Glad you got some nice plants :) Post some pics when you get them all.
I have a large medinilla that is in a pot that sits just outside the screenroom. I have left it out there down to 32. There is a small overhang from the roof so it doesn't catch the frost. I've had no problems with cold on this plant. In the winter I do not water it very much and it has very well drained soil (potting soil, perlite, and large-bark orchid mix -mixed together). If it goes under freezing I usually put it in the garage.
People say these are picky plants but I haven't had any problems with mine at all. They really love humidity so I could see if it was really dry, it might pout.

I ordered a bunch of cacoa seeds from Puerto Rico and they are all coming up now. They're so cute!

What side of the house do you have the medinilla on? I could have gotten the showy one for the same price, but I was afraid since it said not to let it get below 50 degrees. I just got an email from the man in puerto rico, he is out of the red torch ginger, he only has the white and pink one, I wish I could have gotten all 3. Maybe next year. Can you recommend any plants that you think would do really well down at the coast? I am trying to put alot of tropical plants in this year, I will retire next May, I want to have them established. Next year I will buy tropical rhododendon, and heliconia plants, they will have a better chance sine I will be down there to care for them. I wish all my plants would come in. I ordered 3 diffrent hedychium from greenhouse works nursery, but have no idea when I will receive them, its been almost 4 weeks. I no longer have a camera, it was stolen, so I will have to use my husbands. We are going down the weekend of March 18th, so I can take some pictures then. Barbra,

Barbra, I'm sorry your camera got stolen. I got one for Morgan from her birthday from ebay that was refurbished and it came with a bundle pack of everything you need for it, rechargable batteries, the charger, memory card, tripod, carrying case, cables to hook it to the tv to view pics, the thing to put the memory card in and plug into the computer and all sorts of other stuff for under a hundred dollars. It took great pics. I tried it out before I sent it to her, lol. The plants sound great. I am going to do some hunting while in Hawaii and see what I can take cuttings and seeds from and mail them back to myself. They won't let you take hardly any luggage anymore and xray everything before you leave so I think mailing it back might be easier. If there is anything you are looking for let me know and I'll see what I can snag. John has a lot of family there so I hope they have cool plants in the yards, lol. I went to San Antonio the other night and was thinking about you but we only went and did the fishing meeting and came right back home. Maybe we can go on a weekend sometime and we can visit. I wanted to go to Kylie's tomorrow but John is having a fit for me to go fishing with him instead. I think he thought I would chicken out and not go without him but Patty said she would drive me and now he's pouting because he said he wanted to go too so I guess I'll wait and we will go together next weekend.

Kristy, I really did want you to go to Schumachers Hill Country Nursery, it has been the best nursery for the past 10 years. I went about 1 month ago and it was closed, they said that the owner and his wife were very ill, and did not know when it would open again. I went today, they were open. I went into their green houses. it was so sad, almost everything is dead, no one watered while they were sick, they lost so many plants, I did get an China ground orchid, and a few herbs, I cannot believe how it has gone downhill. They had the best assortment of plants from Africa, and all other countries. If you come we can go to the botantical gardens, and to the antique rose emporium. But we can scratch Schumachers. Barbra,

Thats too bad about Schumachers. I remember you telling me how great they were. So sad that nobody watered for them. I have done it before for a lady in town that runs her nursery by herself when she was in the hospital. Doesn't take that long I wish someone had helped them. I will definitely make plans for a trip down after we get back from Hawaii. I would love to go to the botanical gardens and the rose emporium. I want a New Dawn climbing rose really bad. I ordered one from ebay and when it came it wasn't even rooted. Just a cutting stuck in a dixie cup. She said she will replace it in the spring but I want a bigger one. It died in about 3 days. I was really upset. For the price I paid for a small well rooted plant I could have bought a whole one but have never seen it here at the nurseries. Getting a stick in a cup had me livid for the cost. I hate ebay sometimes.

Barb, I am trying some Papaya this year. I hear they like my climate. Schumachers is such sad information. We still have not had any rain. Maybe a 1/2" since Thanksgiving. I have been picking up some natives. I had a massive mite attack we went from all blooming to mites everywhere. I had not sprayed H oil this winter. So it was H oil, forbid and H oil. In a 2 week period. They look brand new again.

Do mites fly??? They went 30' up a tree on a passion flower vine. I believe they might over winter in the oaks.

Barba so sorry that your plants have not gotten there yet and your camera got stolen. But luckily I think they ship plants out when they think it will be safe for them to make it to the destination as unharmed as possible.

I can just imagine how heartbroken the Schumachers are and all folks that bought from them!

Hey are you looking forward to retirement? :-)))) We got to throw you a retirement party lol

Lucy

Jim, I will be in Rockport, alot during the summer, I am having a total knee replacement on 6-1-09, and will be out of work for 6 weeks. I do not know how long it will be until I can drive, but I will be down as soon as I get the ok. I know you have a constant battle with the wind and weather, but I do want to see you gardens, while I am down.

Kristy, when are you going to Hawaii? If I can think of something, I will let you know. It only cost me $77 to ship plants from West Palm Beach Florida, I shipped usp a golfbag box full of plants, I had a 15 gallon brugmansia at the base and just filled in 5 gallon plants, and then 1 gallon plants on top to them, you would not belive all the plants I shipped back. The nuns orchids and kings mantel did not like Rockport.

Lucy, thank you, that would just be wonderful if eveyone could get together and meet. I am too old for a party, but thanks for the thought. I will have worked at USAA Ins Co for 44 years when I retire next year Barbra

Barbra, I finally googled Medinilla -- that is a beauty! Hope it grows as big as what I saw; congrats and I hope you get your plants soon. Sorry about your camera, that really sucks. Wow, 44 years! I wish I could have hung in there for 40 years, then I would have gotten 100% of my salary, but instead I got 80%, which is still not bad. BTW, one should never be too old to party! When you can't party at night, then party during the day time, LOL!

Edna, what a great retirement you have, I will get 40%, and 80% of medical when I retire. The number of years doesn't matter where I work. You just have to be 55 years old. So most folks retire when they turn 55, even if they just worked 5 years. Barbra

I took my Hawaii plants to the coast, my neighbor, Mrs. White said that we were going to get a Norther Saturday morning. It was in the 90's Friday, but decided to wait until saturday afternoon to plant them after the cold front. I kept them inside Friday night, and planted them Saturday afternoon. When I woke up this morning, and went outside to put oatmeal flakes for ants, I almost froze, it was in the 30's, I guess I can kiss my Hawaii plants good-by. I will not know anything until we go back in 2 weeks. They were so beautiful, and healthy, I sure hope they make it. Barbra,

Sorry Barbra :-( I covered the wrong plants too last night. Overlooked some very tender ones and they are mush today.

Hope yours will be ok!

Lucy

Lucy, I hope so too. Its so strange, this happened. These plants were just beautiful, I have never received such great plants, I am just sick. I will go down next weekend to find their fate. Thank you for your kind words. I am still waiting for my other orders. Barbra,

Sorry to hear about the cold snap. I hope your plants will be okay. My medinilla is at the south east corner of the house. There is a overhang there so it doesn't get straight on sun but it does get early afternoon sun and it likes it. Our sun is not that intense here due to the humidity. There is not alot of info out there on medinilla but I found one source that says they like dappled afternoon sun so that is what I gave it lol. They are epiphytes in nature.
It sounds like you got good plants for the area you want to plant in. There are so many good things you can plant there. Some may need frost protection in the winter but sometimes putting the tender ones up close to the house or under larger trees that keep their leaves in the winter etc. will help. I have a monstera that lives under a pine tree and has been out in the 20's this year in a pot and is still alive lol.
~Lenette

You, know they always say, God always leaves a window open... I got my plants from Puerto Rico when I got home tonight. They are just great. I am so excited. I still do not know the fate of my Hawaii plants, it got down to 36 degrees, I do not know what their min. temp. is. I will find out next week. I belived that if I am suppost to have those plants, I will. I hope I just loose all those lovely leaves. I sure am excited about my torch gingers. I am almost afraid to take them down. I cannot believe the size of these plants. I will be buying from Pureto Rico again. The postage is cheaper than in the USA, and includes the cert. How can they do that? Barbra

Who did you order from in PR?

Hopefully your Hawaii plants will pull through with just cosmetic damage at most.

Ryan, I ordered from Irmajavi, she has ginger plants right now on ebay. I found the plants I wanted on the internet, she had them for 1/3 of what they go for, I did the auction and not the buy now plants, that go for twice as much. I thought that she would send small plants since I got them so cheap, but I was wrong, go for it. Barbra

Happy you got good plants from PR. I hope your ones from Hawaii are all ok. John has left his plumeria at shop out all winter and its still alive. I can't believe it. Has to be the asphalt parking lost holding in enough heat. Gingers are pretty tough so hopefully they will be ok.

Kristy, I hope so too. I will know this weekend. I remember ordering and watching the temps. I was careful, not to order anything that could not go below 35 degrees, and it only got down to 36 degrees. I think with a little luck and a little superthrive, they will come back. I just felt so bad, because they were just so beautiful, and full of leaves. I am glad I decided to wait until next year, to order the heliconia plants. It was 90 degrees at the coast on Friday, a beautiful day. I told my husband that I wanted to feed all the plants, it felt like spring had arrived, he told me to hold off a few more weeks. I am so glad I listened to him. Barbra