FarmI wrote:
You too :-)) I noted your name but didn't know if you chose to acknowledge
our aquaintance out of context.

Why not? I like you!

Do a hunt on terms like permaculture, layering and wildlife in google on US
sites and that may give you some ideas. If that doesn't work I know I have
a seen a number of Oz ones which explain the concept as it applies to farms
(for biodiversity reasons) and, although the plants would be different, and
the concept applicable to broad acreage, there is no reason why the same
hting couldn't be applied to a yard - let me kno wif you'd like me to do a
hunt for you and provide cites.

Oh, I enjoy googling and researching!

Nope, not at all. Even I have a brush pile which given our snake problem, I
know I probably shouldn't.

Heh. Well, this will NOT be near the house at any rate. I THINK
I have absorbed that I actually want to discourage critters from
being in that area! I wonder how close is too close (in terms of
ground cover, etc.)?

--
Jean B.

FarmI wrote:
"Jean B." wrote in message

I am torn between larger and smaller plants having read that sometimes the
smaller ones will do better and thus catch up to some degree with the
larger ones.

We have foudn that oaks grown from acorns grow like stink if watered in our
hot summers. We also planted a windbreak last spring of tube stock (at
least 500 plants) about a ft high for the biggest and this summer some of
them are already about 4 ft high. They were all Oz natives though so that
may not be a lot of help.

That's neat. I do have some baby oaks here and will try to snag
some of them. Of course, without their leaves, they may be hard
to identify!

I will be 60 in January. I guess that is a factor to some degree.

It sure is! We too think about how long trees will take to grow, but there
is a Japanese poem of which I am fond which says it all (although I can't
remeber the line splits so you'll just have to put them in yourself):

'A man truly understands the meaning of life when he plants a shade tree
under which he knows he will not sit.'

Such a person does have to have a vision that extends past his/her
lifespan!

I'd like to have some nice views in my lifetime. OTOH, I also believe in
planting for the future--even the distant future. I am reminded of this
when I drive by the house I lived in when I was a kid. My dad planted
some red maples, and they are now nice trees. The big oaks that were there
have mostly come down, so it is very lucky he looked ahead.

He truly understood the meaning of life.

In that regard.


--
Jean B.

Bill who putters wrote:

I once saw a tv program dealing with yard habitat. Came away with the
idea that diverse heights in plants have something for everyone. So
have grass, scrubs, small and large trees and they will come. Can be
appealing to humans too.

Here is a site that touches on water as well.

http://www.eastbaynature.com/habitat.htm

Bill

Thank you, Bill! This pretty much parallels my current thinking,
but gives me some tangible clues.

BTW, my Japanese maples... Sniff. I will be very sorry to leave
my moonfire, especially. My shishigashira is the one that was
incorrectly planted, while the sango kaku will be in peril. I
will put these and others in one small area of the front yard. I
do still love them, although my thoughts on what I should be doing
have evolved over the years.

--
Jean B.

In article ,
"FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote:

We too think about how long trees will take to grow, but there
is a Japanese poem of which I am fond which says it all (although I can't
remeber the line splits so you'll just have to put them in yourself):

'A man truly understands the meaning of life when he plants a shade tree
under which he knows he will not sit.'

The observation seems to be universal.

A man has made at least a start on discovering the meaning of human life
when he plants shade trees under which he knows full well he will never
sit.
-- Elton Trueblood (1900-1994

The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not
expect to sit.
-- Nelson Henderson

He that plants a tree loves other besides himself.
-- Thomas Fuller

To plant trees is to give body and life to one's dreams of a better
world.
-- Russell Page

What does he plant who plants a tree? He plants the friend of sun and
sky; He plants the flag of breezes free; The shaft of beauty, towering
high, he plants a home to heaven anigh. For song and mother-croon of
bird, in hushed and happy twilight heard - The treble of heaven's
harmony. These things he plants who plants a tree.
-- Henry Cuyler Bunner, the Heart of the Tree

The wonder is that we can see these trees and not wonder more.
-- Ralph Waldo Emerson
--
³When you give food to the poor, they call you a saint. When you ask why the poor have no food, they call you a communist.²
-Archbishop Helder Camara

http://tinyurl.com/o63ruj
http://countercurrents.org/roberts020709.htm

On Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:26:10 -0500, brooklyn1
wrote:

"Jean B." wrote:

I will be 60 in January. I guess that is a factor to some degree.

Certainly is, at that age it's even more important to plant trees that
you have a chance to enjoy as trees, otherwise simply visit the
nurseries and peruse their saplings each year.

I'd like to have some nice views in my lifetime. OTOH, I also believe in
planting for the future--even the distant future.

Most everything you plant will be in regards of the present and the
future. On my property I found trees of all ages but there were some
specific kinds that I wanted that weren't growing here. So I had to
decide on whether to focus only on the dollars and plant small
inexpensive ones or spend the dollars for something larger so that I
could enjoy the view and not just plant for future generations, I
decided that there needed to be a balance. And so I decided to plant
trees that were large enough that I felt assured that I would still be
here long enough to make it worth doing at all. Tiny trees will
eventually catch up but at 60 years old you very likely won't see it.

At to attracting critters the critters first need to be in your area
and have access to your property, otherwise it won't much matter what
you plant to attract them. I have all sorts of wildlife here all
year, mostly due to there being natural food and water sources present
and that there are no fences.

This morning it was chilly at 6:30, 24ºF, and frost not only on the
ground but up on the trees too.

Deer and Canada geese foraging frosty grass:
http://i49.tinypic.com/282r02.jpg

Suddenly I noticed something didn't look right, something was out of
place... at first I thought a goose sitting at a strange angle but
then I could plainly see it was a great blue heron:
http://i48.tinypic.com/1945g0.jpg

It was at a long distance nerly 1,000 feet so wasn't easy to tell at
first... there it is the closest to my barn:
http://i48.tinypic.com/aymz45.jpg

About a half hour later I just happened to glance outside and just
happened to still have my camera at the ready, so was very lucky to
grab this shot as the heron departed:
http://i46.tinypic.com/2s63l9t.jpg

Building large brush piles encourage critters to take up residense:
http://i46.tinypic.com/28r2r11.jpg

Naturally there has to be critters and they need to have access.
Here I'm surrounded by many thousands of unfenced acres and very
sparsely populated, so any time I look out a window I am likely to be
surprised... the great blue heron is pretty rare around here, but I've
spotted bear, eagles, fox, skunk, hedgehogs, beaver, bob cat, too many
to name, and of course lots of deer and Canada geese... often mallards
drop in to rest among the geese but don't stay long.

brooklyn1 wrote:
On Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:26:10 -0500, brooklyn1
wrote:

"Jean B." wrote:
I will be 60 in January. I guess that is a factor to some degree.
Certainly is, at that age it's even more important to plant trees that
you have a chance to enjoy as trees, otherwise simply visit the
nurseries and peruse their saplings each year.

I'd like to have some nice views in my lifetime. OTOH, I also believe in
planting for the future--even the distant future.
Most everything you plant will be in regards of the present and the
future. On my property I found trees of all ages but there were some
specific kinds that I wanted that weren't growing here. So I had to
decide on whether to focus only on the dollars and plant small
inexpensive ones or spend the dollars for something larger so that I
could enjoy the view and not just plant for future generations, I
decided that there needed to be a balance.

I agree with that. Some for more-immediate enjoyment, and some
for the future.

And so I decided to plant
trees that were large enough that I felt assured that I would still be
here long enough to make it worth doing at all. Tiny trees will
eventually catch up but at 60 years old you very likely won't see it.

That's diplomatic.... I won't be seeing them.


At to attracting critters the critters first need to be in your area
and have access to your property, otherwise it won't much matter what
you plant to attract them. I have all sorts of wildlife here all
year, mostly due to there being natural food and water sources present
and that there are no fences.

That is a very nice situation to be in! I spoke with woman in the
new neighborhood yesterday and asked about critters. She said
there were deer, hawks, a fisher.... So at least there is
something beyond squirrels--and I gather the hawks like to dine on
them!


This morning it was chilly at 6:30, 24ºF, and frost not only on the
ground but up on the trees too.

Deer and Canada geese foraging frosty grass:
http://i49.tinypic.com/282r02.jpg

Are the deer in the shadowy area?


Suddenly I noticed something didn't look right, something was out of
place... at first I thought a goose sitting at a strange angle but
then I could plainly see it was a great blue heron:
http://i48.tinypic.com/1945g0.jpg

Neat!


It was at a long distance nerly 1,000 feet so wasn't easy to tell at
first... there it is the closest to my barn:
http://i48.tinypic.com/aymz45.jpg

Oh yes, now I see it in the group photo.

About a half hour later I just happened to glance outside and just
happened to still have my camera at the ready, so was very lucky to
grab this shot as the heron departed:
http://i46.tinypic.com/2s63l9t.jpg

Building large brush piles encourage critters to take up residense:
http://i46.tinypic.com/28r2r11.jpg

I will cart some starter branches to the new yard! What is that
in front of the deer--and to the left?

Naturally there has to be critters and they need to have access.
Here I'm surrounded by many thousands of unfenced acres and very
sparsely populated, so any time I look out a window I am likely to be
surprised... the great blue heron is pretty rare around here, but I've
spotted bear, eagles, fox, skunk, hedgehogs, beaver, bob cat, too many
to name, and of course lots of deer and Canada geese... often mallards
drop in to rest among the geese but don't stay long.

Again, I am soooooo envious! My yard isn't nearly as large as
yours, and it is in a more urban setting, but I will do what I can
with it. At least there are some critters--and where there are
some known ones, I suspect there are/will be more.

--
Jean B.

On Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:24:29 -0500, "Jean B." wrote:

brooklyn1 wrote:
On Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:26:10 -0500, brooklyn1
wrote:

"Jean B." wrote:
I will be 60 in January. I guess that is a factor to some degree.
Certainly is, at that age it's even more important to plant trees that
you have a chance to enjoy as trees, otherwise simply visit the
nurseries and peruse their saplings each year.

I'd like to have some nice views in my lifetime. OTOH, I also believe in
planting for the future--even the distant future.
Most everything you plant will be in regards of the present and the
future. On my property I found trees of all ages but there were some
specific kinds that I wanted that weren't growing here. So I had to
decide on whether to focus only on the dollars and plant small
inexpensive ones or spend the dollars for something larger so that I
could enjoy the view and not just plant for future generations, I
decided that there needed to be a balance.

I agree with that. Some for more-immediate enjoyment, and some
for the future.

And so I decided to plant
trees that were large enough that I felt assured that I would still be
here long enough to make it worth doing at all. Tiny trees will
eventually catch up but at 60 years old you very likely won't see it.

That's diplomatic.... I won't be seeing them.

Well, I'm 66 so I don't have to be too diplomatic, at 66 I don't have
time to pussy foot around issues. LOL And I've never been evasive or
have been known to wear blinders, I'm a tell it how it is sorta guy.
If you plant a baby tree ten years later it will still be pretty much
a baby tree... at 60 years old you want to plant a teenage tree... a
twelve year old tree is still pretty small but at least in ten years
when it finally has some semblance to a tree one can barely recognize
in its mature state you will already be 70.

Shade trees don't grow very quickly, even those touted as fast growing
just creep along adding only a foot or less in height each year. I
planted quite a few saplings when I first arrived here seven years
ago, none are what I'd now call a shade tree. The beech trees seem to
barely grow at all. The gingkos are doing a little better but their
new growth is brittle and weak, even the weight of small birds break
off pieces so that they lose about half what they put out each year.
Crabapples do better but need enough pruning that I find myself
removing about half of each years growth. My blue spruce are doing
well but still add only about six inches in height a year. My
sycamore are doing the best but in seven years went from three foot
twigs to ten foot saplings, will probably be another ten years before
they'd offer enough shade to sit in without constantly moving the
chair as the sun travels across the sky, if I make 76 I'll get to do
that. My apple and plum trees were seven years old when I bought them
and are doing well but after two years I can see that they are really
not much larger, but still much better than a three year old bareroot
mail order twig or a skinny potted sapling from Lowes... at this age I
don't recommend buying twiggy fruit trees, go to a grower and spring
for something a bit older, I paid $60 each, the apple trees actually
had a few fruit on them. I bought nine larger speciments from a
grower and they delivered and planted them with a small excavator,
even those after seven years are not a whole lot larger but at least
they look like trees... those were expensive, to buy and to plant, but
they were gauranteed, all made it; a linden, two flowering pear, a
hawthorne, two beech, a Kentucky coffee tree, two dawn redwood... nine
trees, $3,000.

At to attracting critters the critters first need to be in your area
and have access to your property, otherwise it won't much matter what
you plant to attract them. I have all sorts of wildlife here all
year, mostly due to there being natural food and water sources present
and that there are no fences.

That is a very nice situation to be in! I spoke with woman in the
new neighborhood yesterday and asked about critters. She said
there were deer, hawks, a fisher.... So at least there is
something beyond squirrels--and I gather the hawks like to dine on
them!

Deer like to dine on most any plant... you'll need to fence any small
trees.

This morning it was chilly at 6:30, 24ºF, and frost not only on the
ground but up on the trees too.

Deer and Canada geese foraging frosty grass:
http://i49.tinypic.com/282r02.jpg

Are the deer in the shadowy area?

One is clearly out in the meadow, others are just inside the tree
line, difficult to see in a photo.

Suddenly I noticed something didn't look right, something was out of
place... at first I thought a goose sitting at a strange angle but
then I could plainly see it was a great blue heron:
http://i48.tinypic.com/1945g0.jpg

Neat!


It was at a long distance nerly 1,000 feet so wasn't easy to tell at
first... there it is the closest to my barn:
http://i48.tinypic.com/aymz45.jpg

Oh yes, now I see it in the group photo.

About a half hour later I just happened to glance outside and just
happened to still have my camera at the ready, so was very lucky to
grab this shot as the heron departed:
http://i46.tinypic.com/2s63l9t.jpg

Building large brush piles encourage critters to take up residense:
http://i46.tinypic.com/28r2r11.jpg

I will cart some starter branches to the new yard!

Be wary about what brush you bring from elsewhere, could be polluted
(toxic), diseased and harbor pests, I'd not.

What is that in front of the deer--and to the left?

Not sure what you mean... there's a big brush pile to the left just
inside the entrance to that path, then all along are stacks of logs
wedged between standing trees from trees I cut to open the path so
that sun could get in to dry up the water from rain and run off,
otherwise it was mud all summer. There are a couple of deer and a
Canada goose there too. That picture was taken with telephoto from my
rear deck, nearly a thousand feet away, so it's pretty distorted,
compresses the length of the path, which is also about 1,000' long but
looks much less in that picture.

Naturally there has to be critters and they need to have access.
Here I'm surrounded by many thousands of unfenced acres and very
sparsely populated, so any time I look out a window I am likely to be
surprised... the great blue heron is pretty rare around here, but I've
spotted bear, eagles, fox, skunk, hedgehogs, beaver, bob cat, too many
to name, and of course lots of deer and Canada geese... often mallards
drop in to rest among the geese but don't stay long.

Again, I am soooooo envious! My yard isn't nearly as large as
yours, and it is in a more urban setting, but I will do what I can
with it. At least there are some critters--and where there are
some known ones, I suspect there are/will be more.

I still suggest that you don't do anything major right away. Live
there a year, be watchful and make notes and sketches depicting shaded
areas in summer, areas with poor soil that seem to remain dry and
don't support lush ground cover, and areas of standing water that
don't drain well. This will help you eliminate areas where
you won't have success planting and help you focus on the areas where
you will have success. Also note areas where snow is piled from
shoveling/plowing, especially areas where road salt accumulates, you
really don't want to consider planting in those areas and you don't
want to obviate areas you will need for piling snow. When I first
moved here I din't know anything about this land, now I know where
every rock is to avoid when mowing. I keep a file where I keep all
the documentation for everything I planted, when, and where (with
diagrams). Also, take lots of pictures. We're practically neighbors.

brooklyn1 wrote:

Well, I'm 66 so I don't have to be too diplomatic, at 66 I don't have
time to pussy foot around issues. LOL And I've never been evasive or
have been known to wear blinders, I'm a tell it how it is sorta guy.

I have noticed that for many years--probably ever since I got on NGs!

If you plant a baby tree ten years later it will still be pretty much
a baby tree... at 60 years old you want to plant a teenage tree... a
twelve year old tree is still pretty small but at least in ten years
when it finally has some semblance to a tree one can barely recognize
in its mature state you will already be 70.

I will go prowling. I THINK the nurseries are done with tree work
until spring, but I could be wrong. More's the pity, since fall
is a good time to plant, and the ground here near Boston is not
frozen.

Shade trees don't grow very quickly, even those touted as fast growing
just creep along adding only a foot or less in height each year.

Also, I have gleaned the knowledge that fast-growing trees tend
not to be very long-lived. One strategy I have seen is to plant
some of those junkier trees that give privacy while the better
ones grow a bit.
I
planted quite a few saplings when I first arrived here seven years
ago, none are what I'd now call a shade tree.

SEVEN years! Gee, how time flies. I wouldn't have guess you
moved that long ago.

The beech trees seem to
barely grow at all. The gingkos are doing a little better but their
new growth is brittle and weak, even the weight of small birds break
off pieces so that they lose about half what they put out each year.

I am leery of gingkos. In fact I was reminded of my reason when I
visited Boston's Chinatown a few weeks ago. Egad! Now my
daughter understands my comments about them.

Crabapples do better but need enough pruning that I find myself
removing about half of each years growth.

I have a dwarf crab, which I have had in mulch for a few years.
That is one thing I will plant next week. There are actually two
larger crabapple trees in the yard.

My blue spruce are doing
well but still add only about six inches in height a year. My
sycamore are doing the best but in seven years went from three foot
twigs to ten foot saplings, will probably be another ten years before
they'd offer enough shade to sit in without constantly moving the
chair as the sun travels across the sky, if I make 76 I'll get to do
that. My apple and plum trees were seven years old when I bought them
and are doing well but after two years I can see that they are really
not much larger, but still much better than a three year old bareroot
mail order twig or a skinny potted sapling from Lowes... at this age I
don't recommend buying twiggy fruit trees, go to a grower and spring
for something a bit older, I paid $60 each, the apple trees actually
had a few fruit on them. I bought nine larger speciments from a
grower and they delivered and planted them with a small excavator,
even those after seven years are not a whole lot larger but at least
they look like trees... those were expensive, to buy and to plant, but
they were gauranteed, all made it; a linden, two flowering pear, a
hawthorne, two beech, a Kentucky coffee tree, two dawn redwood... nine
trees, $3,000.

Not too bad. Yes, I want fruit trees. I don't know whether they
would be for man or for beast--I suspect the latter, although *I*
will enjoy the blossoms--and seeing the critters.

Deer like to dine on most any plant... you'll need to fence any small
trees.

Mmmm. The pros and the cons. Yes. Also deer ticks. Still, I
want to see them and to encourage them in my small way.

One is clearly out in the meadow, others are just inside the tree
line, difficult to see in a photo.

I will look again.

Be wary about what brush you bring from elsewhere, could be polluted
(toxic), diseased and harbor pests, I'd not.

Hmmm. Not even from this yard?

Not sure what you mean... there's a big brush pile to the left just
inside the entrance to that path, then all along are stacks of logs
wedged between standing trees from trees I cut to open the path so
that sun could get in to dry up the water from rain and run off,
otherwise it was mud all summer. There are a couple of deer and a
Canada goose there too. That picture was taken with telephoto from my
rear deck, nearly a thousand feet away, so it's pretty distorted,
compresses the length of the path, which is also about 1,000' long but
looks much less in that picture.

I thought I saw a critter with a bushy tail--much like that of the
coyote that crossed the street in front of my car tonight.

I still suggest that you don't do anything major right away. Live
there a year, be watchful and make notes and sketches depicting shaded
areas in summer, areas with poor soil that seem to remain dry and
don't support lush ground cover, and areas of standing water that
don't drain well. This will help you eliminate areas where
you won't have success planting and help you focus on the areas where
you will have success. Also note areas where snow is piled from
shoveling/plowing, especially areas where road salt accumulates, you
really don't want to consider planting in those areas and you don't
want to obviate areas you will need for piling snow. When I first
moved here I din't know anything about this land, now I know where
every rock is to avoid when mowing. I keep a file where I keep all
the documentation for everything I planted, when, and where (with
diagrams). Also, take lots of pictures. We're practically neighbors.

Well, I think you are pretty far away. I'll get a camera with a
better telephoto lens.

I will try to confine myself to minor projects this coming year
and leave the larger areas until I know the lay of the land (both
literally and figuratively). I do need some more privacy though,
and I do have my little babies to plant.

--
Jean B.

"Jean B." wrote in message
...
FarmI wrote:
You too :-)) I noted your name but didn't know if you chose to
acknowledge our aquaintance out of context.

Why not? I like you!

Thank you Jean and I reciprocate that :-))

Do a hunt on terms like permaculture, layering and wildlife in google on
US sites and that may give you some ideas. If that doesn't work I know I
have a seen a number of Oz ones which explain the concept as it applies
to farms (for biodiversity reasons) and, although the plants would be
different, and the concept applicable to broad acreage, there is no
reason why the same hting couldn't be applied to a yard - let me kno wif
you'd like me to do a hunt for you and provide cites.

Oh, I enjoy googling and researching!

Nope, not at all. Even I have a brush pile which given our snake
problem, I know I probably shouldn't.

Heh. Well, this will NOT be near the house at any rate. I THINK I have
absorbed that I actually want to discourage critters from being in that
area! I wonder how close is too close (in terms of ground cover, etc.)?

There was a woman who used to post here from somewhere in the midwest and
she had a glorious garden on a house sized block and she ended up a single
mouse in the house from a brush pile in her yard. That wouldn't have
worried me given that I get mice (plural) in the house each spring and
autumn (but I just noted that I haven't this spring - wonderful!) I guess
it wouldn't be a problem if the pile is down the back and there are lots of
other things around for the critters that shelter in such a place have
plenty to eat.

FarmI wrote:
There was a woman who used to post here from somewhere in the midwest and
she had a glorious garden on a house sized block and she ended up a single
mouse in the house from a brush pile in her yard. That wouldn't have
worried me given that I get mice (plural) in the house each spring and
autumn (but I just noted that I haven't this spring - wonderful!) I guess
it wouldn't be a problem if the pile is down the back and there are lots of
other things around for the critters that shelter in such a place have
plenty to eat.


I have mice in the house here. It is an ongoing battle. (I don't
know why in all the years here, the three cats have only gotten
TWO mice!) I am going to try to be careful about keeping things,
even welcoming groundcover, away from the house. I am envisioning
the brush pile(s?) being on the edge of the wooded area. I want
to see where the critters tend to come out and leave that clear,
so even that may be after a lag.

OTOH, I do have that nice big downed branch here.... I should
point out that I am only moving 2-3 towns away--depending on how
one drives, so I wouldn't be bringing any foreign invaders to the
new domain.

And that reminds me... I was going to do research on the Asian
Long-Horned Beetle to see what trees they don't destroy. They are
in this state, and it would be foolish to not think about that
when planting.

--
Jean B.

"Jean B." wrote in news:7mgmn2F3g2vvlU1
@mid.individual.net:

Soon I'll be moving, and while I will take a few of my smaller
Japanese maples etc. and put them in part of the front yard, I am
thinking I want most of my yard to be populated by
critter-friendly plants--ones that provide food, nesting
spots/shelter for birds and beasts. Currently the large back yard
is rather barren, with pines at the back and toward the side, so I
have a decent amount of open space to chip away at. Depending on
where I plant, and the things I put in eventually providing shade,
most of this will be in sun or partial sun. I don't think that
area is arid or particularly moist. I am in the Boston area and
like to allow for all contingencies, so I generally plant things
that are for zone 4. Fairly carefree but not horribly invasive
would be pluses.

i'd wait through a full year at the new place to study sun patterns
& soil conditions before i started planting. use the time to map the
yard & plan.
my yard is a Certified Wildlife Habitat, as well as a Tree Farm (i
like my signs, i do g). you can find wildlife habitat suggestions
at: http://www.nwf.org/gardenforwildlife/
lee
oh, and wrap those Japanese maple trunks in hardware cloth over the
winter. the mice & voles love to eat them.

On Nov 21, 9:22 am, enigma wrote:
"Jean B." wrote in news:7mgmn2F3g2vvlU1
@mid.individual.net:

Soon I'll be moving, and while I will take a few of my smaller
Japanese maples etc. and put them in part of the front yard, I am
thinking I want most of my yard to be populated by
critter-friendly plants--ones that provide food, nesting
spots/shelter for birds and beasts. Currently the large back yard
is rather barren, with pines at the back and toward the side, so I
have a decent amount of open space to chip away at

i'd wait through a full year at the new place to study sun patterns
& soil conditions before i started planting. use the time to map the
yard & plan.
my yard is a Certified Wildlife Habitat, as well as a Tree Farm (i
like my signs, i do g). you can find wildlife habitat suggestions
at:http://www.nwf.org/gardenforwildlife/
lee
oh, and wrap those Japanese maple trunks in hardware cloth over the
winter. the mice & voles love to eat them.


Yes I agree with you Lee. Plan and research, Jean.

The NWF is a great source of information. They have a wonderful,
beautiful book:

Attracting Birds, Butterflies and Other Backyard Wildlife.
by David Mizejewski (he is manager of the Backyard Habitat Program)
See if you can locate it. Pub. by Creative Homeowner books,
www.creativehomeowner.com

(I also have a Certified Wildlife Habitat # 49465.)

Have a fun winter planning, Jean and let us know of your progress.

Emilie
NorCal

enigma wrote:
"Jean B." wrote in news:7mgmn2F3g2vvlU1
@mid.individual.net:

Soon I'll be moving, and while I will take a few of my smaller
Japanese maples etc. and put them in part of the front yard, I am
thinking I want most of my yard to be populated by
critter-friendly plants--ones that provide food, nesting
spots/shelter for birds and beasts. Currently the large back yard
is rather barren, with pines at the back and toward the side, so I
have a decent amount of open space to chip away at. Depending on
where I plant, and the things I put in eventually providing shade,
most of this will be in sun or partial sun. I don't think that
area is arid or particularly moist. I am in the Boston area and
like to allow for all contingencies, so I generally plant things
that are for zone 4. Fairly carefree but not horribly invasive
would be pluses.

i'd wait through a full year at the new place to study sun patterns
& soil conditions before i started planting. use the time to map the
yard & plan.
my yard is a Certified Wildlife Habitat, as well as a Tree Farm (i
like my signs, i do g). you can find wildlife habitat suggestions
at: http://www.nwf.org/gardenforwildlife/
lee
oh, and wrap those Japanese maple trunks in hardware cloth over the
winter. the mice & voles love to eat them.

thanks for the advice--and the link, Lee.

Gee, I haven't had any problem with those maple trunks being eaten.

Oh yes.... Speaking of maples, I started looking into the Asian
Long-Horned Beetle. On one hand, the advice is that all maples
are very susceptible to them; on the other, they don't like any
Japanese maples. No oaks seem to be susceptible. Now I am trying
to remember why a friend of mine was worried about his oaks a few
years ago....

--
Jean B.

mleblanca wrote:
On Nov 21, 9:22 am, enigma wrote:
"Jean B." wrote in news:7mgmn2F3g2vvlU1
@mid.individual.net:

Soon I'll be moving, and while I will take a few of my smaller
Japanese maples etc. and put them in part of the front yard, I am
thinking I want most of my yard to be populated by
critter-friendly plants--ones that provide food, nesting
spots/shelter for birds and beasts. Currently the large back yard
is rather barren, with pines at the back and toward the side, so I
have a decent amount of open space to chip away at
i'd wait through a full year at the new place to study sun patterns
& soil conditions before i started planting. use the time to map the
yard & plan.
my yard is a Certified Wildlife Habitat, as well as a Tree Farm (i
like my signs, i do g). you can find wildlife habitat suggestions
at:http://www.nwf.org/gardenforwildlife/
lee
oh, and wrap those Japanese maple trunks in hardware cloth over the
winter. the mice & voles love to eat them.


Yes I agree with you Lee. Plan and research, Jean.

The NWF is a great source of information. They have a wonderful,
beautiful book:

Attracting Birds, Butterflies and Other Backyard Wildlife.
by David Mizejewski (he is manager of the Backyard Habitat Program)
See if you can locate it. Pub. by Creative Homeowner books,
www.creativehomeowner.com

(I also have a Certified Wildlife Habitat # 49465.)

Have a fun winter planning, Jean and let us know of your progress.

Emilie
NorCal

Thank you, Emilie. I will order that book from the library....
Oh, heck, I'll get a book shop owner/friend to order one for me.
It sounds like something I will really benefit from having on hand.

--
Jean B.