There is a bit of variation in hardiness zones in central Florida, so, depending upon your exact location, frost is going to be an issue. I grow several varieties of citrus and mango in the Panhandle, but they can be EXTREMELY labor-intensive in the winter. I nearly lost the graft on my Mallika mango last winter, and sustained heavy trunk damage which will require watching. Don't bother with seed-grown fruit trees. You'll have to wait much too long to possibly see the "fruits" of your labor, not to mention the fact that you will be disappointed in the quality. The biggest bang-for-the-buck for you would be ice cream bananas. They are the best-tasting, most reliable fruiters in cooler climates. They grow quickly, get quite large, and form dense mats that are quite attractive. They tend to bloom late-spring/early summer, which means in areas with shorter growing seasons you can get edible fruit before December. -Bruce

Here's the link to Jung's. There's a couple of things to keep in mind about the Mucho Nacho pepper. It is a hybrid, so seed saving is not recommended and 2) it became quite popular and as a result, can sometimes be found in big box stores, co-ops, grocery stores or even dollar stores. You might want to check your local seed racks. Good luck! Rick Here is a link that might be useful: Jung's Seed Company

Thanks, prairiedawn. My style actually is more of a rustic/modern country style rather than traditional, although I have a mix of everything! I used BM Baby Turtle in the powder room and laundry room, which are adjacent to the foyer, SW Artifact in the great room, which is just beyond the foyer, and SW Believable Buff and Camelback throughout the rest of the house. roseabby, I spoke to the salesman at Macys and he also mentioned a 2'6" runner may be out of scale. The problem is I do NOT want to cover up most of the wood flooring. Would a smaller area rug placed horizontally across the front doors, rather than a larger run placed vertically in the room, look strange? The two doors are 6' wide and the entire wood entry is approx. 10' wide.

I hate to be Debbie Downer but many of the grasses native to the SE US do not fair all that well in the PNW. And this is not restricted just to grasses - other plants experience the same distress. I believe it is because we have such cool summers and tend to have overly wet winters. The grasses seldom bloom and are reluctant to winter over their first year - I know, I've tried!! OTOH, plants native to the Northwest also tend not do very well elsewhere........I guess turn-about is fair play :-)) The Panicums do thrive here but don't expect the colors you see online or in photos. That usually requires more summer heat than we can manage. Any of the Calamagrostis species and hybrids are excellent choices for this area. Miscanthus does well here also but depending on selection, may or may not develop good flower heads by the end of the season. FWIW, any of the cool season grasses and sedges are excellent choices for this area, however few achieve the sort of height you are looking for, with the exception of the feather reed grass.