LOL--no, I wouldn't advise a sycamore that close to the house either! But keeping a mimosa won't hurt the house. Oh, btw, did you see Iforgotitsonevermind's pic of the mimosa and how much it's already leafed out? Mine here you can just barely see the new buds pushing out, that's one reason that they're not at all invasive in the North; they just don't have enough time to bloom and then produce many viable seeds.

In NE Ohio, they will not get large enough to be a problem to the foundation. Again, I ask, has anyone ever seen or heard of damage to a foundation caused by a mimosa? I think it will be unlikely.

Hello Davealju,

Yea you are right it is the first place I get frost anytime of the year. I have no worries about seedlings. Would you prune it now or wait? I would defentily like to know that I am going to be able to prune this tree to a reasonable size. Does your Mimosa in a tub get brought in during the winter I bet? How people describe the roots I wouldn't think they would do well in a tub. How many gallons is the tub ruffly? I have some hydrangeas in pots that I take in and out every year.

Thats funny he brought up a Sycamore/Plane tree. In my front yard I have an older one that is atleast 80 foot tall and has a 6 foot wide trunk. Georgia is the land of the Macrophylla Hydrangea! Not Paniculata and Quercifolia Hydrangeas!

What do you mean it isn't the land of Hydrangea quercifolia? They are native here and do great. The biggest oakleaf Hydrangeas in the world must surely be the 12' tall ones I have seen along the Apalachicola!

As Willow just pointed out the oakleaf hydrangeas are native to parts of florida. Well, actually... now that you mention it, their very limited native habitat in florida is actually being overrun by an exotic invasive pest plant but they can be planted and grown successfully so long as it's a protected place, in the shade, plenty of moisture etc. They tolerate the heat fine.

Those endless summer ones that are all in the stores, those are like any number of other plants like JMs and lilacs and sugar maples, hibiscus and things that people really want to try to grow out of range. With drip irrigation and a shady spot with some loamier soil, it's possible but not an adaptable plant by any stretch of the imagination.

See I have mechanically compacted clay and hardpan in baking 12 hour sun for most of my yard in a climate known for drought and temperature extremes, including but not limited to late freezes and sometimes summer temperatures exceeding 100 degrees for days on end. Irrigation is limited but we're not always allowed to use it. A couple years ago outdoor watering was banned totally. Could I grow a peegee hydrangea in a shade house or indoors, yeah. But I'm more into stuff that's proven and adaptable to my climate and to the conditions in my yard. I used to try to grow stuff out of range but I'm older and wiser now and don't like throwing money down the tubes.

Which is why when I say "I wish I could grow them here," it means I wish I could get them to adapt to my growing condtitions. Similar to how OP wishes a large mimosa tree will adapt to living in the shade in zone 5, 1 foot from a foundation. Only unlike the hydrangea that would just wither and die, the mimosa will keep coming back to make your life hell because you can never get rid of it.You'll have to trust me on that because I routinely try to eradicate them.

I bet the roofer and painter industries like the idea of a tree with 40-ft spread a foot from the house.

And the gutter cleaning sector. So, speaking for these industries, create green jobs today! Plant trees a foot from the house! If they impede foundation drains, even better!

Dan

It's a little extreme to assume this tree will ever achieve a mature height and spread in a climate where it is marginal at best. And especially since it has already been cut back by winter cold damage. While certainly not an ideal location, it is doable. In my business, I often encounter trees or potentially very large shrubs planted in less than ideal locations - sometimes they are simply too overgrown to remain in place; other times they are small enough to be able to kept under control or more easily moved to a better siting. It is, as salicaceae states, entirely the OP's choice.

And routinely "trying to eradicate them" in Georgia, Florida or anywhere in the southeast where they ARE considered invasive is vastly different from getting rid of one - should one desire to - in climates that are significantly more severe in terms of winter hardiness where they may not even survive to reach maturity.

And no, iforgot, I don't know everything by any stretch of the imagination but I do know when I am being shoveled a load of c**p. And you might want to reference Michael Dirr and his treatise Hydrangeas for American Gardens before you dismiss Hydrangea paniculata as not doing well in Georgia. Also according to Dirr: "Hydrangea paniculata is extremely adaptable and will grow in acid and alkaline, moist and dry soils" and "is the most drought tolerant of the major landscape species" and it "prospers in heavier clay and clay loam soils". Looks to me like the premier hydrangea authority in the US has pretty much blown all your excuses out of the water.

"Extremely adaptable" for new england maybe but not down here.

hydrangeasnohio,

Option 2 is a no-go, Mimosa is NOTORIOUSLY hard to transplant because of the deep taproot that it develops, even little ones can be a pain. One that big... well, I'd suggest its about impossible, especially with the foundation right next to you.

If you keep it small/bush-like, it shouldn't hurt the foundation, so if you REALLY want to keep it, that's the way to go.

If you think they're hard to transplant, you should try killing one. Impossible to remove!

Wow, a good ole gardenweb fight to jump into. What fun!

It's not that Mimosa is hard to kill. It isn't. It's that, as its detractors mention, the seedlings will be coming up for 10 years. There are absolutely foolproof ways to kill any tree with judicious use of herbicides, and I won't go into them here. I've killed a mimosa and it definitely died on the first try.
I almost misread the above chart to think the poster was talking about black locust. Honey locust is probably ok but black locust is as bad a rogue as mimosa! Don't plant one! I had to cut a couple huge ones down. Now, TWO FULL YEARS LATER, the roots of these trees still send up an occasional sucker. I think this will be the last year. The first year after they were cut, it was absolutely breathtaking. They'd send up suckers more the 50' away from the parent! At least 100 from each tree! I don't even think bamboo can pull that off!

The best advice on whether mimosa is invasive in NE Ohio would come from someone familiar with that area, so I won't speak to that directly, but they are definitely invasive in the mid-Atlantic. Even though a hard winter could kill them every few years there, again, the seeds would survive in more than enough numbers to start them over again. It's too bad they are invasive, I actually think they are pretty. I think people consider them ugly in the SE because of their thuggish nature and association with "white trash" landscapes. I've seen a couple beautiful trees in the DC area that were in wind sheltered situations and became huge. The sight of one in full bloom is impressive. Maybe plant biotechnology will allow a sterile one with improved branching to be developed.

"White trash landscapes."
Man oh man. I could not have used a better phrase to try to pursuade someone not to plant this. Aside from maybe "Ghetto Palm"

That's where you see these growing. Next to abandoned crack houses where they sprout up and there's nobody with gallons of garlon to control them with.

when I see a mimosa, I think: unmaintained property. I think renter. I think homeowner that doesn't care.

Once again, many posters are assigning their own regional experiences and applications to a plant that will grow and behave very differently in a different area of the country.

Like a number of other tree species, tap roots with Albizia are common in younger plants but are outgrown with age and maturity and develop a more typical horizontal and surface expansion. They ARE transplantable. And no seed development = no seedlings.

Save all the fuss about this tree for areas of the country where it is problematic......which is by no means everywhere. In the upper midwest, it is not going to become an issue so why assign southeastern characteristics (as well as personal interpretations as what this tree "means" to posters from that area) to a plant that will not behave in the same manner in NE Ohio?

"Extremely adaptable" for new england maybe but not down here.

You are aware that Mr. Dirr lives in Georgia? And grows paniculatas there quite successfully, as do many others? But then with your superior knowledge of what can and should be grown where and by whom, I guess you'd consider yourself more of an authority on growing hydrangeas in Georgia than Mr. Dirr. Congratulations!! Since you are the apparent expert on growing anything anywhere, as well as what NOT to grow (according to your personal opinion), when can we expect publication of your book?

Hi Hydrangeasnohio,

Yes, I do bring the mimosa in the tub into the garage each winter and wrap it up with an old blanket to keep the soil from freezing. They're actually easy to grow in a tub, oh, you were asking how large the tub I have is, well, it's about 2 feet wide at the top..(it's a round tub) and tapers down about 2 feet to the bottom..approximately. I take the tree out each spring and just root prune about 2-3 inches all around, then loosen the root ball a little , put it back in the pot and fill in with new potting soil. I have to bury the tub about two thirds of the way into the ground to anchor it against the wind once the tree leafs out fully.
If I can figure out how to upload pictures..LOL..I'll post one this summer. I think the trees are really cool and don't consider them "white trash" at all..AND funny someone mentioned "Ghetto Palm"..ailanthus..I have one of those also! But I like to keep that one severely pruned so that it produces huge leaves each summer. Funny, I have 3 mimosas growing in the yard here, one in a tub, a WELL-MAINTAINED yard which I spend about 2-3 hours a day working in to keep it looking great, lots of flowers, tomatoes, peppers, eggplants. I even get on my poor aching knees after having worked 8 hours a day at my day job, and trim around all the tree trunks..(hate grass growing up around the trunks, you know, as well as growing up around the foundation of the house , which you see so often around... crack houses...) Oh, btw, mimosa blossoms are very fragrant. And now, to get back to the pruning issue of your mimosa , Hydrangeasnohio, I'd let it do it's thing this summer without pruning yet, but as I was saying before in another message, I think you should let it hang outward, away from the house. Just see how big it gets and then if it seems to be getting to big for that area, do the light pruning thing..(actually, you could even do it in the late fall after the leaves fell if you wanted)Keep it to a reasonable size for its spot. Good luck!

In maine you have some of the worlds most desireable trees and you'd rather grow a trailer park palm in a bathtub. That doesn't make sense to me.

who said anything about growing anything in a bathtub? I just happen to love plants, trees , etc, and growing them.

I love plants too but part of being a responsible gardener is not cultivating or buying invasives that are causing serious ecological harm to a large part of the country.

Do you know of any hardy Crape Myrtles that would grow in this area of Maine, zone 5-6?

Again, 2 important points:

1. What might be invasive in one location, can be a choice garden plant somewhere else. To plant that species in these areas is not irresponsible or wrong if there is no invasive potential there. This is the case with mimosa in NE Ohio.

2. In NE Ohio, mimosa is not invasive and will not become so. I have lived there for many years and new this plant well. I now live in N. Florida where it is a completely different world. The Mid-atlantic is different than NE Ohio. I never saw one mimosa volunteer in Ohio in 30 years. I bet nobody on here has. If this species does well and flowers there, but is not invasive, what is wrong with planting it or even promoting it? You must think outside the box of your local world. Calling plants "trailer trash" is rather sophomoric and naive.

Just because you haven't seen it happen doesn't mean it isn't or won't happen, Willow.

I haven't seen a burmese python become invasive here but it doesn't mean it can't or won't become invasive.
But my underlying argument is that I am saying not to buy or promote the use of burmese pythons (mimosa in this case), because the more these snakes are hyped, the more are going to be sold and the more are going to end up in fragile ecosystems where they will grow to 20' long and eat up all the wildlife.

This isn't a tree you should mess around with. And if you do at least don't buy one. And keep it to yourself. And preferably grow it in a pot because once you got one, it's there for good.

It shows very little understanding of invasive species and why they are considered invasive if you apply the same avoidance philosophy to every example of that species everywhere. It is a simple fact that potential invasiveness is location-dependant -- plants or other species that are considered invasive in one area of the country are typically not considered invasive in other areas where they may be exposed to natural predators or other limiting factors (like marginal winter hardiness), do not mature with respect to seed development or are just not climatically suited to reproduce freely. That is why there are regional councils that monitor invasive potential.....even down to as small an area as a specific county. They are not global or even national in their characteristics and it is unreasonably limiting to act as if they are or or could be and restrict the sale or planting as a result.

All one should do is be aware of what your area considers an invasive species and act accordingly. Virtually every state or geographical region has these listings and they are accessible online. But to rely on the dubious and tainted opinions of those who live in an entirely different portion of the country has minimal validity on the reality of growing that plant in your area.

Quite the dilemma here but I think that I have the solution. OP should leave the mimosa where it is and consider removing the house and replacing with a doublewide trailer, problem solved! :)

☺ LOL ^^

Should use an old toilet bowl as a planter and grow in that too.

Salicaceae,

This is kind of completely off topic, but I noticed you seemed to doubt that most of NE Ohio now fell in the zone 6 range. Did I misunderstand you, or are you not familiar with how the hardiness zone system works? If you plug in the actual numbers for most cities in that area, you will find that indeed much or most of that part of the country does fall into that zone! One cold year doesn't necessarily change a hardy zone or kill a species of tree. This may or may not have much to do with whether mimosas have any invasive potential in that area, but denying the facts won't help for a better understanding of the possibilities either.

In the urban northeast, "Ghetto Palm" is another name for Ailanthus, not Mimosa. The characteristics that iforgotitsonevermind seems to associate with seeing Mimosa in the southeast are associated with seeing Ailanthus up north... crack houses, renters, home owners who don't care, etc. Very regionalized.

I know ghetto palm means tree of heaven!!
Its just a fitting name that I like because they are allowed to remain in unmaintained areas in the hood. Just like mimosa.

From now on, I'll call them trailer park palm to prevent any confusion.

The USDA hardiness map is flawed for many reasons. I am not ignoring any facts. However, in 1996 - much of that region of Ohio experienced zone 4 winter minima and this will happen again in time (though historically this region is considered zone 5 based on averages). By changing the map (which was believed by many to be a politically motivated action to provide support of global warming), you now have gardeners that think that you can begin planting spcies that are only hardy to zone 6 etc. These will be eliminated during the next record cold outbreak. The new maps show this part of north Florida as being zone 9. I wish that were the case, however, the last 3 years in a row have been solid zone 8a winters. Many zone 9 plants had been planted in the region and were severely damaged or promptly killed outright this winter(queen palms, Canary Island Date Palms, many citrus, oleanders - and the list goes on and on)...

The point is Brandon, 1 cold winter DOES sometimes kill a species in a region where it is marginal. This is only exacerbated if people are led to believe that they can now plant even less hardy species because of their new zone listing. Extreme events should be taken into consideration if you are serious about pushing the limits of species' hardiness. If you don't believe me - go to the hardy palms board and ask around.

Also, the numbers you plug in are for airport locations that are typically in urban heat islands and not representative of much of the rural areas.

I won't bother to search through your old posts, but I bet if I did, I'd find that you don't believe global warming is a reality. I seem to since a pattern of denial....but I could be jumping to conclusion. LOL

Salicaceae is right we had a colder than normal winter in 96' but I do not know if it was a zone 4 winter. Although last year I had Dusty Millers that made it through the winter. I think they are zone 7 or higher hardy. My Macrophylla Hydrangeas have never looked better after this years winter, but last year most of them died to the ground. So who knows with our wacky weather up here. But I know there is a Mimosa in this area that has been alive and doing well before 1996. I can give you the location and it is obvious that it is an old single trunk Mimosa. Salicaceae not to dismiss your comments that the weather here will keep them in check. I know they will not get as large as in the South, but I am of course worried still that it will get to large for my Southern sunny spot I have it located in. But this one Mimosa I am talking about in our area is huge! It must be a mutant, because the are some Mimosa bushes in our area also. This is the only plant I have tried to grow out of our zone, except for some Gladiolus and Fairy Lily bulbs I have placed against the foundation that do good. Along with a few marginal plants, but I enjoy the challenge and enjoy having some species of plants that others in our area might not have.

I think I will leave the Mimosa for now and enjoy it while I can. If it dies to the ground or gets to large I will have to do away with it and will probably ask Davidrt28 how to do so. But Then I will order another one that Davealju has recommended. The plant it in a bathtub or pot and take it inside for the winter. Stan Hywett Gardens here in NE Ohio have them in their indoor Butterfly Garden and is another reason I have fell in love with the Mimosa. The butterflies pretty much stick to the Mimosa and the Butterfly Bushes. So I really enjoy the Mimosa for many reasons and will always find a way to have one in my yard!

The American Hydrangea Society is located in Georgia. If you look at the garden tours in the local areas you will notice most of the hydrangeas are Macrophyllas. Your right Oakleafs are native, but most gardens you see in Georgia are packed full of Macrophylla Hydrangeas. I have two personal friends in Georgia that grow them like crazy. One has over 100 Macrophylla Hydrangeas in their gardens that thrive!! In Georgia you never have die back on them right Iforgotitsonevermind?? Oh I forgot you wouldn't know since you can't get them to grow. Plus you can't get Oakleafs or Paniculata to grow for that matter. Macrophylla Hydrangeas do take a couple of years to get established, but once they are established they require a lot less additional water. You just can't beat the blooms and flowering period of a Hydrangea!

Iforgotitsonevermind you talk in circles and make no since. You seem to get some kind of joy in starting arguments, being rude, and obvious offensive comments to others. Mimosa trees will never thrive in this area unless global warming just goes crazy. Then we will have a lot bigger problems to deal with than the Mimosa trees. Not to say Global Warming is not a real scary thing that we need to deal with immediately. Please stop posting on this thread and see if you can actually be helpful to someone else instead.

Thank you Davealju, Gardengal and everyone else on this thread for your helpful comments, I really do appreciate the help. I have learned so much from other gardeners on this website and continue to learn more everyday!

Brandon,

So what if I did question it? It doesn't invalidate my argument about the USDA hardiness ratings. Many, many excellent horticulturalists also dispute the usefulness of the system..

The fact that global temperatures have risen over the past 100 years or so isn't disputed by me. I do believe that certain political entities have grossly overestimated the potential and realized effects of that temperature rise to benefit their own wealth and agendas. The result is overreaction from opponents that actually detracts from real environmental issues of concern. That is for another post and forum....

I suppose next you will make some baseless judgement about me being from the south too. Wait, your also from the south!

Salicaceae, my point was that the area does indeed qualify for zone 6 status. If you apply the factual data to the USDA's formula, you come up with a solid zone 6 for much, if not most, of the area. It's just factual information. You can make whatever judgment you want about whether that means mimosa has a potential to be invasive there (I have purposely chosen to be noncommittal on that point).

Since you addressed my earlier statement, I was just pointing out that it wasn't just a matter of opinion. I think, when there's a debate about something like the possibilities of invasive potential, it's important to not cloud the issue with incorrect statements. There's enough to address and consider without that.

Back to the issue...I will say (while still being completely noncommittal about the potential for this particular species) that the invasive potential for almost all invasive plants has been missed, initially.

die, thread, die!

Gee Ida, we were just about to make some great break-through on mimosa invasiveness, and here you are trying to quash all the enthusiasm. (-:

The trouble with USDA is that it concentrates on minimums only, not amount of heat.
I live in Zone 10 but can't grow coconuts because there isn't enough heat year round; the winter average is 12c. In Florida some Zone 9 areas can support these trees.

So hydrangeas, what have you decided to do?

We all invested quite a bit of time in this thread, I'm sure all of us want to know if you decided to remove it and plant something better like yellowwood or honeylocust or if you decided to keep it and support your local foundation repair contractor?

Phil, there is a heat zone chart as well. Nobody wants to look at that though.

I'm with Ida ;)

HydrangeasnOhio,
That mimosa tree is planted too close to your house.
You know it is, so simply cut it down as soon as possible.
Plain and simple.
Buy yourself something else, something nice and new that won't grow as tall as your house.
Nuf said.

iforgotitsonevermind
You stated "White trash landscapes."
Man oh man. I could not have used a better phrase to try to pursuade someone not to plant this. Aside from maybe "Ghetto Palm"
That's where you see these growing. Next to abandoned crack houses where they sprout up and there's nobody with gallons of garlon to control them with.

when I see a mimosa, I think: unmaintained property. I think renter. I think homeowner that doesn't care.

I came to this particular GW forum to see if anyone in NY state was successfully growing Mimosas. Instead I found crude comments

I really take offense to your remarks above. My grandmother had a beautiful Mimosa in her back garden in Louisiana when I was growing up. We all loved sitting out in the garden admiring how beautiful her garden was and all the effort she put into it. She didn't live in a ghetto or a crack house nor was she a renter or uncaring homeowner. Yes she had to rake up the spent blooms and the seed pods that fell but she kept that tree in pristeen condition.

I just wanted to make a comment or two, and clear a few things up.

iforgotitsonevermind, it would seem to me that you are both ignorant and arrogant. Your comments have supported that, so I am not going to provide any further evidence than what you have typed yourself.

Tree of Heavens are the BIG problems here, NOT Mimosa. There are ToH everywhere! They pop up in the most unassuming spots...the urban, rural, rented, owned, whatever. Mimosa will not become an invasive species unless global warming goes crazy, and as gardengal stated, we then have bigger problems than Mimosas in NE Ohio.

And anyway, so what if someone is renting? Not everyone can, or wants to buy a home. It is up to a landlord to take care of their property, not the renter.

About the zones - I live in the City of Cleveland in 44102, a couple miles from downtown. This is solidly 6a. I previously lived in Geauga County, due east of Cleveland, about 30 miles away. That is a solid 5b, def not 6a. Plants come out about two weeks later there than where I am now and when it gets cold, it gets quite a bit colder. If you are going to pontificate about the inadequacy of zones, especially in a particular area, how about consulting someone that lives there.

The lake shore area of Ohio is marked 6a for a reason. First frost is sooner than surrounding area, last frost is later, and on cold winter nights, expect it to be about 5 degrees warmer in the city or along the lakeshore than out where I live in Geauga County. ESPECIALLY if the lake is no longer frozen.

I noticed a Mimosa at a local Gale's Garden Center. I had read about them. Because I live in Zone 6A, I could have gotten it, but when it comes to a tree, I don't want to mess with zones and have a 60 foot carcass. If she wants to grow it, then let her. IT IS NOT INVASIVE IN OHIO. People do not call it "Ghetto palm". It is a rarity here.

The same furor raises when a bradford pear is brought up. Some of the people on here act like God himself came down and told them their mission in life was to prevent bradford pears from being planted.

They have their place. Yes, they are overused. Yes, they are prone to ice damage, and yes, they are short-lived. But you know what? If you have the room on your property, and know the traits of the bradford pear, and are OK with it, who cares? It has lots of other wonderful traits like the flowers, shape, and fall foliage. When we move back to our property in Geauga county, I'm planting one in a spot where it can drop as many branches as it wants and not bother anything.

Also, I see some other people on the boards who are urban gardeners, as am I. It is very frustrating when people that live in the exurbs, far-out suburbs, or rural areas try to tell urban dwellers that every single tree they want gets too big except maybe a dwarf peach tree. When you live in the city, you do have limited choices. But you make the best out of the situation and you try to make decent choices. My whole street is lined with sweetgums on a 6' tree lawn. Some of the people on here I'm sure would raise up in arms. Guess what? None of the sidewalks are cracking or deformed or crazy. There's a norway spruce 10 feet from my house. Could it crash on the house? Yes. But is it healthy even in a smaller space? Very. is it beautiful? yes. is it cracking sidewalks? no.

The bottomline is everyone needs to remember that all of us come from different backgrounds, and more importantly to this board, different regions and places. To me in the city of cleveland, a sweetgum or sycamore is a perfect street tree. To someone in the country, they may say to themselves, WHAT? To those in the South, a mimosa may seem like the worst choice! But we are not in the South.

Now, if only the people down the street would cut down their giant Tree of Heaven, this rant would end perfectly...

Krycek1984,

I want to address a few points brought up in your post.

First, there's really need for more personal attacks. There were enough of those already in this thread. While I sometimes disagree with iforgotitsonevermind, she certainly isn't generally ignorant, and even when she and I see things in almost totally opposite ways, I don't think she tries to be arrogant. Maybe she gets a little over excited, but don't well all.

Iforgotitsonevermind's concern was not whether mimosa is currently considered an invasive pest in the area, but whether it had the potential to be in the near future. Your assurance that it "will not become an invasive species unless global warming goes crazy", falls short of convincing me. As I said above, I'm not convinced that it will ever become a problem, but your assertion, that it's not even close, doesn't convince me the other way, either, and seems to be based more on feeling than proof.

Your question about who cares if you plant Bradford pears can have many answers including a number of invasive plant groups (which are concerned about their damage to the environment in many areas), neighbors (who worry about the trees falling over the property line onto their car, producing a foul smell, or making the neighborhood ugly when they fall apart at an early age), and those that want to share information they've learned from their mistakes or observations.

I definitely appreciated the feedback I received from forum members about the bradford pear. I was going to plant it on my tree lawn until they helped to educate me about its habits and growing patterns. I decided that planting it there would not be prudent.

However, I don't understand the militant hate for the tree. They have many redeeming qualities for those who have the situation/land/proper placing for them. Some people on here lose site that they do indeed have redeeming qualities and that many people have the proper sites/areas for planting them.

Concerning mimosa...I am not able to find any scientific studies of such but who knows. I could be wrong. I personally would not plant it on my properties but, if the OP wants to plant it in an area of marginal hardiness, I don't see a big issue with that. Now, if she was in GA or FL or TN.... I don't even know if you could buy them there!

There are much bigger concerns with invasive species in NE Ohio and we should concentrate on educating people about those issues...namely tree of heavens, english ivy, and various others.

Curiosity...are tree of heavens a problem there?

God knows why I began to read this post again. I kept thinking "Where is Ken?" He cuts to the chase so well, so keenly, cleanly and quickly.
He might have written, months ago,

------hey peeps this is just a tree
let it grow and if it lifts the foundation you will know you made a mistake.....
If its a pain take it out
If you are sorry you cut it down, plant another....
But quityerbellyachin and make a decision. No one can make it but you!

I guess this is a little troll-like trying to stir the pot again. It is a really borrring Saturday night in sleepy old Lexington, MA.

LOL that is totally something he'd write.

I didn't want to stir the pot either but I hate when people get attacked for something. I also hate when people speak arrogantly and act as if they speak the word from God.

Nope, not enough ellipses for Ken.

You are right, Brandon. For the life of me I couldn't remember the punctuation marks Ken uses.....or the ones he omits.
I did think I got the general tone right, however. I have really learned a lot from that guy over the years.

I live in N.E. Ohio. This evening a friend showed me a beautiful flower and leaf that she had picked while on a walk. I told her that I thought it might be a Mimosa, and found this site while trying to research it. I have only seen one once before, when I lived in Northern Florida. I have lived in N.E. Ohio for 46 of my 50 years (On July 10th, Happy Birthday to me!). Anyone who believes that this plant can become a problem in Ohio, has never been here, and just likes to argue...you know who I'm talking about. I am going to surprise my friend with a Mimosa for her birthday (one day before mine)!

79, 79 , 79.
I've got 79.
80, 80, 80.
Can you give me 80, 80, 80?

"Anyone who believes that this plant can become a problem in Ohio, has never been here, and just likes to argue..."

or maybe they know and understand things you don't?

81, 81, 81, 81, 81.
Now I'm at 81, 81, 81.
Can you give me 82?