Everyone here has you covered as far as orchids are concerned. I happen to appreciate the charm and funkiness of CalOrchid. Great, down to earth owners; very knowledgeable and unusual plants. Great angracoids. In Carmel, there is a shop in the Barnyard called Succulent Gardens. Great eye candy, and prices to match. A bit further north along Hwy.1 in the little town of Elkhorn (just inland from Moss Landing) is their actual nursery. I think plant prices there are more reasonable; although I haven't made it there yet. I have purchased succulents from them at the San Fran Flower and Garden Show, as well as a local Cactus and Succulent Society show. Great plants! Have fun! Lori

The SFA sale was so much fun! As usual, I bought way more than I intended to, but they have so many unusual things there you cant get at most nurseries. They had only 5 House Eaters and I got one! Also got an Enchantress, an own root Nacogdoches, a found rose by Gregg Grant, Big Momma's Musk, among other things like lavender salvia greggii, a couple of young dogwoods [going to try yet again to get these things o live!], 3 kinds of phlox, 3 Phlox Pink native azaleas, blue Baptista, several different kinds of tomatoes trialed by Texas A&M, Chinese fringe trees, Clematis Sugar-Sweet Blue and Stars & Stripes Pentas. As is that wasn't enough, went to Cook's Nursery - got lady banksia for a fenceline, Chrysler Imperial and Pink Peace and some annuals to go in big pots. Suffice it to say - I was a glutton! What fun we had - then ate at Clear Springs, so finished off my gluttonous day with a great meal. Today - I am planting! Hope some of you might have gotten to the sale - they had a reggae band playing, lots of people and beautiful plants. They have a fall sale around the first of October with more great plants. I have a question about the Flores St. House Eater - does it bloom all year or just once? Mine is in bad need of repotting out of its gallon pot - going to leave it in a pot until I figure out a good place to put it.

My list is for Southern California. I'm no tree expert but I chose my list for eye appeal. My list also features a lot of palms. They just do so well here. 1. London Plane. This is my favorite. I sat in a restaurant on a corner that had their parking lot shaded by very large planes. Looking out the window at them I was very impressed by how un-So Cal they looked. I had the illusion of being someplace greener and more northerly or mountainy. 2. Deodar Cedar. Stately, classy and tough in So Cal. 3. Mexican Fan Palm. These are stunning when a street is lined with 100 foot tall ones. 4. Canary Island Date Palm. This one is actually better planted in medians. Just so pretty with a beautiful form. I like them best when not over-trimmed so the fronds make a perfect sphere. 5. Jacaranda. Yeah they're messy but the purple clouds they turn into are stunning. 6. Crape Myrtle. Again stunning colors in flower, fall leaves and beautiful winter form -if they are not pruned in a ghastly manner. Crapes only need removal of root suckers or limiting number of trunks. 7. California Fan Palm. The trunks of these are like pillars wide with a gradual taper. They make a beautiful living colonnade. I like them alternated with something colorful like Crapes. 8. California Live Oak. Love the twisting branches and dark bark of this one. 9. California Sycamore. The leaning trunks and zig-zagging branches of this one are picturesque. I love the big hand shapes leaves. Sycamore also has this sweet spicy scent. Queen Palm. The feathery airy fronds of this one wave and whisper in the slightest breeze. There are other trees I like. I am fond of Sweetgum but here in so cal they topple in the wind a little too often for me and they're prone to a fatal die back. I also like tuliptree but they spit sticky stuff all over sidewalks and cars.

Kristine, Palm Desert counts! I heard they had a club there too but I'm still trying to find out more info on the club. Do you know what kind of plumeria they have? It's too late for this year but I;m sure well be going there next summer on our way to California. Mickey