Thank you both so much! Greenman28: Now you mention "Gritty mix or 5-1-1"...what are those? Are they a description for mixes you (or I) would have to mix ourselves by buying the ingredients separately? Or is that something pre-bagged i can buy? Gardengal48: THANK YOU! If it was me searching/buying the ingredients I would have no issue at all buying them and mixing my own mix, but because in my current circumstance i am relying on a family member to buy the mix for me, it is fantastic to hear about a bagged mix! So its http://www.kellogggarden.com/products?brand=gardnerbloome&category=gardnerbloome-soils#5 or http://greenhousegardencenter.com/Master Nursery Catalog.htm (scrolled half way down "Acid Planting Mix") ? I hope my local nursery (Sky Nursery) carries one of those cause that would make it so much easier! Now when you use that, what do you use for a mulch on-top of the soil? Also is this perfect to use when germinating seeds? Because remember i am not only needing to re-pot my trees into 1gal pots, but i am going to be growing JM from seed and so i'll need soil for that as well, so if i can use that for seeds as well that is fantastic. (I thought manure wasn't recommended for JPN MPL's? I read the specs for the Acid Planting Mix and it says it has: chicken manure, and bat guano) Just called Sky-Nursery, they said they used to use Gardener & Bloome but found it too rich so they now carry and use EB-Stone mixes and for my use they recommended: http://www.ebstone.org/13_azalea.php Any thoughts? (Here's whats in EB-Stone Azalea Mix: Contains: Composted Fir Bark, Sphagnum Peat Moss, Redwood Compost, Mushroom Compost, Volcanic Pumice Stone, Earthworm Castings, Bat Guano, Kelp Meal, Feather Meal and Gypsum) Here's what i got so far: 1) Potting mix: EB-Stone Azalea Mix 2) I'm thinking this mulch for 1" bottom of container: http://www.lowes.com/pd_109329-1802-CARY30P_0__?productId=3156693#BVRRWidgetID And this mulch for top 1" of container: http://www.homedepot.com/p/Terrace-Mulch-4-qt-Terrace-Mulch-Cypress-Mulch-Resealable-Bag-MULCH3359CYP/203920301#.UbvAw9jNkSo Feel free to give your opinion on if that's good or not good, if you know of a different type that's way better. (The idea being a shredded mulch for the bottom of the container to help with drainage and a bigger chip-style mulch for the top layer to provide heat/moisture insulation/retention and good aeration) This post was edited by M3rc_Nate on Fri, Jun 14, 13 at 21:49

Greenlarry, as I said, I see it a lot where I live. And it's almost entirely wild trees. If you look at this time of year they stand out more as they start to colour. Did you look at the link I posted? bboy - I'm surprised you didn't see many hedges. Cornwall has a distinctive traditional hedge style of its own, grown on top of stone walls. I can't think where you were looking. Did you stay on main roads or did you get out into the country? Perhaps you were up on the moors where they use stone walls rather than hedges. If you look at a satellite photo of S England you will see mile after mile of hedgerow. I live in SW England and I promise you there are lots of hedges and lots of field maples in my area. Pretty much every field has a hedge around it since most farming here is meat and dairy. Hedges are less used in arable areas. I have several very old specimens in my wood which exhibit the burrs much prized by woodworkers.

Thanks folks. I suppose if it is patented, the timeframe for its patent is probably about up. I'll have to have one of you refresh my memory as to how long it's legal to patent one but my memory wants to tell me that it's either 10 or 20 years tops. 'Emperor I' is of course a great palmatum for my zone as I do get die-back on others which more than anything is an annual prune if anything at all, so I guess that's why I wanted to know more about this cultivar. I suppose it was a seedling as that would be the most likely case. I don't know anyone around here with one, but in 2001 I worked at a local nursery and we had a dozen or so of them, but that's the only time any nursery around here has sold them. I'll be very curious to see how this palmatum does here, particulary with Winter dieback or late Spring freezes. My 'Seiryu' is growing like a champ. It's at least 10 feet tall now and my japonicum 'Acontifolium' in absolute full exposure void of any microclimate protection gets minimal dieback and almost none on a normal winter. I'm aware of other species that would do well here, but thought I'd comment briefly about what's in my yard and how they do in my climate. Also, Acer griseum...never one bit of dieback; It, like the japonicum, is unprotected. It's now approaching 15 feet and grows like gangbusters what seems like every other year. I bought a conspicuum 'Phoenix' and a circinatum 'Pacific Fire' last Fall... I'm going to see how well these do here too. I'm a firm believer however, that a few 2-3 years until they fill out a 5-gallon pot or larger is one of the keys to success here. The 'Emperor I'...well, that might be ok to try after a full 1-gallon rootsystem. Thank you everybody, Dax

Here's a useful link I found for anyone who might attempt this in the future: http://www.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/forums/showthread.php?t=36454