogs ripped up last year and some caladium bulbs. I can plant the blueberry now? Sweet!!

Vlad,
Just take care of the CRS so it doesn't progress to CRAFT (Can't Remember a *$#@&%! Thing). Now there's some problems, usually alcohol induced.
You mentioned the National Arbor Day Foundation. Their price is right but how's the quality of the trees you received?

Jack

G'Day!
- Dawn, i will try to get a "regular" bread baked as well as my chocolate-espresso-banana-raisin bread cake for the swap, but don't know what recipe i'll be using yet. It may very well be the sesame!

- Jack, the National Arbor Day trees are wee things that need to be coddled. i planted the "12 assorted native flowering trees for $10-" along the edge of my treeline and all but four have pooped out. But a second such assortment, planted in the veggie garden(!) are doing fine. They will live there for two years, "fattening up" until they're strong enough to outplant. (Meantime, they will act as living supports for pepper plants.)

- The peach and cherry trees from National Arbor Day were so tiny next to their commercial nursery counter parts! But they settled in well (ggod soil, kept weed-free, no deer niblings) and have grown so fast, after two years they are barely any smaller than their ten-times-as-expensive couterparts!

- i would DEFINITELY recomend 'em if you have a good site you can grow 'em in; just don't try to direct plant into a location with any competition.

*** CRS Fundraiser Announcement ***

- i think it is time for a fundraiser to support research to find a cure for CRS. Perhaps a plant auction. Everyone could bring a carload of plants to a pre-designated site. Everyone would bring home a carload of plants. Given that everyone attending would likely have CRS to some degree, we might all forget to do the fundraising part.

- Oh. i think that's called a plant swap. i'll be there - and thankful that someone else is doing the organizing!

- Happy gardening,
-vlad