nepia

campestris - of the field pyra - fire acanthus - thorn hence pyracantha sinensis - from China occidentalis - from the west orientalis - from the east pendula - guess! gymno - naked

I did say I didn't get it! And I don't think I was the only one... 10 years...? Hmmm; cynicism suggests that in 10 years a few enthusiasts might be using it and then on highly valued garden specimens. On roadside trees? Really? It would be good to be wrong though I suppose.

Ha ha. Up the ante then; grab a couple of labelled wood grenades this time. Lol!

Yes, but you probably won't want to infect tomorrow's tree! Perhaps I'm missing something because this seems a classic example of taking a sledgehammer to a walnut. If you want to infect a stump - one cut! - just paint the darned stuff on. That way you avoid mixing, infecting your saw's oiling system, then flushing it all out again, a process that presumably involves fungicide. I just don't get this.

The good ole Rupture & Hernia Society say prune grandiflora in spring as growth begins and lightly in mid-summer. A spring prune would avoid your light sensitive leaf issues I guess as the sun is weak then so newly exposed leaves can acclimatise.

Mine stuck in 4WD High at two years old. It was, as stated, a switch in the top of the gearbox. Took Nissan half an hour to sort.

Got it. Thank you. Jon

I think we're all impressed with that; good one. Can't wait to see your new kitchen. You realise don't you that with a new floor you'll need a new cooker, fridge, worktops, saucepans to match...

That's interesting: I can see how mulching helps the tree but what explains the lack of miner I wonder? You'd think that a healthier tree would be all the more attractive to them. Patent that idea quick!

The police knocked on my door the other night. They had a picture of my wife. 'Is this your wife sir?' Shocked I said 'yes'. 'I'm afraid it looks like she's been in a car accident'. So I replied 'yes, I know, but she's got a lovely personality'.

Does anyone yet know the long term prognosis here? Leaves are going brown in July so I would think that the trees simply can't sustain such a short lived sugar factory year on year. Are we headed for a mass cull of HC - in the South anyway - ?

Firstly, keep your stock out of the sun and drying very slowly (to prevent cracking) but you probably know this already. A couple of weeks ago I had two recently died trunks 5' long (garden pollards) by 7". The black hearts constituted 3/4 of the diameter. A well known woodturner looked at me with confusion on his face when I said 'give me £25' for one of them. B*gger; he'd have easily given me £40. The wood nearly broke the sound barrier being whipped off the back of the pickup. So, yes, laburnum in good condition is worth money. Fill yer boots!

From the red band round the body I think it's a bee Hawk Moth Tony. I'm sure you're aware of the huge geographical variations in insects - subspecies, races etc. - so it doesn't seem to exactly fit any images I can find. Was on one of the buddleias in Mirabell Gardens, Salzburg in 26 deg; perfect conditions, which brought the 'flies out in numbers.

A slight deviation as these are from Austria last month.

Try the search facility here; there's been a thread on it recently, including a very good PDF attachment on the whole process.

Turners aren't interested in the lower trunk; the eyes are too small as they come from the first branches to fall off. If you're ringing up for turners just cut away from the eyes. Every turner wants it cut differently so just go halfway between each whorl. Just put up with the moaning later. And then, if you're still looking to turners, get rid of it asap; once it's been sitting about a while you'll get 'it's gone dry; can't turn dry Monkey Puzzle - it goes woolly'. I've just had this from a well know Puzzle turner for whom I'd set aside some pieces: he took one look and walked away. To keep the rings in good condition leave them grain down on damp soil and cover them so that there's minimal ventilation, though still some. This advice came from one of the country's foremost Puzzle turners. Re milling the trunk: that's been discussed here before and I seem to remember the majority voting that MP planks disintegrate when they dry because of the huge difference in properties of the branch roots and the main wood; the latter shrinks a lot and falls off the former. Like the knots falling out of old floorboards... Encouraging stuff eh? Of course you could drop it, ring it, dump it but personally I think that would be a crying shame.

Stones - Plane Jane Automobile. All right, I'd never heard of them either but it came with the phone and Spotify proves it to be a great song.

I was given an old Stihl E140 for firewood and it's great. I've also watched a top of the range modern Stihl annihilate a 22" ash butt; my jaw dropped at the performance I have to admit. I've no experience of Huskys but I doubt you'll go far wrong with either.

Likewise, emphasising how connies always produce twice the material on the ground as standing. As a teaser you can add that if the trees surprise you by containing less than you expected you'll drop the final price a bit.

I'm guessing the owners are saying 'too big'. A delicate pollard and you'll be back in two years for 'aftercare' (when it'll be about the same size as now).

Have you asked Frans or doesn't he keep anything non-Puzzly?

Since no-one's come back with anything better I'll suggest Highams Farm CR6 9PQ. I don't know which bit of central London you're going to be in but Highams is on the Kent/Surrey border between Biggin Hill and Croydon. I wouldn't recommend the journey though if you're going to be north of the river (bandit territory for me).

Have you looked at Brinsbury, next Pulborough? It's part of Chichester College. CS 30/31 was £650 there 7 years ago so your quoted price seems not far off the mark.

Just watched an Italian promo video via Google. Re-spect if you do a couple of acres with it; physical indeed! Given the number of small fields (paddocks) and odd-shaped bits of land we have I can't understand why I've never seen one. No missed headlands, virtually no compaction and easy to handle bales; bliss you'd think. Someone needs to do some marketing.

That is one of the tragedies of the modern era in this country I feel; honest, hard-working people 'investing' what they could only just afford with a view to seeing it and interest back in their retirement only to have the whole shebang go sour on them. I'm not one of them thank God but I have an inkling of how I'd feel if I was. The more I'll see the results of the recession the less I'll have to complain about. I am grateful.