The plant itself looks relatively healthy, but then what the heck do I know! I'm such a newbie at this I don't know if I'd recognize a problem unless the plant actually died! LOL It is in a container; it's a bit over 4 ft. tall and has developed a woody trunk-like stem. It is on my lanai so it gets filtered sun through the screen and I also have it mulched with wood chips to keep the soil cool. The pot is a huge glazed ceramic pot and I think the drainage is fine. Maybe I should try a little more fertilizer... (?) I agree, Tom, if it continues to produce I'm fine with them being smaller anyway as long as they stay as sweet and wonderful as they are. I have two new seedlings started that are doing well and am going to put those into 5 gallon buckets to grow. Should I punch some drain holes in the bottom????

I forgot what recipes I sent in, but here's a couple for tomatoes, peppers and one for a zucchini yeast bread. Panzanella This is an Italian bread salad. The Italians make it to use up stale bread. I make it to use up cherry tomatoes (I use halved cherry tomatoes). Ingredients Salad 1 1⁄2 pounds ripe tomatoes (about 3) 1 shallot, minced 4 cloves garlic, minced 1⁄3 cup extra-virgin olive oil 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar 1 tablespoon kosher salt 1 cup fresh basil leaves Panzanella croutons Freshly ground black pepper Panzanella Croutons ¼ cup unsalted butter 1 tablespoon minced garlic 6 cups cubed day-old bread (½-inch cubes) Salt and ground black pepper to taste 6 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan Core the tomatoes and, if large, cut them into chunks; if small, halve or quarter them (I slice the cherry tomatoes in half). Toss them gently with the shallot, garlic, oil, vinegar, 1 tablespoon salt, and pepper. Set aside until the tomatoes are very juicy, about 10 minutes. Add croutons and give a give toss. Tear the basil over the salad and toss gently. (The bread salad can be served now or set aside at room temperature for a couple of hours.) For the croutons, preheat oven to 375 degrees F and preheat a cookie sheet in it. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat and cook until it foams. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add the bread cubes and toss to coat with the butter. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer the bread to a baking sheet. Immediately sprinkle with the cheese and toss again while warm to melt the cheese. Bake, stirring once or twice, until the croutons are crisp and lightly colored on the outside but still soft within, about 8 or 9 minutes. Let cool. Store in an airtight container. Tortellini Salad with Pine nuts This recipe is from Picnic! By Edith Stovel. This serves 8. Ingredients Salad 2 lbs fresh tortellini pasta (spinach, cheese or mushroom fillings work well) 1 cup green bell pepper, chopped 1 cup red bell pepper, chopped 1 cup green onion, chopped ½ cup pine nuts ½ cup chopped fresh basil ¼ cup chopped fresh dill ¼ cup chopped grated parmesan cheese Dressing ¼ cup balsamic vinegar 1 garlic clove, minced ¼ teaspoon salt Ground black pepper ¾ cup olive oil Follow directions for cooking tortellini. Drain and place in a large bowl. Mix in remaining salad ingredients. For dressing, combine vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Whisk in oil until well combined. Pour dressing over tortellini and chill. Zucchini Bread This is a little more work than the quick version. In the heart of zucchini season, youll enjoy this bread fro a change. This recipe is adapted from a Taste of Home flyer. Makes 1 loaf. 1 tablespoon dry active yeast ½ cup warm water ⅓ cup warm milk ⅓ cup sugar 3 tablespoons butter, softened 2 tablespoons grated orange peel ½ teaspoon salt 1 ½ cups shredded zucchini ⅓ cup raisins ¾ cup whole wheat flour ¾ cup all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice (or a blend of ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and mace) 1 ⅔ to 2 ⅓ cups bread flour In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Beat in the milk, sugar, butter, and orange peel. Mix well. Add the zucchini, raisins whole wheat floor, all-purpose flour, salt and pumpkin pie spice. Add enough bread flour to form a soft dough. Knead the dough on a floured surface (5-10 minutes) until smooth and elastic. Place in a greased bowl. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled (about 1 ½ hours). Punch down dough and shape into a loaf. Place into a greased 9x5x3 inch pan. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes. Bake at 375 degrees F for 40 to 45 minutes.

Sounds about right. I gave a fellow I work with a Montezuma cypress (farely rare) I'd grow from a seedling into a 4 foot tree. A couple years later I asked the guy how it's doin, he said "Oh, it died". I asked him how that happened. He said "I told my boy to water it, and he never did". Plumerias will struggle without regular water and good drainage, and they don't like frost.

I realize this is an old thread, but for anyone searching for similar info...Tree of Life Nursery is an awesome resource. It's great to visit, too, (in San Juan Capistrano) but the website has a ton of detailed guidance on Calif. native plants. And re manzanita, I don't know what's happening in San Diego, but up here in coastal OC, it grows all over the place (almost down to the ocean). Big Berry Manzanita is my favorite but there are hundreds of others. Calscape is the best source for info. @Mrs.McConnell’s Algebra I, I'd love to know what you ended up planting and how it worked out! p.s. I'm also doing a native plant garden, front and back, partly because of an environmentally-oriented son. Killed our lawn 10-12 years ago after he (then age 9) was hounding us about it. :)