If not to late here, stay away from a weeping willow - sticks and improper care will make it look trashy after awhile. The dogwood though is gorgious and the flowers are right on. We have had the same stuff as recommended for 5 years and it is doing great where an old spruce was taken out with an old crabapple nearby and yes it is very wet. Even though the pine is out the residual pine bark, roots if any and old needles deep in the soil along with the dampness will wreck havock on the soil so you MUST check and adjust the PH several times a year if you want anything to do well there.

Good for you Judy what works works. I wish you success! I love not only the looks of a good garden but the birds, butterfies and benficial bees and insects they attract. But I too have various locations with vastly different conditions but intensity is a no brainer, the recommendations area is very nice and can be a great help. But I do test several times a season - which takes me less time than waiting and downloading info I find obvious. I like to know more about the soil itself like, PH, organic content, and mineral content before and during the growing season. This way I have alot more control over the areas and can better tailor each area for the types of plants I grow in each and have a higher degree of success. After 40 yrs. of gardening I waisted the first 5 yrs. with just worrying about sun, water, soil temp. and fertilizers which older programs stressed and which EB is based on. My gardens really took off when an older gardener taught me about matching my gardens based not only the obvious of sun, water, and temps. but also stressed the greater importance of the soil types, ammendments, minerals, PH and specific plant needs in each of those areas. He also taught by testing and adding exactly what you need will unlock the nutrients already in the soil so you won't need but very little of the heavy fertilizer recommendations from EB. I hope EB in the future will give a more expanded reading and info in the areas I mentioned as well as the ability to monitor the EB in real time. Then the EB would be a gardeners dream come true.

Jim, I must also add that this unit does not tell you about the actual condition of your soil such as if the soil lacks minerals, organic matter, or if the PH is way off. Basically, you can be told it needs a fertilizer mix of say 3-3-3. But you can add this till the roots rot and still have poor plants if your not seeing the whole picture. This unit can help the novice but if you want your garden to shine - you need alot more info than this can provide. But as a suggestion to the EB people - this unit should have the capibility to moniter your plants in real time with alot more information. You should not have to leave it in the ground then pull it up and hook it to your computer agin and agin to get each reading.

Richard, testing is a good thing. Definately leave it in for the full 24 hr. period for a good test. However, if you know the area you are using has sun then why bother with this unit at all. Sun is easy to tell and you don't need an anylizer to tell you that you have sun. For moisture - it's a bit more tricky and your plants will tell you if you watch them. With experience it will come natural to you. Also do not let your soil become too compact where water has a tough time getting down. Soil temperature is also easy to tell after some experience. There follow the plants recommendations. The data base of the different plant is helpful and can give you some good ideas. But after alittle research on what you want to use get a good test kit and follow the recommendations for what you are growing. This unit only gives you the very basics - it does not tell you if you need any mineral ammendments or soil PH.

Your kidding right? "LOW E" DOES NOT BLOCK SUN LIGHT rather it limits the spectrum of light that comes through the window! Basically a Low E window partially blocks out UV-A&B rays which can heat your house and cause damage to furniture, carpets etc. Also, Low E varies with window model, age of the window, gas leakage etc. Edith, If a LOW E window blocked sunlight your room would be dark! Agin, this unit does not differenciate between light spectrums it only show intensity reguardless if the window is Low E or not. I found this out by testing with our Low E window with the EB tester and a real spectrum anylizer.

I bought this with the idea of an all in one analyzer. But instead I found this to be lame and definately for the novice. A little research can be more informative and helpful. As for the readings of Light, temp. and moisture - I look outside, have a thermometer, and stick my finger in the ground! The Fertizer feature is as lame and says very little. Also, the recommendations feature does not say any more than is common knowlege. But the "Buy", from Burpee, immediately made me suspect of the units intent. Buy a cheap soil analyzer kit or hand held and compare it to the plants needs which can be found all over the web. Put your info into a computerized searchable records/journal and your set. This is definately for the novice.

I agree this seems like a marketing ploy by burpee. I find all the features kinda lame and very lacking. A cheap hand held soils or a kit analyzer would give more info. As for the library - any good magazine or basic gardening book will give you more info.