Let me start by saying, IÂm a southern California native; zone 10a/9b, or sunset zone 23. I love my zone, but always wished it could be more humid. I mean, heliconias donÂt do to well here (most will grow, but theyÂre not as happy as IÂd like). I canÂt grow bat plants outside; jade vines are a little tough. I still have to bring in most the orchids for a month or two each year when it gets bellow 50 at night. Etc. Etc.

When I found this forum, I thought "great, IÂm sure everyone will be talking about passionflowers, tropical aristolochia, jade vines, and the like," but I see that almost half the posts are on moonflowers. I never before thought anyone liked moonflowers, morning glories, or snail vines that much. These are everywhere here! In fact they are often invasive weeds. I canÂt tell you how many times I had to rip out a morning glory that I planted years ago. The darn thing would spread everywhere, choke out most other plants, and send runners all over the place. After one good growing season, I filled 3 55 gallon trash bags of the thing, and that wasnÂt even half the plant. After ripping it out, it kept coming back! It seemed that if a piece of root larger then two inches was left underground, IÂd see a blue flower poking up at me three weeks later. The same can be said of the snail vine I replaced it with!

IÂll try to post a picture of some of these around my neighborhood. ThereÂs one house completely covered, and I mean completely. They go up telephone poles, and across power lines. At my school on a fence fence, there are two varieties of passion flower, and two morning glories fighting it out, becoming a huge mound of tangled vine. This thing doesnÂt get fertilized, barely gets watered, and has no attention, and has hundreds upon hundreds of flowers.

Until I saw that people actually liked these so much, I knew them as cheep Home Depot vines that you put on a fence, only if you wanted it covered, and didnÂt care to buy a "nice vine" for it. But, now I think IÂm beginning to appreciate them more. They are a beautiful vine, with nice prolific flowers. Sure, their not as strange as my beloved aristolochiaÂs, or exotic as passiflora, but I can now appreciate their elegance a little more, even if they are darn well everywhere!

Ok, weÂre spoiled here. I never really gave much thought that we have no frosts, that the whole US isnÂt covered in palm trees, that greenhouses have a use other then just keeping things humid, that protecting a plant from the elements may be more involved then a role of shade cloth. If thereÂs one thing IÂve learned from this forum, itÂs to appreciate the climate IÂm in, and maybe I wonÂt be so upset that the median house price is almost $600,000, or that traffic is so bad. It worth it for the plants we can grow, and the wonderful climate we live in. ItÂs not Hawaii, but its the next best thing.

Thanks,

Argus

(please donÂt hate me for my zone :-P)