Yes, the entire state is under quarantine. They have decided that, since the 2004-2005 hurricanes spread citrus canker to the extent that it will be impossible pretty much forever to eradicate it, they will concentrate on trying to reduce its spread instead. The laws allowing for the shipping of plants and fruit into and out of the state and even within the state have changed several times since 2006, its very hard to keep up with. But for citrus greening, which is a bacterial disease, the current law seems to be (as of Jan, 2008) that APHIS has imposed a statewide restriction on the movement of all citrus, including live plants and plant parts, from FL to anywhere. This measure has been instituted pending further time needed to come up with better formulated, scientifically based laws. There are currently 30 known FL counties affected by Citrus Greening, and there is no cure for it except to destroy the trees once they are found to be infected. Supposedly, all routes of export that someone would take to ship citrus are "aware" of this quarantine (UPS, USPS, Fed Ex, the airlines, etc) and know they are supposed to not ship or carry citrus plants out of the state. So if you tried to bring a plant onto the plane, they would probably confiscate it and you would have wasted your money. We have signs posted in all of our local post offices about shipping citrus through the mail

I moved to Portland, Oregon in 1984 from Philadelphia (with a four year stop at a university in Utah). A roommate in college took me home to Oregon at Christmas and I fell in love with the countryside. We are wet and green in the winter, which is FINE with me because hate the extreme cold and snow, and our summers are usually predictably sunny but not too hot. I remember back in Philly when you planned an outing in the summertime, there was always a good chance it would be rained out. It rains once in a while during the summer in Portland, but not commonly. I have spent every baseball season, the whole season, under an umbrella--the first half because it is rainy, and the second hald because it is sunny and I am a melanoma surviver and don't do sun. We have our four seasons here, but wetness aside, none are severe. I love it. We have experienced a huge growth over the last twenty years, which disgusts my native Oregonian husband plenty--especially the Californians! I remember a time when the Oregon state line had a welcome sign which said, "Welcome to Oregon! Enjoy your visit!" After receiving a lot of flak for that, the state now has a sign which says something along the lines of just "Welcome to Oregon." I am a transplant, so I cannot complain about our surging population, but some of our native Oregonians sure do! I have a son who now lives in Seattle and I love to visit him there. It seems like almost everyone has some sort of garden in their yard--everyone makes an effort to put a cheerful face on their front yards, even if it is only a feeble one. Seattle is rainy all winter and sunny all summer, but it has this lovely breeze in the summer that comes off the lakes and the ocean, so it never seems hot to me in Seattle during the summer months. There are not too many roadblocks to having a spectacular garden in the Pacific NW if you want to--if you have plenty of money, plenty of acreage, plenty of time, plenty of energy, and plenty of imagination. Temperate weather and availability of plant life and knowledgeable resources abound. That said, it took me many years to discover why my own gardens did not always do so well. My garden beds are oh, so slightly recessed or sunken, and water sort of just pools there over the rainy winter. Once I figured that out, I have been trying to build up my beds with good dirt and compost to make them higher and provide sharper drainage, but this is harder to do with established beds. I have SO many new plants this year because I had to almost start from scratch (landscaper pulled most of my good plants in an effort yo help me clean up my beds), so I can't wait to see what does well for me over the winter. AND I still have lots of bulbs to put in and I am placing a big order with Select Seeds!!! :-) It is also iteresting to observe our many microclimates, here and everywhere else. Something rhat does well in my yard can do so poorly in my friend's yard across the street. It is one of many things I find fascinating about gardening! Oops! I am sorry to run on so much! Thanks for listening to me ramble about something I love.

I got there around 11:30. The line to get in was about 2-3 blocks long, almost to the parking lot, although it moved quickly. Once inside it is best to park your wagon and pick up what you want with a flat. There are so many wagons and strollers and such- I found it hard to navigate my wagon through there- but was very glad to have it- as the line to check out was long- it was wraped all around the inside walls and creeping back outside- and a bit slow. But the conversation with others waiting in line was great! I was able to find all I had really wanted- but others were surprised that some things were already sold out- although, I saw less crop failure signs this year. Great plants- good prices- friendly folks- I thought the layout was a bit confusing- I went with a prepared list- and finding the correct numbers in the rows jammed with folks was as well as the finding the location of the different areas daunting- But- that is how this sale is- all a little eager- happy- and busteling! I met a woman from PA who had heard about this sale for years- she seemed so pleased to have arrived- I don't know of too many other sales that attract from so far away! On another note- the Henn. Tech. sale was one I don't want to miss next year also! Thanks Phyllis for the post! Their prices were better than Friends- but selection was much smaller of course. Well worth the trip if you have the time! Some of their plants were pretty small yet- others huge! I will go to both again! Happy shopping to you! Julie

Posie, here is the link for their catalog. It is put on by the Friends School in St. Paul. They had it by their school, in tents, by Como Park, but last year the winds were ferocious. So they are now having it inside at the Fairgrounds. We are going down that weekend and hope to find some good buys. Here is a link that might be useful: Friends Plant Sale