One more thing...The only thing that seems to take all the joy out of haveing so many trees at once is the bugs. That is a setiment that I sort of see in all the friends we have on this site, and that can be a big discouragemnet to doing this hobby. Alot of work and anxiety. More so than what kind of soil should I grow my plants in. Any encouragemnet to me and all others would be a great incentive to sticking to what I love to do..GROW CITRUS.:-)I am always looking for bugs and anxious of them, more so than my watering or fertilizer routine. It seems to me that the only time I ever have problems with citrus is because of the stupid pests.:-( I am consumed by the fear of insects ruining my plants till the spring.

shrublover, thanks for reviving this topic! I didn't knew there was such topic, so after almost a year it's time to introduce myself too. :) My name is Alexander, I'm currently 19 years old and I'm from Belgium, somewhere near Antwerp. My nickname (a giant sea reptile which is extincted for 155 million yrs or so) may seem weird for use on a gardening forum, but it's a relict of me watching "Walking with Dinosaurs" more than ten years ago; and now I got quite used to it. And best of all: that nickname seems to be always available! ;) I started liking conifers as a small boy when walking through spruce forests in Wallonia and Germany. Since a few years, that "liking" developed itself into a fascination; beginning with mostly spruces and firs, and now for all conifers, especially the Pinaceae. Living in one of the most densely populated regions in one of the most densely populated countries in one of the most densely populated parts of the world, I sadly lack space to plant all trees I would like to plant. Driven by the eagerness to still have as many as possible I'm currently exploring the world of the dwarf conifers. I'm also occupying myself (in a very amateuristic manner I must confess) with growing conifers from seeds extracted from cones I found in the wild. Disadvantage is that all those species are regular forest species, and thus will get too big too soon, so I'll have to find a way to get rid of most (give them away, plant them somewhere where I'm allowed to), but that's one of the things you don't think about when having fun! :)

Hi Jennifer! I'm an OBF member. All you have to do is sign up, and have 1 private swap with a member, then you can join for that months swap. Then your in. You'll get a OBF Questionnaire to fill out and meet alot of lovely ladies. The MNF Group is also fun! I've done a few swaps there too. I don't think there is an actual "group" there to join. All you need to want is to Make New Friends (MNF) There are also some swaps there are just open swaps. You don't need to be a member of anything. Like the NOID Iris Swap I'm doing or the Hazy Hot and Humid Seed Swap (Yup! I joined that one too). Just look for the word NEW on the swap thread and usually they are still taking joiners. This is your only word of caution....once you start swapping you can become addicted. It's fun, you meet a lot of really nice people and they all like to talk "plant" talk. That being said...there really should be a plantaddicts swap :0) Happy Swapping! vina

The only wayto pay for membership, at this point is Paypal. You can use your CC with Paypal or have it drwn directly from your checking account. Why do people not want to use a CC online? It doesn't make sense to me. It is as safe or more than using it in a restaurant. Most of the time a human never sees your acct number, unlike in brick and mortar places AND you aren't responsible for any of the charges IF by some chance somehow someone used your card. The CC company picks it up. I have been buying online for 7 years and the only time I have had a problem with my CC is when I used it at Lowes in town (not online) and the clerk sent my number to NY.