I have pictures of Makaha Sunn in my little battery camera, Richard has seen them. I will bring my camera to our meeting so you can see them. It is really hot colors, kinda like Gold Coast Cotton Candy, but more orange. It just had buds when I went down week before last. I took pictures, but it doesn't do her justice, they are so tiny. I did not take pictures last weekend, I was too upset, and wanted to get home. Emerson sent me a picture of Broomstick, and the colors are alot like Glady's O'Neal, but it has hugh open blooms. I am not partial to yellows, but it sure did look pretty. He said he will promote it next year. I felt I better get it now, its going to be impossible to get next year. Barbra

Eucalyptus?! A real one? Did it make it through the winter? I have no idea where I would plant one but I grew up in Southern California and I would enjoy having that frgrance around. They do tend to fall over at the slightest provocation though. I'm really getting interested in Palms now. I could get a small one in a tub here. Couldn't bring it in, though. I did do some googling and found the site below which sells what they claim are hardy palms. I do like the look and structure of a palm. Here is a link that might be useful: Hardy Palms

All of what is mentioned above is relevant. My personal preferences go to: *********************** Catalpa Bignonioides Magnolia macrophylla Liriodendron chinense Eriobotrya Japonica Paulownia tomentosa ************************ However, there is also one type that was completely omitted until now: big-leafed rhododendrons, which wild species look very exotic, and that can for some varieties reach 30-40cm length (calophytum, falconeri, sutchuenense, etc.); the problem with these wild species is that they are not cold hardy; they will probably withstand -10 Celsius, but I haven't experienced this myself; if it gets colder in where you live, you can still opt for a hybrid that is cold hardy, and that will sustain minus 20 Celsius or even more, e.g.: http://s8860133.shoplite.de/sess/utn;jsessionid=15428477f756631/shopdata/0030_Rhododendron-Wildarten+und+-Hybriden/0010_Rhododendron-Wildarten+und+-Hybriden+von+A+bis+E/product_details.shopscript?article=0130_calophytum%2B%2B=27Arkona=27%2B=280=29

Pepperot: Thanks. Yeah, the soursop is growing very quickly. I planted it in a location where I can easily protect it from temporary winter frosts and freezes. Harry: Yes, I lived in chapel trail, west of 184th and north of pines blvd, close to the Chapel Trail Elementary school. Now, I'm 7 houses east of north douglas, north of johnson street and south of taft. Still in pembroke pines. When I planted the mamey, I mixed in some miracle grow potting soil around the sides of the root ball and filled the rest of the hole with the native soil. I also poored used coffee grounds (bustelo espresso) around the trunk of the mamey on the surface of the soil. It helps, but at the same time it really hurts the drainage. The water would sit on the surface for a while before entering the soil. So I had to make small holes with a bamboo stick to help with the drainage. After a while, the soil was constantly penetrated in and out of the surface by ants, so they really improved the drainage. The mamey stayed the same for about a month without any growth and a few weeks ago, the leaves began to turn yellow after a few days without watering. When the dry weather period came to an end, we got a large amount of rain and the leaf buds at the tip of the branches began to swell. From then on, it kept on growing as we kept on getting nice downpours. Then I thought(if all my trees respond so well to rain water, it could respond nicely with natural well water). I have a well for the sprinklers in the back yard and it has two hose outlets. The back yard sprinklers are busted but the front ones are still decent. So I attach the hose to one of the well hose outlets and water all my trees with well water, instead of city water. They all seem to love it, even more than fresh rain water. Harry, if you have a well, I strongly suggest that you use that instead of city water, if you are using city water. Everyday I wake up, I notice that the new growth has progressed on the mamey and new flower buds are developing where the old ones were. Depending on the variety of mamey, some may give fruit sooner than others. Pace is one of the most precocious, best tasting, and cold hardy mameys. There cold hardiness is 25-30 degrees. Also, make sure the mamey tree gets full sun. Red Sea Me: Thanks! MangoDog: Thanks and yes, it is a blessing. :) Even though the sandy soil is not one of the most fertile soils around, it's pretty decent. The top layer is greyish-black, and further down, it's white.