Have you asked your local extension office? Also there are rare fruit groups all over Florida that consist of backyard gardeners with tons of experience. They may have some ideas for you. Then there's the Fruit and Spice Park in Homestead. I've never visited it yet but it sounds WONDERFUL. They have a big shindig coming up June 21. Do a google search. They will be having tastings of many fruits. Here is a link that might be useful: Broward Rare Fruit group

We live in zone 10, 28 years now (having come from the NE) and have always done our own landscaping at 3 different homes,this one being our last home build, and I can tell you for a fact there is much to learn about landscaping in Florida zone 10 and many, many things to be considered for success, a few of these are, locations of plants such as north side, south side E & W etc. not over doing the planting since we live in a natural hot house and in a year's time you can end up with a jungle!! Use a good grade of weed block or plan to do weeding every week, lot's of weeding! or plan to hire a gardener full time... plus know what to feed your plants and tree's and feed, feed, feed remember the poor things are trying to live in sand with very little nourishment, the only reason you see palm tree's with yellow fronds is because they are not fed enough, with added magnesium, also don't forget the bugs that will devour your plants as soon as you turn your back, unless you are on top of that also, and now even though we are in zone 10, we're on the way out to cover our hibiscus, ixora etc. for temps in the high 20's tonight and possible frost, yes, we even have these problems in zone 10, and hate the chore a few times each winter.

Hi, I'm about to contract with my chosen builder in the midlands of SC and am just soliciting ideas and comments on our design. Getting a 16'x32' gunite with aggregate finish and 3' beam wall with 36" sheer waterfall. We found this photo and presented it to our builder: Here's the plan that the builder gave based on this photo: Back yard: We are very happy with the design. We're going to go with a spraydeck and have to go with poured concrete for the coping due to budget constraints. As a compromise, I thought I might like to put some travertine coping just along the edge where the pool steps are only. Would that look good or not so much? We will be getting our tile from National Pool Tile and want something with a stone finish. We're a bit torn on tile selection. Deck coloring will be a creamy white. For the tile, not sure whether to pursue a bluish stone color that is on the darker side or a lighter tan. Not sure which will best complement the house. If you have a similarly designed pool as us, would love to see pics! -Linus

Well, it appears (per Facebook) he's "out fishing, golfing, footballing,etc..."--I'n not being judgemental, but a picture is worth a thousand words! Sends text "will be there tomorrow" time & time again--didn't show up, didn't call--but sends a text --after I call & leave voice mail and/or send a text (nicely) to find out when someone will be @ my house (and I hate texting--why not just pick up the phone & call!) Didn't call the "dig" number until homeowner called the "dig" number about a week after I was told it was done & discovered he hadn't even called them yet(seems he actually called the week we thought he was to install sod, not week he said he was calling) & then I texted him to see if he called the "dig" number--he called the same day I called him & AFTER I sent text--I called the "dig" number again! Then kept on texting on at least 3 of our different personal phone numbers we used to call him--saying one thing or another--- so, then he's waiting to get lines marked--but I already knew he didn't call when he said he did! (So, I was smart enough to get my own "dig" number as a back-up plan so we could seed the already "dead grass" zone ourselves with fescue and/or winter rye if he's a "no show!) The guy should have been truthful up front because we're business owners, too. Heck, my family was & is willing to get out there & help out! So, he told us who he was getting sod from--they had & have it in stock--but won't be cutting it after next Wed (Sept 30) & since some other sod farmers are out of Bernuda, they're actually selling their sod to other sod farmers as far away as Greenville so those sod farmers can supply sod to their landscapers. So, he can't get sod from that sod farmer because of owing them $$$ for several years (??)--so, he might have a hard time getting it from another sod farmer this late in Sept! (again, he didn't know I was talking to sod farmers until I told him I was). I pleaded with the sod farmer & if he's a "no show" I can get a price break--for whatever they have left in stock in Oct-if they have any! Landscapers--BE HONEST UP FRONT! The sod farmer may take cash from him,but I don't know or really care how or where he gets that sod--just that it's installed, per contract! Some honest landscapers told us they couldn't get to our yard in Sept--one said he'd plug it 3rd week of Sept, but said he'd say 80% chance of Bermuda coming back next spring. Another honest landscaper said he'd get to it by last week of Sept & he'd had about 60% success of it coming back in the spring--both of those guys said they could go ahead & schedule us for April 2016 & we'd pay them a down payment in March. Another landscaper said our yard "was too big of a project" for him, didn't own the right equipment). So, landscapers keep in mind--be honest up front & don't take a huge down payment, tell the homeowner you ordered sod two weeks before you did, then "forget" to call the dig number--because the homeowner might get frustrated & have to "gently" remind you that it's "breach of contract" if the contract states the job "will be completed by Sept. 30 2015" & it's not! Now that Sept is almost up, don't blame it on the rain--today, 9/24--is the 1st time it's rained @ my yard since we signed that contract! Don't blame it on the sod farmers--because it was readily available when we signed that contract! Now, maybe I should have waited until Oct 1st to post anything, but if I hadn't complained--I think we'd be waiting all winter long that work to get done! Maybe not, but that landscaper already frustrated us too much. Those text messages were getting on my nerves & hubbys, too! If you promise to show up, then text-call-do something if you aren't going to show up. "NO SHOW JONES" showed up for more concerts I attended in years gone by than the days the landscaper promised to! We still have thousands of dollars more we need to spend on landscaping, but we will be a lot more cautious of who we choose--we chose a person raised in our county & thought we were helping out a small business owner. Might get a larger out-of-county landscaper for the rest of the 3+acres that need landscaped--we need a huge 40' long retaining wall & more underground sprinklers & a extended pathway to our boat dock & 30' of aluminum "safety fencing" above an existing retaining wall. So, this is my "dream retirement home" we purchased "already built" for when we retire in about 15 years--but the landscaping issue has become a nightmare we've been trying to fix for about 4 years now--that's why we resorted to getting a section of sod! Next time, we will only give 50% down payment instead of paying about 80% up front! Heck, we now owe the guy less that what it'll cost to purchase the sod! Lesson learned: we'll be more careful & get sod done in the spring. Our sod is supposed to be installed next week & I really hope it is! But I really don't expect it to come back next spring--we'll have to start all over again next spring if it dies out for good over the winter months! We're not difficult homeowners to deal with--I read an on-line review a homeowner gave another local landscaper--because a worker left empty water bottles in the front yard! Another on-line review a homeowner gave was really nasty & said really ugly things--all because a worker broke a few solar lights already in the yard. All we want is the work done properly & completed by the date it was promised to be done! Heck, we've given extra cash as a bonus for work we've got done in the past @ all of the homes we've built for ourselves & owned! We're not wealthy either--just a blue-collar family who spends their vacation money & time fixing up their house & yard instead of throwing away that money on expensive trips & vacations! Looking out our back yard & seeing the lake, ducks, geese, fox, deer,etc--- is more enjoyable that blowing thousands of dollars on a short-lived trip! Next, I guess I need an outdoor kitchen--so we can have more family gatherings! Guess that will be on my birthday & Christmas wish list for 2016--may even bump it to the top of the list before any more landscaping ventures! Hope to have less frustrations with that venture! But I guess the sod is getting put down next week--because of my complaining! And I really hate to complain about local small business owners--because, like I said--we're in that self-employment boat, too! I probably won't give this guy a bad on-line review--unless he turns into a "no show Jones"!