I can't really give you any advice on the Inkberry. I don't have it myself, have seen it do great in some places. You might want to dig around the base to see if there was a planting issue (was it planted too low, is it too close to the house and the overhang is not allowing it to get the rain?). The Blue Boy should be fine for the Blue Princess as they are both types of Ilex x meserveae. If you don't see evidence of pollination after the first full year in place, you can add a Blue Prince somewhere to the property then, but I don't think you'll need it.

Pteroceltis: Looks like you'll have plenty to look forward to for generations to come. I only have one general comment on something from your list above. "Quercus prinus and Quercus michauxii (Chestnut and Swamp Chestnut Oaks): Will flank part of an alley that runs along side a pumpkin patch. Will be interesting to have a side-by-side comparison of these uncommon (around here at least) very similar Oaks." Actually (other than leaf morphology) these are quite dissimilar trees. Quercus prinus, the Chestnut Oak, occurs naturally around here on xeric upland sites in association with Blackjack Oak, Scarlet Oak, and White Oak, has huge flattened ridged and furrowed bark more like a Red Oak group tree than like the White Oak group it is a member of. It has big long oblong acorns, with a relatively shallow cap. I have never seen much more than yellow to yellow-brown fall color on this species, though it is supposed to be able to produce some orange. Quercus michauxii, the Swamp Chestnut Oak, on the other hand occurs naturally here in bottomlands, swamps, and along sedentary streams in association with Sweetgum, Blackgum, Overcup Oak, and Pin Oak, and has the typical scaly flaking bark like White Oak and Swamp White Oak. The acorns are also large, but not as long relative to width, and the cap covers more of the seed. This tree often has nice red fall color, though not quite up there in fluorescence with Nyssa or Acer rubrum. None of this will matter when under the care of a patient plantsman. It may matter in siting them, if you are looking for longevity and for natural reproduction of the species. Have fun with your menagerie, and report often.

Hi all, it's nice to be back, and comforting to see that even our resident Smart A$$ is in fine form (Hi KT!). :-) The thing about gardening, is that when the season finally gets here I have so little time for GardenWeb! I have not just my own garden, but my clients' to occupy my waking hours. Oops- my mistake... I was paging Wendy2, not you, WendyB. I didn't make that distinction, and apologize for the confusion. Wendy2 is in Zone 6 as I am, so her report about surviving 'Helleri' hollies was comforting. George, thanks for that information about your 'Helleri.' It corroborates some of the things I've read on the Internet. I just planted a row of 'Helleri' in amended soil (lots of organic compost and Holly-Tone), but it is in full sun on the top of a slope with a due-Western exposure. In the nursery where I bought them, they had sat in full sun in #3 plastic pots on a 22-acre site, so I figured they could handle the exposure as long as they have adequate water. They are clipped into low, flat-topped "buns" so maybe they will be low-slung enough to protect in the winter, but I was most concerned about soil moisture. There are boxwoods growing across from them in the same conditions, and those have weathered at least two winters. I read everything I could find about 'Helleri,' and got too much mixed information. Most sources said "full sun," while some said "tolerates part shade." The more detailed sites pointed out that they don't tolerate hot, dry soils, but many sites said "needs well drained soil and full sun." Then there was the ubiquitous "does best in moist, well-drained soil..." I'll water these heavily, put more organic matter in, and hope for the best. Deb, Mike and I have had a very long engagement! lol. When you get to our (middle age) stage of life, the pressure to seal the deal doesn't seem as urgent, but now we're talking "his-and-her rings"... :-) He'll definitely be teaching classes. He did a free workshop on making kokedama (a type of moss bonsai) at the Smith & Hawken store in Marietta, Georgia in May, and I'm guessing the one up here in Hingham, Mass. would be another potential workshop venue. He'll post when we have a better idea.

Were there no comments on this? What happened? I have TWELVE inkberry covered in black spot. It’s very sad