It is interesting how topics from the past are coming back up with Houzz Here is what ended up happening with this arch. I looked at this bed all summer debating the empty spot, disliking the blah tone of the Netune's in the summer sun. Finding out that the other lavender rose given to me is pink with lavender tones. And the idea of all red on the arch just reminded me of a hat band in a reverse of the Red Hat Society. Not that there is anything wrong with celebrating being over 50-we earned that hat. It was just not the soft look I wanted. Don Juan stays be cause my dad planted him and frankly he has a lot of very happy Doc Huey under the side walk that I know I would be haunted by if I tried to move him. So after saying I wanted no stripes and red with lots of scent, I fell in love with a Raspberry Cream Twirl who clashes perfectly with most everything tall in the bed. But she has wonderful flexible green canes with no thorns and from the right seat I can enjoy her with the Sweet Chariots and what ever that pink rose happens to be. I did get Rhode Island Red (Fields of the Wood) for the main garden and her blooms are incredible, although kind of rare since she is still a baby. Noella Nabonnand does have fabulously clean foliage and is in my Nabonnand court with a persimmon tree to climb. And Cramoisi Superieur is in the garden as of just a few months ago. If I had the energy and a spot for them, the Neptune's and Ebb Tide would move some where else. You would never know Ebb Tide was there so that just leaves the Neptune's and mom loves them.... Don Juan is now part of the HT's for mom to cut and bring inside

Heehee, MissSherry - we won't discuss how much better we're getting (not older)! Looks like somethin's been a munchin' on the leaf on the right upper corner??? I just planted mine in March, and it and the persea borbonia are taking their sweet time growing roots I would imagine, cause there's nothing on top! LOL! I hope those roots are growing and rolling around in that good chicken manure. My Witch Hazel is finally beginning to show signs of life. Took it awhile, too. But the other plants, like the illicium henryi has blooms on it! It's a gorgeous plant. Don't know that anything uses it for a host, but I've been wanting one for my shady backyard for some time now. And the viburnum nudum is coming along nicely with new foliage and bigger leaves as is the Bottlebrush Buckeye. The two spicebushes I planted last year bit the dust in our drought last year. No foliage, nada. I checked the cambium layer and it is dead, dead baby, dead, dead, dead! So, I'm glad I re-ordered the two I have from MON. They are leafing out nicely, as is the pawpaw I got, too. Now I may get fruit eventually since I've planted two of them. I started to order some more False Nettle from Edith, but the shipping was the same price as the plants, so I decided to wait it out. If I don't see any foliage in a couple of weeks, I'll try to get some locally from Marilyn at Wild Things. Too bad she doesn't do mail order cause her plants are gorgeous, too, and she's local for us. She's worked very hard to get seeds and grow plants that are native in Oklahoma. I can't wait til I have blooms like yours! Those big-leaf mags grow all over town here. Lots of people like them, but the foliage can look pretty brown and battered by summer's end. Susan

Judy--there is a Tampa chapter of the AMerican Begonia Society. They had their first judged begonia show in late February if I recall right. Marcia--the word "dignified" is the level of respect and development of horticultural endeavors. Comparatively speaking, there is much less experience with plants and/or maintenance issues with landscaping companies and their employees (illegal workers is yet another issue)...and,the quality of programming and other aspects of local botanical gardens is one that combines visitor needs with education and display and overall non-profit health. I have not encountered so much scoffing at "gardening" than in FL while mixing with people at various events--it's as if horticulture is equated with only rich people and then, only a subclass would dare to do it for them. I've also read of many city-governemnt based initiatives that seem to sound "groundbreaking" or "modern advances" that are off the mark (Port St. Lucie in particular!) It's like they are given a brochure and they buy a program or idea and have no grasp of hte context for its use. Perhaps another interesting observation is how belligerent many people are to the whole water restriction thing in south FLorida (is it same elsewhere?). Darn near EVERYONE has an excuse (placing blame on the water district, not me, I don't wanna, catch me if you can, blah blah). I have experienced droughts in other regions with same enforced restirctions and all, and in FLorida I've seen a lot of arrogance and indifference, even with governments. This holds true to a lot of professionals that give misleading info publicly about info that tends to blatantly undermine known facts about what plants need more water, when to water and how much. In a nutshell, there is less overall population that holds high regard or dignity with a passion of horticulture and the closely related good land stewardship and good (proven) maintenance practices. Go to other regions (more like regional pockets), and nearly everyone looks to a single botanical garden source as the leader or as a world-class example of a organization, etc. Or, all understand the need for say, shade trees, or drought-tolerant plants and thus it is easier to locate these plants in nurseries. Lots of things comparatively speaking make FL such a drought for the horticultural passion that dominates other areas of the US and Canada. "landscaping (horticulture)" is a business in FLorida, not a passion or lifestyle across the board.

This sounds like lots of fun and I want to join. but it makes more sense to me to make groups of eleven and send everyone back 10 packs of seeds the same as they sent out. this way every person gets 10 new packs instead of 9 new ones. 11 in each group works better. 11 people send in 10 packs for total of 110 packs. then you send back 10 packs to each of 11 people because you have 110 packs. the 10 and 9 does not work correctly. the 11 and 10 works correctly. the way it is now 10 people send in 10 seeds for 100 packs and you send back 9 packs to 10 people for 90 packs. 10 packs go dead on arrival and are wasted. the math does not work with groups of 10. the math works correctly with 11 in each group where everyone sends in 10 packs. with your method we should only send in 9 packs. I am an applied mathematician. I have this correct. I hope to see this rule changed for 2014. to eleven in each group.