I've ordered from HCG before and their plants were great. The plants were really healthy and they are still thriving a couple years later. Love them!
Kim

Here is a link that might be useful: My Garden

Hmmm...sounds like you need a 12 step program, lol! Step one open package...step two remove plant...

At least you plant them. A gardening program coordinator I know once joked about teaching a course on driveway gardening. That is so many of us buy the plants and leave the pots on the driveway or patio! I have some that are several years old on the patio. That is because I have my own 12 step program. In order to plant them I have to one, cut down honeysuckle, two remove branches, three spray stumps, four, beg husband to dig holes, five, band-aid husband when he injures himself (for those of you that don't know, my husband is accident prone and can and has, cut his finger opening a desk drawer), six decide hole is not where I told him, seven, repeat four and five....you get the point.

Sherry if I was as good as you at gardening and getting things in, I would spend a lot more too.

Have fun with the plants,
Elisabeth

Kim, it's hard to tell one pine from the other, so the only thing I can tell you for sure is that your pine isn't long leaf pine. It looks a lot like white pine, and I've attached a link.
Thanks for the kind words Elisabeth! Getting plants in the mail is a lot more fun than planting them, although plants that go in my garden are always small, and my garden soil is loose and easy dig into - I can usually dig deep enough with just my hands. Planting big plants that I've let get big in pots before I plant them out (to let them get enough size they can survive deer browsing) are tough, though. Below the top soil, which varies in depth, is heavy clay, and it takes some strength to get a shovel through it.
Sounds like you've got the dreaded Japanese honeysuckle - I do, too - yuk!
Sherry

Here is a link that might be useful: White Pine/Pinus strobus

I know exactly what you mean about the plant thing and the money I don't have that I spend on plants as well as the time I spend on the net and looking through catalogs and searching the local nurseries. Oye already! Mama mia too.

I recently bought a native plant called scrophularia californica. When I got home I looked it up on a local native plant website and it literally said, "it will be as big as your car by morning." I'm serious. I haven't yanked it yet but will have to move it soon. I got it because it said it was a host plant for the common buckeye.

I have never ordered plants from HCG but I have gotten many of their soil amendments. But my daughter has gotten their plants and had good things to say about them. Murray

Thanks for the link misssherry. That looks a lot like my son's tree.
Kim

Here is a link that might be useful: My garden

I LOVE HCG! I always get something from them, but the last couple of years I've had to restrain myself and not even open the beautiful catalog because we plan to move whenever we can sell our house. It's just so hard, but I know someday I'll get their beautiful plants again.

I am going to get the gardening hat with the ruffle at the back just to compensate. :)

We're planning on a move the Chicago area, and so the yard would be sooo small, and I would love to do their wildflower/grass mix for a lawn. We'll see. Neighbors there might not be as understanding as my neighbors here in NH.

Have fun with those plants MissSherry and let us know how they do for you! I love all of the salvias and agastache they have, but I just don't have the conditions to grow them. Is the Salvia pachyphylla that you ordered the "Blue Flame"? I've been drooling over that plant for the past few years!

No Bernergrrl, the 'Blue Flame' wasn't on sale, just the regular.
I hope your new yard isn't too small! You said it's in the Chicago area - do you mean the suburbs? I sure hope you don't mean downtown! Hopefully, you'll be able to raise caterpillars there, too!
Sherry