Today we planted 25 Oriental Arborvitae seedlings along 100 feet of the south fence line. The seedlings were shipped from West Texas Nursery in Idalou Texas, part of the Texas A & M Forest Service.  Home | West Texas Nursery

The following information is from The Morton Arboretum - The Morton Arboretum

Oriental arborvitae

Oriental arborvitae is similar in appearance to other species of arborvitae. Nurseries usually sell the cultivars of this plant rather than the actual species and those cultivars can vary greatly in appearance. Winter protection may be needed for this plant. Because it is typically short in stature, oriental arborvitae may be planted under utility lines. Also known as Thuja orientalis.

Botanical name: 

Platycladus orientalis

All common names: 

oriental arborvitae

Family (English): 

Cypress

Family (Botanic): 

Cupressaceae

Planting Site: 

• Residential and parks, 
• Under utility lines

Tree or Plant Type: 

Tree

Foliage: 

Evergreen (foliage year-round)

Native Locale: 

Non-native

Landscape Uses: 

• Foundation, 
• Hedge, 
• Mixed border, 
• Patio/sidewalk, 
• Screen, 
• Specimen, 
• Utility

Size Range: 

• Small tree (15-25 feet), 
• Compact tree (10-15 feet), 
• Large shrub (more than 8 feet), 
• Medium shrub (5-8 feet), 
• Small shrub (3-5 feet)

Mature Height: 

18-25 feet

Mature Width: 

10-15 feet

Light Exposure: 

Full sun (6 hrs direct light daily)

Hardiness Zones: 

• Zone 6, 
• Zone 7, 
• Zone 8, 
• Zone 9, 
• Zone 10, 
• Zone 11

Soil Preference: 

Moist, well-drained soil

Tolerances: 

• Dry sites, 
• Alkaline soil

Acid Soils: 

Tolerant

Alkaline Soils: 

Tolerant

Salt Spray: 

Moderately Tolerant

Soil Salt: 

Intolerant

Drought Conditions: 

Tolerant

Poor Drainage: 

Intolerant

A few days  later I realized we found some poison ivy. Itch, itch, itch....yuck!

Update on May 7

These plants have not been doing very well where they are planted. I decided to put them in pots and put the pots around the vegetable garden. They seem to be doing better but just not thriving.....

This tree was given to us by our sister-in-law, Dorothy. She got it as a cutting from my brother, Louis and his wife Donna. 

This is not the actual picture of the tree.

Here it is on March 20, 2021

May 7 2021

Chain Piecing

Chain piecing is a method of speed piecing where segments of fabric are fed into the sewing machine one after the other without stopping to cut the threads. This produces a chain of sewn segments that are then cut apart and pressed.

Chain Piecing Steps

Here are the steps to accomplish the chain piecing technique:

Needle Plate

The needle plate, sometimes called the throat plate, covers the area near the needle. There are 2 commonly used needle plates: the zig zag plate, shown above, and the straight stitch plate shown below. In this article you will learn about the differences in these plates and why you might want to have both of them on hand.

Using Scraps From Pre-Cut Strips

NOTE: In October 2017 I posted this one minute video on using scraps from pre-cut strips. Since that time I have probably made 5 or 6 more of these. That's a lot of scraps.

Here is the finished quilt!

Strip Piecing: Free Pattern and Tutorial

If you need a quilt that's easy, fast and fun to make, the Strip Pieced Diagonal Beginner quilt is for you. I found this easy strip piecing pattern a few years back when I was looking for easy quilts to make for Veterans.

Using just three fabrics and strip piecing, you will love how quickly this quilt comes together.