just put in an agave celsii, desert milkweed and a couple of salvia greggii. I'm probably also going to move some of my potted aloe (I THINK I have about 6 little aloe ferox in pots - that's what the tag said anyway!) and some of my columnar cacti into the ground now that it's not one million degrees. I'm waiting for the arrival of my bare-root Arizona Cypress - but I think they're going into pots for the first year. I threw some collected desert marigold and globe mallow into the ground and tossed a little water at them. . . we'll see if anything happens - if nothing else, I've provided some yummy seeds for the ants. Like others on the thread, I also have to space out my plant purchases as I'd rather not have my car repo'd just because I couldn't pass up a fall plant sale! So I'm hoping to put in an Ironwood, desert willow and maybe a couple of others in December. Now if I can just get all my relatives to give me nursery gift certificates for Christmas. . . .

Hey all! Thanks for all of the great suggestions. Sorry i took so long to answer back, i tried a couple of days ago, but the message wouldn't post (?). Also, i guess i should have stated this before, i am in sunset zone 9, just a bit north of Fresno. Our average lowest temperature is 35F, but we all know that a night can be 5 degrees colder just as easily as it could be 5 degrees warmer. Given that, we get a handfull of frosty mornings every year, setting me in zone 9b, sunset zone 9. Still, i am able to grow many tropicals in protected locations. Although they may not be long term plants, I grow ravenea rivularis, dypsis decaryi, howea forsteriana... Suzy and Jill, that definately looks like a book i want to have. I've already looked for one on amazon.com. Brenda, I've bought portulaca before, and they are some pretty cool plants. I was actually thinking about going to buy a flat of portulacas at the home depot to plant throughout the area. Wanda, where can you find dudleyas? I can't tell a dudleya apart from an echeveria or a sempervivum! lol. And that Vambelenii looks really cool when it's stressed! Joe, When i was reading your list i remembered i have some of those in other parts of the yard. Theres a clump of Agave Paryii underneath a yucca guatemalensis in the front yard, and i have a batch of hesperaloe parviflora seeds germinating. I brought the seeds back from a friend's garden in Tucson. Bahia, yeah, i've given aloe polyphylla some though, althought i know it wouldn't stand a chance where i'm at. Probably living in a pot would be the best choice. Lucia, i've found succulents online and from specialty nurseries to be very expensive also, but there are places where you can get succulents for a good price. The "99 cents store" chain always carries succulents. They are not named but i've found some nice succulents there before (Agave Desmetianna Variegata, Variegated Jade plants...)All of my other succulents i've found at the home depot and lowes. You are lucky you are replacing your lawn! I can't do it without the concent of the others who live in the house. Although i do remove strips and bits and pieces of lawn little by little to add planting space! lol. They never seem to notice the small changes.

Faye is Santa in disguise, I swear. Faye's package arrived, and OMG it is fabulous. I mean, really Faye, this is one of the nicest and most thoughtful surprises I've ever gotten in the mail. Everything was wrapped so nicely, in pretty Christmas paper....just so many goodies, it really felt like Christmas to me! Faye's wonderful gifts: ~ wind chime/hummingbird feeder hook with suction cups for attaching to a window ~ pretty butterfly notepad with a pen -- I'll start keeping my garden notes in it ~ cute miniature wind chime in the shape of a lady bug (and BTW, this makes me feel really happy because "Bug" is actually my little sister's nickname for me; she just moved away last week and I miss her a bunch, so this reminds me of her) ~ 2 funny, adorable little "Wormies" -- these clay water sensors that you stick in the soil, and when they start to change color then that means your soil is drying out. (BOY do I need these! I've been watering my tomatoes too much, and they aren't too happy) ~ pot decoration clip, a little flower basket with two cute bunnies dangling from it ~ cute, cute Christmas card ~ Seeds: Christmas Rose (oooh! so excited to grow this), Red Golden Climbing Lily bulbs (is this Gloriosa Lily? Aah! Been looking for this!), Eleusine Coracana "Green Cat" (really cool looking plant), Japanese Morning Glory "Kikyo-zaki" (thank you! can't wait to grow these), New Zealand Christmas Tree (so beautiful!), and finally "White Zulu" Cape Daisy (sooooo happy about this one, I've been really wanting to grow this). Ah! I'm so happy! Made my day, my week, my summer! Thank you, thank you, and may your garden always be green and bright. Oh, and I'd just like to say that all my OBF trades so far have been really wonderful. Just a big thank you to all of you who I've traded with.

This is probably gonna earn me some coal in my stocking, but I'll risk it. This game is open to everyone. Here are 30 song titles, and your job is to be the first person to correctly post all 30 titles. Each day I will post an update with 1 letter of the alphabet in its correct place within the titles, so be checking back here daily! The first person to correctly post all 30 titles in their correct order will win a music CD with all of the songs on it. There will be no second prize. Anyone involved with this swap, excluding only myself, may try to win. So, get out your thinking caps, play yourself some Christmas music, and have fun!!! I'll be back with the letter "w" tomorrow! MUHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHO!!!!! -Dan 1._/_ _ _/_ _ _ _ _/_ _ _ _ _ _ _/_ _ _ _ _/_ _ _ _ _ 2._ _ _ _ _ _’/_ _ _ _ _ _/_ _ _/_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _/_ _ _ _ 3._ _ _ _ _ _ _/_ _ _/_ _ _/_ _ _ _/_ _/_/_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 4._ _ _ _ _ _/_ _ _/_ _ _ _ _ _ _ 5._ _ _ _ _ _ _/_ _ _/_ _ _-_ _ _ _ _/_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 6._ _/_ _/_ _ _/_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 7._ _ _ _ _ _/_ _ _ _ _ 8._ _ _ _ _/_ _ _/_ _./_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 9._ _ _/_ _/_ _ _/_ _ _ _ _ 10. _ _ _ _/_ _ _/_ _ _ _ _ 11._ _ _ _/_ _ _/_ _ _ _ _ _/_ _ _ _ _ _/_ _ _ _ 12. _/_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _/_ _ _ _ 13._ _/_ _ _ _/_ _ _/_/_ _ _ _ _/_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 14._/_ _ _ _/_ _ _ _ _ 15._ _ _ _/_ _ _ _/_ _ _ _ _ _ _/_ _/_ _ _ _ 16._ _ _ _ _ _ _ 17._ _ _/_ _ _ _ _/_ _ _ _ 18._ _ _/_ _ _ _/_ _/_ _ _ _ _/_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 19._ _ _ _ _/_ _/_ _ _/_ _ _ _ _/_ _ _ _/_ _ _ _ _ 20._ _/_ _ _ _/_ _ _ _/_/_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _/_ _ _ _ _ 21._/_ _ _/_ _ _ _ _/_ _ _ _ _ 22._ _ _ _/_ _/_ _ _ _/_-_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 23._ _ _ _/_ _ _/_ _ _ _ _/_ _ _/_ _ _ _ _ _ _/_ _ _/_ _ _ _ _ 24._/_ _ _ _/_ _ _/_ _/_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 25._ _ _ _/_ _/_/_ _ _ _ _ _ 26._ _ _ _ _ _/_ _ _ _ _ 27._ _ _ _ _ _/_ _ _ _/_ _/_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 28._/_ _ _ _ _ _/_ _ _ _/_ _/_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 29._/_ _/_ _ _/_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 30.’_ _ _ _/_ _ _/_ _ _ _ _/_ _ _ _ _ _/_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _