Hi Check with some of the local O societies ,not only for sources but legal requirements . There are over 40 species and many come under CITES regs Will warn you that most are not nearly as impressive as the tropicals lol keep us informed with what you find out??? gary

Who is "Sid"? I'm guessing it is one of the nursery owners? I'll have to ask about the iguana problem and how to keep them away then (as I've already bought the tree). I'll ask a few nurseries (Pine Island for example) that specialize in fruit trees how they cope with these critters (rats, iguanas). I can't say I've seen, nor heard of, any problems with iguanas and rats in my neighborhood, but I'll keep my ears open for those. Since I have a few banana trees (small, no fruit yet), this may pose problems when the plants are bigger and fruit-bearing. Where did you get the aloysia virgata? I've seen it on Gardino's plant list (I've also seen it in the online list of a nursery out by Punta Gorda), but was wondering whether one of the other nurseries you've mentioned also carry it (Durko's and Living Color). Does Gardino's not sell directly from their nursery? I'm going to give them a call to see how I can buy their products other than having them shipped. The only gardenia plant I've had (a small, three foot tree) died once I put it in the ground (I bought it at Costco for 13 dollars). I've heard that gardenias can be very fickle so I need a variety that isn't that difficult to grow or else a lot of help from the nursery with regards to care. Once the plant is established I'm guessing it must be easier to care for. Since I love the smell, I'm determined to succeed in growing them in my yard.

hey viridis. that is true about the 17 species of geckos there is alot more than that there are just about every reptile that you can think of. and more trust me from collecting in the everglades. i seen a lot and know that people let lose rep. and so do the reptile wholesellers let lose a lot of reptiles. so ther is a lot not reported yet. this can turn into a problem later on. but is nice to look at while hunting reptiles. none???????????????????????????????

Great advice already, I just wanted to give support as a fellow renter (regarding landscaping). We sold our house and decided to rent for a while ... I went from having a yard that won awards to having a yard with not one plant. No way could I live that way! We’ve been here two years now and it looks really nice. Neighbors compliment us all the time. The biggest challenge has been: How much do we spend on a house we don’t own? I think we found a good balance for us. We definitely heard lots of, “WHY are you spending time and money on someone else’s house?!” Well, right now it’s our house and we’ve enjoyed every dime spent. :) We’re well aware we won’t get it back financially, but the investment has still been worth it for us, because we love landscaping and have a passion for it. I totally understand not everyone feels that way. I did things a bit different than if this was our “forever” home. I keep future renters in mind, so have planted with more drought-tolerant plantings, small to mid-size shrubs (so that nothing can get overgrown with lack of care), smaller beds, easy care perennials, native ornamental grasses, ground covers. I’ve used bird baths, yard art, etc, to fill in some areas. I do annuals in pots and hanging baskets, rather than in beds. We found free rock to use as edging and boulder art (check your local trade pages online and/or ask around for plants, hardscape, anything). It’s tough for me to not go overboard, to not to do exactly what I want .... it’s been a lesson in restraint. But very rewarding! Our house looks loved. And you have more to start with than we did, it’s really going to look nice! Enjoy! (PS: We aren’t in an HOA, great advice from Denita about checking on that.) ETA: Just noticed your hell strip. IF you can plant there (and even want to!), I wanted to share how we did ours here — one side is quite long, so I just dug up a bed around 4-5 ft long on each side of the driveway. I planted a few drought tolerant perennials around Mexican Feather grass in the center of each one. I used stone as border in between the beds and grass. We have lots of dog walkers and they always express appreciation at what we’ve planted. :) This was in spring, by summer they’ve filled in completely. I broke this side up with a stepping stone/rock and Asian Jasmine. This was the smaller strip that meets the neighbor’s, you see we left grass on the other side. Even doing just a small section at least breaks up all the boring grass (and uses less irrigation). It’s made a big difference in curb appeal. Literally. :D