Well, hello, everyone! What a nice surprise to see emails from cottage gardeners in my inbox. I hope you're all doing well, and I know you Northerners must be on pins and needles awaiting Spring. I hope it's sprung for you guys. We're in the throws of Spring down here in Florida. The weather has been gorgeous. Yeah, I've been pretty dull for a while. I'm still gardening, but I haven't been on the forums in ages. I miss you guys! The City Code Enforcement seems to have seen the light regarding my modest garden. It was nonsense, and the City Manager seemed to agree. So I shouldn't have any more problems. Crossing fingers... Gene and I went to Ireland in Sept. 06, and I was so inspired by the small front yard gardens and all the lush hanging baskets. Most of the yards had a rock wall, or a tidy hedge in front, then wild abandon behind it. So I decided to redo the front of my garden to have a more "orderly" appearance like the ones I saw in Ireland. I made a short picket fence/edging and put tall red pentas behind it. I keep the pentas trimmed as a hedge. Anyway, I think this makes my garden look more like a garden, and not just random "horiticultural overgrowth". Here's a few pics, and I included a link, too. Hugs! Happy Spring! Happy Easter! Ooooh. Easter candy... Cadberry Eggs... Excuse me while I run out for chocolate... Nicki Here is a link that might be useful: More photos

Super site Silly.(Say that 3 times fast!!!) I want to add more natives in my sandy raised rock bed at the back of our property. I need something that tolerates dry, sandy soil. I have my Bald Cypress, Dwarf Poinciana and Cherries Jubilee Alamanda there. This site should provide me with some good options. There is a Native Nursery nearby that I have been wanting to check out. Perhaps they can help me choose some plants.

I have tried growing seeds in milk jugs for a few years not and wow is all I can say. I put them out starting in Feb and march with the annuals in april. I think my last frost date is after may 8th here and seen it as late as may 18 hit us. Normally go by the Iris in my yard as a indicator when to plant out the tomato seedlings with out protection. Got a new fertilizer producer last year and my grass is greening up from the chickens. My tomato seedlings are not up yet but expect them soon. ML

Many cultivars are simply natural variations that have been chosen because someone liked the variations better - ie. bigger flower, smaller plant, disease resistance, unusual color, etc. This selection IS the native species - pure as the driven snow. The selection is then named and propagated. Sometimes the variation carries through to it's seed descentdents. (White flowered forms are frequently like this.) Sometimes it doesnt and then the variation must be maintained by asexual propagation like cuttings or divisions of the original plant. The results are still pure native species. There is only one concern in planting that named selection, and that is a narrowing of the genetic database. For example, one author I know recommends Acer rubrum Red Sunset as being the best selection for our growing area. However, in the interests of genetic variety, he plants some of the other selections also. All of the above ONLY applies to naturally occuring variations. If a hortorculturalist made several selections based on, say, larger flowers, and then crossed those plants with each other other and continued to make selections and breed for flower size, the result of this breeding program is still PURE native species, genetically. But, but, but I might not call it native anymore. The form and grace of the wild plant may have been lost. Other traits may have been so neglected in the breeding program that it cannot survive in the wild (double flowers are frequently sterile). But genetically, it is still a native plant as long as no other species was introduced in the breeding program. The monarda selections are an interesting question - apparently SOME of the cultivars are not straight species. However, others are - they have been selected for disease resistance as well as color. I think disease resistance is an excellent quality, So I fudge. I include my monarda cvs on my native plant list, but they have an asterisk.