ziggy, thanks for the very thorough response. The thing that was confusing me was that my local nursery's web site, a "Native trees of SE Michigan" pamphlet, and a Midwest landscaping book all say the Canadian hemlock requires moist, well-drained soil. So my "speed bump" hill of sandy soil is only moist if it rains, and 10' down where the water table is. And the wetlands isn't "well-drained". I also had the landscape guy who was out to discuss our boulder retaining wall tell me hemlocks are hard to grow here, although they certainly sell them in every nursery I've been to. My "Native trees of SE MI" hemlock info also says, it "needs moist or wet acidic soils...is rare in SE Mi...is very sensitive to hot, dry conditions so be sure to plant this tree only in cool, moist locations." But maybe your "needs less moisture when shaded" comment is what makes the difference. Also, the nursery site says it needs to be planted in a winter protected area, which the "hill" isn't. A couple of years ago after hearing an arborist speak, I asked him about which tree to use here and mentioned that I didn't think a hemlock would work since it needed to be winter protected (I'd looked at the nursery info then, also). He looked at me like I was nuts, and said, "They're grown in Canada!" I'd read about the black spruce in my "Trees of Michigan and the Upper Great Lakes" book. Thanks for the suggestion, but I'd ruled this tree out because it said it "has a shallow root system that in swamps and bogs is easily uprooted by strong winds" and "the lower branches persist for many years after dying, making the tree unattractive for ornamental use." And there's a picture showing an unattractive black spruce with the dead branches half way up. So, based on what you both say, I'm wondering if the higher altitude in PA and the more northern WI location make a critical difference in the temperature factor. Hemlock is native to Michigan, but apparently in the northern part. I'm not trying to be difficult here. It's just that I spent 30 years in a condo with very little garden space, where I only could plant a few bushes and perennials. Now I have over an acre with lots of possibilities, but I have no experience with trees, and don't want to goof on these expensive plantings! So I'm trying to understand what my margin of safety is on these trees before I buy any! If, based on what I've added here, you think I'd still be reasonably safe with the hemlock, then I'll go ahead with them, since perhaps the amount of shade may end up being a bigger problem, which is why I am considering the yews for the hill if I don't use the hemlock. It sounds like the most logical place to try the hemlock would be the E location near the wetlands. The other wetlands location gets the W sun and winter winds. Thank you so much for your input! Anne

Ken, thanks again for your great info! I meant "Introduction", not "Information". (Short memory when I'm tired.) Thanks for the UConn site--VERY helpful for everything! I'd previously done a Google search, but had not come up with a couple of sites that appeared with yours that had good stuff. The landscaper who will put in our boulder retaining wall/long window well was over yesterday, and I told him what I had planned for planting in the area between the wall and the lot line. When I told him Canadian hemlocks and Capitata yews (on a previous thread, I'd tried to sort out which of these might be best--I figured that I had too much shade for spruces once the oak leaves were fully out), he said they'd be straggly due to the amount of shade. He said I have a perfect site for rhododendrons, which I love. (Oak tree canopy for some acidity, sandy soil for good drainage.) I'm a little confused since I thought rhodies needed less shade than yews or hemlocks. A guy at one of our largest nurseries also discouraged me from using the hemlocks--same reason. But maybe the openness of rhodies and fewer flowers in shade would be preferable to straggly yews and hemlocks? My sister has wild rhodies under pines at her house in the Poconos; don't know how close to this rhodies would look in Michigan. Right now I'm thinking to put a CN hemlock near the lot line to block the largest part of the neighbor's house on the south, and another one near the west lot line to block the opening to another neighbor's house in that direction. Then maybe scatter 3 or 4 Capitatas to block parts of the rest of their houses. And fill in randomly with tall-growing rhodies so hopefully the whole area still looks natural? Our lot and the neighbors' have lots of young to middle-aged oaks providing shade. Since some of the trees/shrubs I'm considering require "winter protection" (not sure if I'm understanding this term as it relates to my choices), will these tree trunks in the winter provide enough of a windbreak from the southwest winds? This would be along about 200' of the lot line. Would this work, or am I overcrowding things! The lot is an irregular shape, so there's enough space between the house and the lot line. I'm wondering if I might be making the LENGTH of the lot line to busy and less natural looking. I just want to screen the houses, not create a windbreak. Anne

For those not adverse to fungicides, dusting the damp seeds with Captan just before planting takes care of a lot of the sterilization goals. This is widely used for all palm seeds. Planting in pure perlite as a seedling mix can help too.

Yes! I am aware of the baggy method, and it is, in fact, mentioned in the original post! I have used the method numerous times, but almost every time I tried, I added too much water. I just recently germinated some canary date palm seeds using this method, I used a heating pad (and added the proper amount of water), and 60% of the seeds sprouted in only 8 days! I also have a couple of tips concerning this method: If you keep all the seeds under the soil, they will not grow fungus on them. If you use this method and ONE time you manage to get the perfect amount of moisture in the soil, save the soil after the seeds have sprouted, and you can use the same bag of soil for multiple seed batches. Thanks for your help!! ~palmsandsnow