I lived in los angeles many years and learned a little about ice plants and xeriscaping. Since then lived Denver now Fort Lauderdale . In my experience in south Florida where I live ....the key to ice plants ....is fast drainage and dryness since this zone 10 area is humid , hot , rainy or dry. We are not true Tropics. We are subtropics so it’s easy to get confused when people plant tropics here ... these people who plant tropicals outdoors will loose these tropical plants when/ if we get deep freezes which does happen on occasion. winter dry dry season is best time to think ice plants ... summer wet wet season isnot unless... you grow ice plants in hanging pots in a sand gravel mix no water saving pots. Must drain . Plants can not -never sit in water ... with minimal care even neglect I can go away fir a week and they will be alive when I get back. Lamprathus variety does best for me. But I have other ice plants , donkey tails, mother of pearls, blue chalk senecio, several variety of ice plants in containers hanging and otherwise.... when hurricane come I simply unhook them set them down on ground or indoors and rehang when it’s over. south florida native soil sucks. It was a beach long long ago but it has microbes that kill any plant that is not adapted to these Microbes. I’ve seen roses from mail orders planted on the ground live three years and mysteriously die ( it was the microbes)... use native plants or knock-out roses Which are adapted. florida commercial is making money because businesses build like its fantasy island ... locals know it’s not. Ice plants are flowering when nothing else does ... and requires little attention i shop Amazon for live plants not seeds. If if you must grow them in the ground you’ll need raise beds , gravel and sand from store ... good luck we all learn from trial and error

Your looking for sand at the beach lol. Not really that special when you get down there. most places sell some type of malayan for leathal yellowing purposes. nurseies up the wazoo. Take dixie high way south or florida turnpike. Best bet for local stuff check craigslist ads in southern miami. I suggest do what I did. rent a trailer there haul palms home.

johnb51: That's what I have heard: that SW side is more economical and less crowded but it probably depends on 'where' exactly lol. I would have to be zoned agriculture and away from the larger cities a little bit since I have chickens and loud roosters. They do make good fertilizer! :P I was also born in L.A. but later moved to Phx AZ. I love it in FL. The humidity took some getting used to compared to the Southwest. I've been out here 3 years now. marinfla: I like your mango story. Its funny how little things can change our lives. Your yard sounds like paradise. I can't wait until I can put my fruit trees in the ground and not worry about freezes so much. Bob1016: Sounds like you had quite an education in fruit trees since you were very young. What a nice environment to grow up in! I can imagine that you miss it and your grandfather quite a bit. njoasis: Sounds fun! I just bet they do! Can you make a good mojito? lol

I have Twilight Zone, but own root from Chamblees. It is normally purple. Mine doesn't seem to look hot pink. Anyway Kublan- you must have missed one :) because I just picked up my order from Pop's and I found my Distant Drums. Ooooh and I'm glad you did cause its a beauty. My car smelled so good by the time I got him home. I picked up my friend's order as well. I thought all of our bushes looked really nice and healthy. Thanks so much for letting us know about the nursery. For those of you interested in Secret - or anything that was missing from this shippment, the girl told me that they are going to get another shipment probably Late Nov. or early December. You may want to call and see if she thought they would get it in by then. Again, Thanks. I love my new roses.