As you probably know, my mom lives up there, and she gets excited when her Pelargoniums bloom. In other words, they just don't seem to like it up there. She has had better luck with the ivy geraniums, but...they're in pots, and they never get "bushy". I have many of those large, bushy types down here in the Sac area (I know what you mean about stomping them into the ground LOL), and I keep trying to send her home with some "cuttings" (snapped right off the bushes), just so I could see how they'd do up there. Maybe I'll try again this fall, and have her put them right in the ground rather than in pots. Brenda

Steve, thanks for the tip about lancifolia. I recall some discussion before about the change of classification on some hosta, so I get antsy using terms. My mind is not able these days to incorporate or SAVE corrections to past info. I call it "confused" not "demented." :) And thanks, BK. I give credit to the plants themselves. And maybe the weather, which is balmy and so very beautiful this week.

hey Al, the mangos would need winter protection. The condo mangos, sugar apples, and carambolas can be grown in pots and brought indoors, or at least moved to a covered area. Warning, if you do the large potted tree thing, in a few years you will start looking into a greenhouse. So far, I have not tried a feioja that I like (I've had smooth skinned and bumpy). Tropical guavas on the other hand can be quite good. If you like sweetish fruit, strongly consider planting a white sapote in the ground. Possibly you could find some fruit at a farmers market to try first. Seedlings grow fairly fast, you could then graft over to a known flavor later. Make sure to keep one branch of your seedling to try the fruit, just in case it is cultivar of the future. You could also just buy a ready grafted variety to make things easier and achieve fruit faster. Jaboticaba would also make a great conversation piece for your yard. -Ethan

from a strictly business standpoint why would Monsanto discontinue a popular & successful cultivar? Because their primary interest is in seeds for commercial production and ichiban doesn't travel well. For a lot of those kinds of plants (things only suitable for small growing) they just bulk license to Bonnie. I liked it. I don't think the flavor was that much superior to ping tung long, but it was a nice thick fruit for an oriental, which made it very versatile. You could use it for Asian style cooking and also for western dishes. I can't make stuffed eggplant with ping tung long. That's why Kuruma is becoming a popular substitute in S FL. It has a good flavor and a larger circumference than most orientals, just like ichiban. ETA Eggplant produces longer into the hot humid weather here than any squash, except maybe luffa.