Well I can't think of too many nice looking pines that will grow in florida. Loblolly would be on the top of my list for florida except for sandy conditions in which case sand pine would be my first choice. I think sand pines are the most beautiful pines you can have in florida. I wouldn't rush to plant loblolly pines where I live because we have many more beautiful conifers at our disposal that won't grow in florida. I agree, I would plant something else for sure in a hurricane prone area except for wildlife, timber production, reclaimation, like I said use should be tempered. As for utility poles, longleaf pines make great posts for antennas and microwave feed horns. Not so great for shade or privacy and not much by way of color or seasonal interest in the garden though. Aside from their long tap root which makes them more windfirm, and aside from their relative resistance to pests, can you at least agree with me that in a residential garden, longleaf pine is a waste of space?

I have 107 bamboos in my garden (ground and pots) Bambusa multiplex Alphonse Karr Bambusa ventricosa Bambusa vulgaris (semis) Bashania fargesii Barchystachium densiflorum Chimonobambusa tumidissinoda Chimonobambusa macrophylla f. Intermedia Chimonobambusa marmorea Chimonobambusa pachystachys Chimonobambusa quadrangularis Chimonobambusa quadrangularis Suow Chimonobambusa quadrangularis Tatejima Chusquea gigantea Fargesia denudata Fargesia dracocephala Fargesia fractiflexa Fargesia murielae Fargesia murielae Jumbo Fargesia murielae Lava Fargesia nitida Black Pearl Fargesia nitida Carwinion Fargesia nitida Great Wall Fargesia nymphenburg (from seeds) Fargesia jiuzhaigou 1 Fargesia jiuzaighou 2 Fargesia jiuzaighou 4 Fargesia jiuzaighou 9 Fargesia jiuzaighou Genf Fargesia robusta Campbell Fargesia jiuzaighou Red Panda Fargesia robusta Wolong Fargesia pingwu Fargesia scabrida Fargesia yulongshanensis Fargesia rufa fargesia nitida Gansu (semis 95-2 de Jos Van der Palen) Himalayacalamus hookerianus 'Himalaya Blue' Himalayacalamus falconeri 'Damarapa' Indocalamus tesselatus Otatea acuminata Aztecorum Phyllostachys acuta Phyllostachys arcana Luteosulcata Phyllostachys atrovaginata Phyllostachys aurea Phyllostachys aurea Holochrysa Phyllostachys aureosulcata Argus Phyllostachys aureosulcata Aureocaulis Phyllostachys aureosulcata f Alata Phyllostachys aureosulcata Harbin inversa Phyllostachys aureosulcata Harbin Phyllostachys aureosulcata Lama Temple Phyllostachys aureosulcata Spectabilis Phyllostachys bambusoides Shouzhou Phyllostachys bambusoides Albovariegata Phyllostachys bambusoides Castillonis Phyllostachys bambusoides Marliacea Phyllostachys bambusoides Tanakae Phyllostachys bambusoides Subvariegata Phyllostachys dulcis Phyllostachys Edulis Phyllostachys edulis Gracilis Phyllostachys elegans Phyllostachys glauca Phyllostachys glauca Yunzhu Phyllostachys heteroclada Phyllostachys incarnata Phyllostachys iridescens Phyllostachys kwangsiensis Phyllostachys lofushanensis Phyllostachys nigra Phyllostachys nigra Boryana Phyllostachys nigra Megurochiku Phyllostachys nigra Punctata Phyllostachys nigra Henonis Humilis Phyllostachys platyglossa Phyllostachys praecox Phyllostachys rubromarginata Phyllostachys shanghai 3 Phyllostachys Sulfurea Phyllostachys violascens Phyllostachys violascens Aureosulcata Phyllostachys viridiglaucescens Phyllostachys viridis Phyllostachys vivax (le vert) (Jantonqing cl�ne) Phyllostachys vivax Aureocaulis Phyllostachys vivax Huangwenzhu Phyllostachys vivax Huangwenzhu Inversa Pleioblastus viridistriatus Pleioblastus fortunei Pleioblastus chino Hisauchi Pleioblastus linearis Pleioblastus hindsii Pseudosasa japonica Pseudosasa japonica Tsutsumiana Sasa kurilensis Sasa kurilensis Shimofuri Sasa palmata Nebulosa Sasa veitchii Semiarundinaria fastuosa Semiarundinaria fastuosa viridis Semiarundinaria makinoi Semiarundinaria yashadake Kimmei Shibatea chinensis Shibatea kumasasa Shibatea nanpingensis Sinobambusa tootsik Sinobambusa yixingensis Thamnocalamus crassinodus Kew Beauty Dendrocalamus minor

Thanks, I did end up trimming the juniper. I will do as you say for it to train it further back from curb. I saw one at a local nursery here named "Bordines" years ago. Theirs is monster wide. I loved it. Mine's healthy like theirs too. The pine tree hadn't been cut since I've owned it except the leader cut a bit. It was little but bushy when I got it. I knew it would be 50' tall someday. I planted it in too shady of a spot so it looked anemic. I moved it 3-4 years ago. The only cut I made was in the leader to make it bushier. It has a small bottom because it was light starved in earlier years. I don't care about Xmas tree shape. I want natural and healthy. I did trim the pine minimally. I'll see if it's enough. My neighbor's yards look like scorched earth grass these days with privets and yews only. My yard's all healthy and green. Ken, will the lower layers get wider? I didn't know that. When I look at pine trees around town, most of the limbed up ones look sort of dried up and marginally healthy. There are some healthy specimens by very expensive lakefront condos that are massive on the bottom and get smaller as they go toward the top. They aren't limed up but they're not close to road yet. If mine start to grow over the curb at the bottom layers, even I would cut them back without being asked. I don't expect people too need a machete to walk down the street (we don't have sidewalks). There is an easement but the city even plants trees in it after they tear it up for road construction, etc. The only risk is if they ever need to tear up my side of street, bye bye pine. I don't think they will because other side of street was massively torn up in 2000 or so to put in giant sewer pipes. There are many trees planted by road everywhere in the city. The block over used to have beautiful canopy of all elms that met join the middle over the street before Dutch Elm disease claimed them in the 70s or so. Thanks for the pruning advice Ken. P.S. Tree is about 40' from house.

AnneCecilia, so sorry to hear of your loss, as well. I'm glad your were at least able to move some of your original roses to have that physical reminder. I'm really interested in your knee replacement, but don't want to hijack this thread. I have a friend that REALLY "kneeds" that, but is afraid he won't have range of motion and will be in worse shape, although he's bone-on-bone at the moment. He's barely able to walk and looks at a jaunt to the garage or up stairs as a journey. I only have about 20, many new this year and in pots still. 5 New Dawn, 2 Munstead Wood, 2 Viking Queen, 2 Summer Romance, 1 Tooth Fairy, three old polys, 2 Cecile Brunners and 2 Fire Opal and 1 Dr Huey. I need more to fill out my beds, although the polys are for two small beds. I'm still in the expansion phase, but am such a researcher, it takes me forever to decide. I envy those who just see a flower and buy it!