My parents made it to Israel a couple of years before my Mom passed away. They had wanted to go for years and years and when their parish was running a trip they went for it. Mom had a hard time getting around but she was always a trooper and seeing things that held so much significance for her spurred her along. A year or two ago I read they've irrigated parts of the Negev desert and grow melons down there. Probably other things by now. I'm not sure where they grow the plants and cut flowers they export but it's becoming a sizable business sector. That botanical garden is tremendous from the website information. OT...triple_b, I got my father some "own root" roses from Heirloom Roses for Christmas. We were so upset when they arrived in May because they were so, so tiny. The miniature "Love Potion" (24" @ maturity) has 5 buds on it that are ready to open! The floribunda "Wistful" just bloomed and it was a gorgeous lavender. We didn't cut it because it's the only bloom showing so far. The lavender floribunda is right next to a 34 year old red floribunda that's almost denuded from black spot and/or rust but still blooming its head off. The lavender floribunda and other new little rose bushes haven't caught the blight(s) and I'm hoping their rating of "very disease resistant" holds up as time goes on. If my condo balcony wasn't so dark from facing north I'd have a couple miniatures in pots. Spend so much time here at my father's though I finally decided "we" needed some color so found relative sanity in starting gardens. I've quickly found out why I chose to live in a condo...LOL...a LOT less work.

Toni, I didn't keep one over this past winter but I did do it several winters ago. I kept 2 of the green variety, and both did well, growing in a large sw window (I'm guessing 5ft tall by 6ft wide, so large window for me). Problem is they got big, when I measured their diameter after Christmas they were 4ft across, and poking guests in the face or eyes because we were so cramped for space! I wasn't gentle with them either, we'd had a light frost (-1 or -2C) for a couple of nights and I'd been toying with the idea of bringing them indoors so I could have HUGE plants to set in my containers the next year, and after the couple of light frosts they still looked okay, so I dug them out (and when I realized their roots went deep I ended up ripping them out, but this is in good potting soil, so it wasn't as violent as it sounds.) Trimmed off any lackluster leaves, gave the roots a good haircut and potted into a 1 gallon black nursery pot. Did not water for several days, and placed the 2 plants in a low light spot. Then gave water and placed in sunny window. Did not drop one leaf due to that treatment. Just continued to grow and grow. Only problem was when I went to use them the next year, there wasn't much room for the other annuals to plant in the pot, but that would be because they now had a bit of a trunk, so I'd sunk them down into the container, and their leaves were at soil level and not leaving much room for the geraniums and petunias. Oh well. Neighbor down the street from me overwintered the reddish purple ones, with the wider leaves (reminds me of the yucca plant) for 2 winters, and she stuck them in their garage through the winter, wrapped loosely in fabric to keep the cold off (from when the garage door opened and closed to park the vehicle-we get -20C days), come spring they were a bit sad, but then they perked up and looked good. But hers had to be grown in more shade during the summer - NW exposure, so maybe that's how they could survive the garage (with a north window that the plants were not set near). Last year she had to buy new ones. And our winters are long, if I am going to overwinter a plant, that means it comes in 1st or 2nd week of September, and does not go out permanently until 3rd or 4th week of May. That is a looong time. This spring I splurged (by my standards!) and forked out $7 for a red star (I think), it's like the green spike but purplie-red with the thinner leaves, I would like to try and overwinter that. The regular green ones, small size, can be bought for $1, so $7 is quite a bit more to get something a bit different, but then I've yet to see the red ones offered for sale in the little 2.5" pots. Good luck with yours. ~kioni~

I'm a homegrown Nanaimo-ite too!!! I have noticed that here in Cedar By The Sea, people have cleared a bunch of land and now the DEER(4 letter word!!!) are munching EVERYTHING!!! I just spent $4000 on a plain jane post and wire deer fence(440ft) JUST so I could have flowers!!! I think the major snow was tough on the food supply for deer too.They ate ALL my photinia to Death!! I am sooo tickled with my fence now! I can have ROSES!!!Yippee!!!! I have a whole 1/4 acre that I haven't done anything with as it was not deer proof so now I'm waiting for all the plant sales/yard sales to get going! I cannot afford to buy from even box stores!!! AND I like to meet other gardeners who may be willing to impart some knowledge on this newbie gardener!!! I have always hung out on the garden junk forum and stained glass forum but now I'm focused on my yard and Claiming it!!! I am also putting in a pond!!! Oh, my, do I have a busy year!!! Good thing I diconnected my cable tv(every bit helps the budget!) lol! No more couch potatoe for me!!!ha!

Hey Katob, I looked at Wal-Mart and they only have the Burgundy and Pink and green Cordylines and I decided to only get a fully green one that would be Cordyline Australis. I have seen that they are the hardiest Cordy. I think the others are 40-50 F at the lowest, and, I am not sure about heating my greenhouse. I am thinking of using a small shelter in the greenhouse and adding heat with lights or a small heater, BUT, I don't want to get anything too tender/tropical also. At least with the Windmill palm baby that I have IF I can keep it in a zone 7b to 8a, it should be fine, and the desert plants are all hardy to zone 5-6. I've got a Cholla tree, Yucca Rostrata, Agaves Parryi and an Agave Neomexicana X ??? I forget the hybrid that is mixed with the Neomexicana Agave. I've had my last Rostrata get too much rain last growing season, so, I have them staying in the greenhouse. I have a Yucca Recurvifolia and another Yucca with the big more fleshy leaves growing in a raised bed with mostly a gritty mix, they are fine despite too much rain. I may need to eventually move my Cholla tree to an in-ground bed, possibly the same bed with the Yucca's I see on the plant tag that it gets about 5 ft wide and even taller. For now, it will be in a medium sized pot. I am kinda wondering about how much to water my Yucca Rostrata. The soil is well draining, BUT, I wonder how moist to keep it. I guess dryish. I used mostly "palm and cactus" soil The Miricle grow stuff. My other stuff is grit, perlite and the bagged Palm and Cactus soil. The Wm that had the Burgundy Cordyline also had one that was green, but, not a normal average green, it was NOT Australis, though. I want another Australis, I may go to Ebay and look. Our Big box stores don't have much to pick from now.