Tony, I'm not a beekeeper yet, but hope to be one day too. I notice that you were online just ahead of the hurricane on Saturday. I hope that's the end of them. I see that you have raised Monarchs. So have I, as well as Gulf Frittilaries, Yellow, and Black Spicewings. With subsequent hurricanes I've seen fewer butterflies and I'm not seeing any bees. Most of my garden has been shredded and I only have ground orchids and porter weed flowering currently and one lonely milkweed. I lopped off the last of my fallen Penta yesterday. I hope you get some information on starting up your bees. I really think they and the butterflies are going to need all the help we can give them. You might contact Leu Gardens or your county agent for local bee keepers.

Hi! I finally settled on: some knockout roses, pink pentas, caladiums, mexican petunias, a little purple queen, a little yellow lantana, some pineapples, a firebush (which doesn't seem happy in the full sun spot I chose....), a meyer lemon tree, and some pink crown of thorns. I think I need a couple of other clumps of color or something to balance... theres a spot that needs some white or orange. For white I've thought of maybe vinca (?) but I thought maybe someone else might have a better suggestion... and I am not so fond of them but I know they are drought tolerant and perennial. I think I could also use something with a little height in addition, not necessarily a white or orange flower. The photos don't really do it justice, and it had been so dry I was holding off a little on spending more on plants to fill in, but now that the rain has started I'm ready. And now what I've planted will fill in too, although I am wishing it would hurry up a bit! :-) thanks for any suggestions! Here is a link that might be useful: june gallery

I'm in Downtown Orlando.....Colonialtown...I usually wait until March but........ I couldn't wait any longer...my plants are older than yours.....I moved them outside to acclimate.....once they got some sunshine/shade they took off....Last weekend I planted them in buckets of 511 and I'll protect and "Hunker-in-place" if we get freezing weather yet.... doug

For citrus I would get a pummelo, here is a pic of a hirado butan. I am in a colder area than Orando and do not protect my citrus at all, so they should do fine like the others have said: and here is some fruit coming: I believe white sapote should do fine. Other tropicals to consider that I think would work well without protection are jaboticaba, grumichama, cherry of rio grande, banana, canistel and cattley guava. You could grow a host of non-tropicals such as fig, low chill plum, peach, apple, jujubes, feijoa, pomegranate, persimmon, loquat, grapes, kiwi ect