Kev, I'm betting your Meyer's will be show-quality by May..(S) As long as it's getting the best care..Sun, humidity, fresh air, well-draining soil, fertilizer and proper watering. I use a product called Superthrive..it's a hormone and contains 50 vitamins..2-4 drops per gallon of water, once a month..I want to add, before sending this post, some people disbelieve it works..some call it a snake oil. LOL..I've been using ST a number of years, seen with my own eyes, the best results. You can find ST on Ebay, several online nurseries..it's also sold at hardware stores, and local nurseries..less expensive buying online. A 4oz (9.99) bottle last a couple years, depending on the number of plants you have..They suggest 10 drops per gallon of water for stressed/dying plants. Soils for citrus..Since I have about 300 plants, (not all citrus, lol) it's economical buying 50lb bags of soil. 40lb Sand. 40lb Peat. Using a drainless plastic pot, I mix, (smaller portions as example, 4 cups All Purpose black soil, 1-2 cups Peat, 1-2 cups Builder's Sand bought at Home Depot, (not beach sand) 1-2 cups Perlite...if you can find small pieces of bark, (not large used for orchids) helps with drainage.. Mix well..Add soil in the pot you intend using..place plant inside pot, standing straight..Fill in mediums, in a rotating motion, so tree stands straight. Do not exceed the graft line..(never cover graft) Then soak...water from the top or set pot in a container of tepid water, intil it soaks up until to the top of soil..Soil should be wet from bottom to top. If you have one tree, it doesn't require much work.. I take plants outside on cloudy days, or when rain is expected..(for the wk) Night or early morning is best..I've had problems placing plants outdoors when sun was blazing, and no rain in the forecast..spray foliage w/a hose...daily if possible. Water perks leaves, and knocks/kills insets if any away are present..Keeps leaves clean, washing away dust particles, and creats a green house effect. You may need to add fresh soil every year or two. And/or repot when roots are crowded..roots will grow from drainage holes, looking for freedom. The plant is saying, I need a larger home. Living in Il, I've been successful repotting into containers 1-2 sizes larger..IMO, it depends on the climate..if one lives in a hot, humid, long summer state, they have a better chance overpotting..Otherwise, too much soil chances are the soil will remain wet, and eventually kill the plant.. Good luck, Kev..don't obsess over your plant/s..by overdoing, chances are you'll overwater, Number 1 killer..Toni

Just the thread I've been trying to find! I have been searching in vain for bigger Dwarf coconut trees to plant in my yard. I've been in contact with every freaking nursery in the Naples area and none of them have clue about coconut palm trees. I originally wanted to find the coconuts I'd tried from the street vendors in Bangkok and also available at Whole Foods Market. After joining a coconut forum on Google I was finally able to learn the species is the Thai Aromatic Dwarf or Green Aromatic Dwarf, none of which are available for sale yet in the USA. The closest I will be able to get to it will be the Malayan Dwarf variants. I bought a large Green Malayan Dwarf from Pelican Nursery for $238 but it was the only big one they had avaialable. A friend mentioned I should look for a Bronze variety. I'd appreciate any references for big Malayan Dwarfs, Fijji Dwarfs, or by chance the Aromatic Dwarfs, preferably in SW FL.

I have a couple of peonies under massive pines, they get mostly afternoon sun and do okay, better than hostas under pines!! Peonies don't need or want too damp of a spot so the drier part shade works much better than wet part shade. Your plants probably will be a bit taller and not as full, though. I'm not sure about hydrangeas in that spot, mine require a lot more water than I can get consistently under pines. The only things that seem to not care at all is daylilies! MB does stand behind their plants, if yours don't come back in the spring call them--they'll certainly replace them. Same with Springhill, they're having a sale on Kirinmaru peony right now, with keycode 0442569 they're $19.95 each. I'm tempted but have ordered far too many already! It sure is pretty, though! Google it and see what you think.

I live in Southeast Texas, I visited a friend in Phoenix, Arizona and fell in love with the trees they use in their landscape so much I bought back to Texas. I live in Southeast Texas in alittle town,Dickinson,TX between Galveston and Houston our zones are the same(zone 9) as Phoenix although we have alot of humidity we basicly grow the same plants and cacti/succulents except for most trees, that is,I haven't seen any here and known what they were,however The plants I bought back and planted in May are Acacia aneurum(Mulga) and Stenophylla (shoestring)two large Ocotills,one is in the ground the other in a large plant pot they're still living but they haven't turn green when it rains as they do in Arizona,hopefully they wil next spring and summer as for my shoestring, oh and I think is a willow acacia are doing just beauiful I also bought a little leaf Palo Verde and a Palo Breda which I love,but I bough them in 3gal. pots and one is barely,in fact only a little stump in is up out the dirt it is slill in the pot seem to be alive the other is in the ground and alive I wish I had gotten them in the sizes I got the other trees I think they were 5 gal.for $24.-- in fact I got them at Lowes and Home Depot and I have tried to find out how I can get these plants throuhg my local stores here especially since the counties here and around or advicing us to do xeriscape gardening and some landscaping. I've gone to the stores here but they talk as if they do not order their plants from the same companies you order your plants so can you help me in someway to be able to buy these plant here at my local Home Depot and or Lowes? Thank you,Rtskeeno1@wmconnect.com