Hi dougnjess, I am interested in trading for your Green Paty Pan, Chard Bright lights and amash paste tomato. I think I have some things on your wish list. Thanks, Catrina

A few days ago, for the first time, I saw naturally occuring Filbert along a local dirt road. I'd first spotted its catkins on the 11th and just assumed they were Alders. On a second pass by, a few days ago, I got to thinking the catkins were just too long for an Alder. Upon a closer look I spied what I now know(reading in the Dirr manual) to be the female parts, i.e. the tiny red flower. Thats what confirmed the ID for me. Great pictures btw, Conifer!

Julie The Coconut seems to have originated in Africa but there seems to be at least a little reference to them in Columbus second diary. It seems they were at least on Cuba They have always been a food plant so were frequently moved by humans. Cook identified them in Hawaii as well as Magellan in the Phillipines, but definitely not native to either area. Obviously Coconuts can and do sprout on their own in PB county and they are notorious for floating from island to island. There was human habitation here no later than 9 000 years ago . Coconut has always been a valued food plant and has always been moved by humans anywhere within it's range. So if these inhabitants came from the south sure seems logical they brought them with them. Obviously PB county is on the northen limits of survivability. "Native" would be open to interpretation. Given this it's certainly possible the coconut was here but certainly not native. Royals on the other hand can not tolerate saltwater so spreding the seed accidently would be much tougher The famous Fairchild pic . I believe taken in the everglades of a royal may or may not prove they were native . How could you be certain they were not brought from Cuba by native Americas?? As to the species I believe there are six. but you sure need to be a botanist to tell them apart lol. In my own experience the seeds of Royals sprout very easily but have yet to find one that sprouted entirely on it's own. Though mostly all it needed was some supplimental water and then only as a seedling. To my knowledge they are not nor ever have been used as a food plant. which would really cast doubt they were seeded by natives. ornamental agriculture seems to have been centered in Europe and Asia. since Florida was onre of the first discovered explored and settled what is "native" is always going to be debated. I find palm Beach county particularly interesting as it's definitely on the edge between tropical and temperate. Almost anything could have happened.

hello...an alternate approach to get a head start might be described a bit here(outdoor growing environment)/sheltered from rain): Styroblocks- I used the 112/80 mil CopperBlock(Beaver Plastics;see pdf doc from Stewe & Sons,Inc.http://www.stewe.com.(The pic with sheared tops is how I did it to help manage foliar diseases)(Their product has been improved from what is described in the USDA Handbook 674;vol.5...I used both... A manually adjustable thermostic controlled heat mat. I used ProGro 22x60);Taylor soil temp. probe a bench system: I like those stackable plastic coated metal closet organizers. a registered hort. disinfectant and bottle brush; I used a pipe/mallet to core planting holes (slightly larger than the dia. of the cell); planted 4 to a grouping around a slight depression to aid in watering and a low analysis granular fert. The Granite Seed catalog rates soils;pH; PLS ad so on(though one should assess ecotype sources)...A useful text is Pop. Biology of Grasses(Cheplick,ed.) hello to froggy.. just visiting to catchup on LBS shoptalk