OK, remember, you ASKED for it. Don't blame me when you're out of control like me :). SOUTH AFRICA..I know it's a flori, but it blooms nonstop. Ruffled, gorgeous yellow blooms that cover the bush in long sprays all summer It was in the back garden next to Dainty Bess. Great for cutting; lasts in the vase. PINK PEACE...huge, vivid pink blooms. RED INTUITION...this was on your list, remember? Order from Steve Singer @ Wisconsin Roses. CAMILLE PISARRO...a yellow creamy stripey. Love the coloration. Maybe add 'OUT OF AFRICA' for your MIL's garden since she wanted an orange? And pair it with some Tiki Torch coneflowers...you'd be glowing! That's a lot of orange. Enough enabling....I'm out of here. We have a date in the spring for you to come back to dig up some hostas, remember? -terry

I had some poppies last winter/spring that did well. Can't remember exactly what kind they were but they were single and red. I don't know if it would be so great for winter but Nasturtium are good flowers for neglect. I've also had some snapdragons survive all summer being pretty ignored but they would probably be happier in a sunny winter situation. Many of the standard northern annuals will do fine down here in winter. Pansies, violas and violets but they probably want a little more attention and richer soil than sand. There are probably many edible plants that would also make lovely winter "ornamentals" Stuff like Red Kale, and ornamental cabbage would probably be worth a look. There was one variety of Kale in the package of Mesclun mixed greens I planted once that was really pretty and I tended to leave it growing for the visual interest more than I wanted to eat it. Here is a link that might be useful: TCLynx

Hi Sue, There is no need to prune plumeria unless you wish to take cuttings for propagation or you wish to reduce the size of a potted plumeria that needs to be dragged indoors for the winter. The best time to take cuttings is in the spring. If you need to reduce the size of the plant, you should do it in stages over several years so that you will have blooms every year. If you do a radical prune job, the plant will not bloom for at least a year and possibly longer. If you wish to produce a bushier plant, take a few cuttings in spring 6 or more inches above a joint. The branch stumps will each put out several new branches. Repeat each spring for several years until you have trimmed back all the lanky growth. Fertilize during the growing season with a high phosphorus fertilizer to encourage blooms on the branches you didnÂt cut. If the plant is young, give it high phosphorus (middle number) fertilizer to encourage frequent blooming. Blooming will cause it to produce many branches and eliminate the need to prune it later to fix a sparse gangly shape. One final note, cutting the plant back is not part of the standard treatment for preparing it for dormancy. We have a very active Plumeria Forum, please stop in and join our discussions. Philip Here is a link that might be useful: Plumeria Forum

So, you know it is against the law for others to mail plants/plant parts/cuttings/bulbs into California? We have agricultural restrictions (thus the Ag stops coming in and out of state for cars). Individual choice can have disastrous affects on wild lands and the ecology. Did you know that Citrus Greening - the disease that has almost wiped out Florida citrus crops and is now in California was most likely brought into CA illegally by a backyard gardener? http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn74155.html  And, to Florida through illegally imported plant material? https://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/microbes/citrusgreen.shtml   Other states have Japanese beetles that feed on about 300 species of plants, flowers, and fruit; squash vine borers that attack vine crops of summer squash, winter squash, and pumpkins (I know gardeners that can’t get any summer squash at all anymore without a great deal of extra work, most just give up) and Tomato yellow leaf curl where it is not uncommon for losses of 100% to be experienced in fields with heavily infected plants. The host plant can be very different than the ones we see infected. There is solid reasoning behind our laws and quarantines that no plant material (living, dried, bulb, tuber, rooted cuttings, cuttings) may be shipped in to California unless it is from a company with phytosanitary certificates. https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/plant/PE/transport_animals_plants.html "The importation or smuggling into California of live plants and plant product... will have serious legal and financial consequences for the persons involved". "We are free from many invasive insect, weed and disease species that wreck havoc on agriculture and environments in other states and countries. Our State is surrounded by natural barriers — towering mountains to the north and east, scorching desert to the south, and vast ocean to the west. Most plant pests cannot cross these barriers on their own; however, the State is under constant threat of pest introductions by man". Do No Harm. Please continue to spread the word that trading out of state plants and cuttings into CA or buying them from individuals on Amazon, eBay or Etsy is illegal and a really really bad idea. (quotes from https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/plant/pe/ExteriorExclusion/borders.html ).