Toni, Yes, what is more fun than plant shopping? Yes we had a very good time. I assume the Hoop House in NH may be heated? Not sure. They had both colors but we went for the Green Oxalis with the white flowers. The Hibiscus is for me...lol My friend can do the basics so I am trying to make it as easy as possible. I will be able to check on them, especially until he gets the hang of it. As for the help at Home Depot not knowing the info on the plants that are offered, it is so surprising. It’s not like they have to be horticulturists or have such a large variety of plant material. Plus there seem to me to be so many amateur gardeners that are actually shoppers there, you’d think they would try to hire someone like that to have some basic knowledge. It would make it more profitable for them, I would think. Well, we have four HD locally that I have visited, and one of three is better than the others. One is like the one you described. Marquest, yes, I was reminded in the HD that my friend had expressed a liking for Burro’s Tail at one point and they were small inexpensive plants. The Aloe was too cute to pass up and small. I think succulents are just the easiest, to take care of, so I really encouraged him to try a couple of small ones. Thanks for the warning on the Oxalis. It could go home for a few weeks break if need be. Mike, someone on GW recommended Lake Street to me about 3 years ago and I like their perennials, shrubs and selection of annuals. It’s about a 40 minute drive for me and closer than Logee’s in CT. I bought a very pretty variegated Jade Plant there last summer, while shopping for perennials for the garden. I was not sure houseplants were in ready supply, but they had some healthy selections and that is my #1 priority. I would go back. I have noticed they offer classes, although I haven’t found the time to do that. I haven’t been to the Chelmsford Mahoney’s. I see Weston Nurseries has a new location in Chelmsford, too. I got out that way once last summer. Here is the 'Lime Bearss Seedless'..... I'm sure you are right, Toni, that a grafted tree is the best way to go, but this is just an experiment really, to determine if my friend can provide the care. If it goes well, we would probably really enjoy getting a larger grafted plant. And you have me curious about the grafted plants that might be available. Very mysterious...(g)

This is my first time writing in this forum. Pricewise, I would say not a bad deal considering your location. Pricey for south Fla but getting a large palm from the beginning will help protect it in the winter for your area. I would say that the palms pictured are actually green dwarf malayans, not jamaican talls. You can tell because the nodes(scars) on the trunk are very close together compared to the talls. Secondly, the talls have swollen trunks unlike the ones pictured. For your area I would recommend either the mapan or a jamaican/panama tall due to their higher resistance to cold temps(by a few degrees only). In your area lethal yellowing is not such a problem due to the vector(insect carrying disease) dying due to the colder weather. Unfortunately that colder weather is also what kills the coconuts. Either way good luck.

Hi: you have a coconut sprout with strong golden Malayan characteristics. You can tell this by the golden color of the petioles (leaf stalks) and the smaller, rounder coconut that it emerged from. This is the common coconut palm sold in Florida nurseries. It is slightly less susceptible to Lethal Yellowing disease than its Tall cousins. Still, your tree may well be a hybrid since coconut palms naturally cross-pollinate. It is a semi-dwarf; that is, it will attain a height of about 60 feet after many years in optimal growing conditions. This is in contrast to the Tall varieties of coconut palms, like the Atlantic and Pacific Talls, which often attain a height of 80 feet, with some reaching 100 feet. The semi-drawfs are a little more diminutive than the Talls; that is, they are not as robust, and they lack the characteristic bowls at their bases. They are nutritionally more demanding than the Talls, as they evolved in the richer soils of Southeast Asia, and not in the sandy soils of tropical islands. They can easily develop nutrient deficiencies in the poor, sandy soil of Florida, particulary after periods of extensive rain fall. So keep an eye on the leaves as the tree grows. I hope this helps. If you need any more information, let me know. Regards, Rick Filkins Cape Canaveral, Florida

Luck of the weather always helps too. Two weeks ago we had 6 sunny days that were 80 85 87 90 90 73. That is a great October blast that our potted cocos would normally never get. This past weekend has been sunny and 68 81 76 (today). Again three nice warm sunny days here near November that they would normally never get. That brings us closer to when they can go out agian next May. If you have a coconut (or just about any other palm) that is a manageable size hget them in full sun anytime it's in the 60s. If it will get too cold move them in for the night and take out the next day. Sun, Sun and more Sun.