Just sitting here nodding in agreement with a lot of posts. I think the most important thing at this point is to look at your property and decide the functions you will use it for down the road so you don't ruin the space when you get around to addressing it. Yes, leave access for getting trucks and machinery to various parts of the property, even on three acres. Especially on three acres you plan to fill generously with trees. Yes on considering some groves and avoiding onesie-twosies and when the tree bug bites you, and it will, it's very enticing to want 'one of everything' and three of nothing and the visuals on that can be busy and disjointed. You have a big house, and need to consider proportions so that the trees planted near it don't come off looking dwarfed and the house monstrous. We have an epidemic here of mini-mansions festooned with dwarf weeping cherry trees, the branches pruned abruptly like a bowl haircut. We also found it more logical to start close and move out with our plantings. Although we are not close to any other dwellings, I use plantings as visual blockades to scenes I don't care to see and for privacy, so do look out your windows in the general direction of any tree you consider planting to make sure it DOESN'T block what you want to see, and does what you don't want to see. Yes I do plant trees to block sun for the shading effect. If they are deciduous, blocking sunlight isn't an issue in winter and it has a tremendous impact in summer to keep our stucco over brick house cool. It sort of amazed me to see someone mention leasing solar panels. You lease from them for your power, or they lease from you for the exposure and buy the power you generate? In our neck of the woods, it would be a company wanting to sink an oil well, instead. LOL. I have a perfect south facing roof area, but any solar panels ever getting there would be self-financed and simply supplemental in their efficiency. I don't have central air, and having a boiler heat am not interested in retrofitting ducts to accomodate it. Trees size so much more quickly than you think. I have some aerial shots of our property taken fifteen years apart and it's astounding at the amount of canopy we have now, compared to then. Our annual rainfall is adequate for most of our plantings and we have installed some freeze proof spigots away from the house, but I got a chuckle over the remark of 100 gallon tanks for watering. Tried that one year and .........well....despite how large a tractor you have, you'd better have more than a trailer behind it to pull your water tank. The center of gravity shifts in liquid loads. It ain't purty. Yes on buying small for most trees. They establish more readily and catch up with the bigger, more expensive ones quite quickly. I've had just as good success with B and B, but really the only reason I got the ones I did was I couldn't find them container. This is going to take years and it never really gets done. That's as it should be and part of the adventure. I can honestly say I've never had to rip a tree out because of poor placement. Nobody shares the exact gardening philosophy and what's right for me might not be right for you as far as pleasing to the senses. Over the years I have found I've been much more pleased with a tree whose needs have been met than one unsuitable for the growing conditions. A healthy and robust, easy care tree is often more beautiful than one which you much struggle to keep happy. Remember it's a lot easier to attend to correcting things like improper branch angles than addressing the problems they cause down the road. Have fun with it and enjoy the journey, too.

Oh!!!! I understand. Thanks Hazelnut! These swaps are fun huh? *****Laurie's List****** I LOVE fairies...my garden theme is fairies. Oh heck...I have them everywhere...I admit it. Unicorns Windchimes Scented candles or fragrance oils I love all plants but I like growing bulbs. And plants with "Fairy" in the name. :o) I collect sharpies and pens I have 2 dogs and 2 cats I like heart stickers scrapbook stuff My favorite color is "Autumn" I like fruity bath stuff, body sprays, lip gloss, fingernail polish, fingernail stickers, etc. I also like garden stakes It's hard picking my brain at the spur of the moment. :oP Rosie, I will send you my address soon. Thanks! This is a neat idea!!! Laurie

Try using a small crock pot for the petals as well, it works great, I have done the petals individually and together and both worked equally as well for me. For Christmas I did Pointsettas and Holly leaves dipped in the soap, the Holly laeaves were gorgeous,and on the top leaf in each package I was able to use a small paint brush dipped in soap and attach some of the berries, after attaching I used the brush to cover the berries in soap as well. One lady ordered 250 boxes of them, I used the most awesome Holly fragrance. On the poinsettas I used spiced cranberry. I also had tremendous success with the fall leaves, they are so pretty with all of the different colors in them, for those I used Pumpkin Spice FO Elle

DH was the implementer. He did the photos & draft instructions. I know he got the barb at Ace HW and the tubing from there and/or Home Depot & Lowes. All very, very cheap. I think the most expensive item was the Softsoap pump and you might have one of those hanging around the house, anyway. I didn't mind spending $10 for the commercial product, but I rebelled at the $7-8 for shipping. I knew, in theory, how it should work. We started out with tubing & a check valve for aquaria, but we just weren't sure that a check valve mean for water would work well for viscous dish washing liquid. DH really came through with the goods. What a guy!!!! Glad you like it. We've been using it for a month with no issues. We are deliberately not using it for a week to see if that has any effect. At worst, we might have to reprime it when we come back from a vacation.