"Pam - gardengal" wrote:

"griffon" wrote in message
.. .

I wanted to buy a Japanese maple to add to my rather pathetic maple
garden (three Japanese, a "flame" amur maple, a vine maple) but the
tree was about one hundred dollars more than the much larger dogwood
and equal-size sourwood combined. Along with all of those unusual and
lovely evergreens that are three hundred dollars at two feet of
height, all but the most common Japanese maples are just too expensive
for my taste. When you can buy a couple dozen shrubs for the price of
one shrub or tree, it just doesn't make sense to go for the single
item.

Sure it does! It just depends on your priorities. All gardens need a focal
point and that pricey little maple or unusual conifer may be just the item
to set off your garden and make it distnctive from those of your neighbors.
Personally, I'd rather invest my gardening budget on a single, distinctive,
large ticket item than a dozen plain Jane shrubs any day of the week. This
is also the same advice I give my design clients - put your money in the
significant items first - the specimen tree(s) or shrub(s). These typically
will be slower growing plants that will need more time to establish and
mature, but will already make a significant statement about your garden.
Then fill in with the ordinary stuff as budget permits.

Part of why I hate to spend a lot on single plants is because I live
on a 2.5 acre lot and when I moved in there was almost nothing. And I
like a LOT of plants. I want to attract animals for one thing, and it
is working. I rarely saw anything the year I moved in, but now I
reguarly see oppossums, squirrels, racoons and other small animals. I
have seen lizards and garden snakes this year! As I type this there
are two great horned owls (99% sure that is what they are) sitting in
a bamboo grove and hooting at each other. The downside is that these
same two owls wake me up EVERY morning. Assuming I am actually
asleep, it is currently 3:00 am and I am awake, but anyway.

And the land rolls down into a valley in back and there are so many
ways to view the property. A street behind mine is higher and offers a
great view of my back yard, especially in winter. And approaching my
street from the west you are also higher and can see my front yard
from a distance. It is just begging to be planted heavily. Heh.

The house has a circle driveway and there is a sidewalk in front of
the house. So there is a nice half-circle of ground between the
driveway and sidewalk. That is the one place that I intend to
definately place a few more expensive items.

I planted three large 'October Glory' red maples the year I moved in,
these are close to the driveway, leaving lots of room between them and
the road. At each corner on the sidewalk-side, I have planted Fosteri
Hollies. I am using them as shrubs now but when they have some size I
intend to trim them up and use them as trees. Some distance towards
the center of the half-circle is a contorted filbert, not the rarest
of plants in general but I never see any around here. I intend to
plant something else that really stands out on the other side of the
half circle in the same spot.

The center of the entire area is reserved for a large jet-black and
heavily cratered sandstone that is in a field on a family property. I
just need to find someone to move it. It's quite large, I would guess
it weighs around 1500lbs although I have no real idea. Could be much
more or less. There are two smaller stones (say 400 pounds each)
which I will put to each side of the large one, angled away from the
large rock and towards the sidewalk. Behind the large rock I have
considered planting an unusual japanese maple and then planting a
couple of the low growing and wild looking fir cultivars that a local
nursery has for $300.00+ or something along those lines. I have also
considered planting something like a weeping blue atlas cedar behind
the boulder, but I already have two different blue spruce trees on one
side of the yard - one a tall narrow plant and the other short and
fat. Having already made the mistake of buying too many variegated
plants and having to move most of them around due to how distracting
they can be, I would hate to have too many blue plants...

A couple of things to consider: you don't necessarily need to get a large
one to begin with - even Japanese maples can put on considerable growth when
young. My seven year old Coral Bark maple (not the most unusual variety) is
now a dramatic 18 foot feature of my entry garden. Younger, smaller trees
tend to adapt to new planting situations easier, too. And these plants DO go
on sale, specially at the end of the growing season. Become a regular
nursery visitor and scout the nurseries in your area on a regular schedule.
And look for plant sales in the spring - garden clubs, botanical gardens and
even Master Gardener organizations often have spring sales where you can
find less common items at good prices. If possible, avoid ordering online or
by mail - one seldom gets bargain prices AND reasonable size by this method.

We don't have much in the way of garden clubs and the like in this
area... yet. Although the first botanical garden is finally getting
started.

I have never seen any trees on sale at any of our local nurseries, in
any season. They might have them, but I haven't been lucky enough to
discover the sales. The only things I see on sale are perennials or
hte occasionally ratty shrub. Of course Wally-World and the home
improvement stores put everything on sale at one point or another, but
rarely do I find anything particularly interesting there.

Come on ......tell us what you paid for this stunning kousa. Inquiring minds
want to know!!

Without looking for the tag to check, I think it was $269.00. Which
may or may not be a bad price. I am very fond of the tree though, so
I guess it doesn't matter.