i don't know what it is about trees but i love them. ok, maybe not all of them. but for the most part, trees are so cool! living in L.A. for the last couple of months, i'm becoming acquainted with palm trees of various species (mexican fan and queen palms). i like to look at pine trees and collect their cones but can't handle the smell too long. well, maybe pine is ok but juniper, no way. can't deal with that at all. i really like mimosa (although they're quite messy) and bradford pears. i've seen what the wind can do to bradfords but i like how they grow symetrically coned and have spring flowers. love the magnolia (southern saucer types). these are the kind that stay green all year and produce big white flowers. the other kind sheds it's leaves and are covered in lilac blooms in the spring.

Mimosa is beautiful in Hawaii, as are Poinciana (my huge tree) though both are very messy to have around. I have lots of stuff on trees and lots of images. I'll get busy on them. I adore trees! The bigger, the better!

my new house has been overplanted with live oaks. now live oaks are magnificent, you've got to give them room or they grow all asymmetrical and don't looks so pleasing (love them when they get to spread out their branches). anyway, we're having a few removed just for the purpose of giving them space for light. got a question, live oaks are notorious for putting out sucker plants. how can i remove them without harming the tree? mine are very persistent (and the previous homeowners didn't know what to do with them and let them grow wild). we've trimmed them back and dug up what we can but they continue to sprout. speaking of pics, i've got a few of some really pretty trees from a botanical garden in L.A.

Can you post them on your website?

still can't get into FTP (can't find my files there).

Wolf, email me with details! I'll fix it asap.

we removed about 6 trees from the yard saving only the best live oaks and the japanese maple. also had to take out a wisteria that was too close to the driveway and kept poking us when we tried to get in and out of the car. 3 of the live oaks found new homes!

I have to remove some Cedar Trees (Junipers) so the oaks can thrive. Mesquites must go too.

we had to take down a cypress---why it was planted in our backyard is beyond me----they like wet feet and there's no standing water in our yard. but it's a pain to get out---there must be a root that shoots straight down into the dirt and we're still trying to get it all the way out!