Special? It's widespread around here - it's our normal soil. That was extreme during the 2011 extreme drought, but yes, it does that. It's TX black gumbo clay. You'll find about the same stuff in parts of Montana and, believe it or not, Hawaii. Nearer the coast where humidity is higher the cracking isn't quite as severe, but it still will get impressive in the drought periods. When it's wet it swells enough to be self-sealing. Rice farmers love that. Building on it is a bit tricky. To dig it you want it moist and plastic, then you take it out in slices working near vertically using a rice shovel. The funny thing about our coastal area is that soil like that is the widespread stuff. But there are sizable pockets of very clean sand. It seems there is a commercial sand pit about every 10-20 miles, and in those pits there is no sign of that clay. There was one ~ 60 acres in size being worked for years about 5 miles from me. About 10 years ago the remains of a Columbian mammoth were found in the pit.

Hi Dries, I'm not sure about Sarasota but it should be great. But Clivia grow well in Naples, which is just an hour or so south, down the west coast, in USDA zone 10/11. Naples can have a couple of really cool nights in Jan., most years in the 50s, but some nights in the 40s. It doesn't sound too bad for them, eh? The soil is sand, basicly, with a thin layer of organic matter, litter from lots of really, really, rapidly growing tropical stuff, and depending on the area, pines and palmettos. It rains a lot in the summer, and not that much in the winter.[ hmm, the water was hard in Naples,and full of calcium, and just a little swampy. But rain conditions should give them the water they like. There may be reverse osmosis plants there now.] Sarasota may be just into zones 9-10 and very rarely be hit by a frost. It too, is on the coast. I was kind of shocked, a dozen years ago, when some of the fancy hotels and stores, began using them as bedding plants there. I mean, it seemed a little casual, almost disrespectful. When I got over my snit, gosh, they were lovely. The amarillis I was just getting used to, funny they bloom in late spring, may, june? not in a pot from the store for Christmas. So Yeah, Clivia probably love it there. They do have some native distant cousins. Some Crinums [ cousins?] range up along the states of the gulf coast and up the east coast to the carolinas, a couple are a little hardier. Every few years, like oranges, they might need a sheet over them in a really cold snap, or maybe some extra [pine straw?] mulch? It's so funny to think of them as woodland plants, The big clumps, probably do, tolerate sudden cold snaps. See, I did look at quite a few of your links. Please, do a Clivia growing in the woodland habitat thread, with pictures, if you could. What do they like when they're at home? Who are there favorite neighbors,? etc.. Florida has some great websites for care, and nurseries for tropical and fragrant plants. South Florida is the most jungley part of the US, especially if you have a yard. Try the Florida forum. There's a Florida native plant society, with knowledgable folks too. Wish that I could be more up to to date. Someone is going to have specifics for you. Good luck, Florey

I missed the fact that it was my turn, possibly because I've been working on my glögg recipe for several days, trying to duplicate the one I remember from my Swedish grandmother's house at Christmas. There are so many completely different recipes that it's taking quite a toll on us to try them all. Burgundy or sherry? Port or brandy? Whiskey or vodka? I'd like to have it right by Christmas, but that means starting the testing earlier and earlier each day. What space do we have left? I'm wondering if we can try hardy kiwi in this locale; although they are hardy to -25, the buds can be blasted by late cold snaps. They might succeed with some shade to the east, which would potentially delay the formation of buds. They could be grown along the fence, with the grapes, but I'll defer to northern gardeners who know if this is unrealistic. Alternatively, if our virtual homeowners are really into fruit, they should probably have some "real" strawberries. They could be grown in a long narrow bed inside the fence (we still have a fence, even though George has banished the deer, don't we? Or, maybe we have enough fruit for this garden. Do we also need to talk about the materials we're going to use, like paving and mulch, and about how this area will relate to the rest of the yard? Is it going to evoke an old New England farm yard and orchard, or be a more formal space? Will we include flowers and grasses, or will it be strictly devoted to fruit? Can we have a table and some chairs out here, where we (um, I mean they) can sit and enjoy this garden?

I googled it and it does not look like it was caused by the hot peppers....check it out on ask.com Good Luck with the healing process. I put in what causes oral lichen planus? Dusty