Hi everyone! I was reading some of the comments here and it looked like a good place for me. First I would like to say that I LOVE ROSES but have have not one clue how to purchase, plant, or care for them. We just got a house in central Florida (Floral City) The house had this big beautiful rose bush but it was killing itself so I had to get rid of most of it. Trimming way back. (looked up how to do it) Not sure I did very good. The branches were about the size of a quarter and all crisscrossed and all tangled up. My question, How do I go about buying roses, seeds, or which ever to start growing more around the outside of the house. I am so sorry for any ignorant questions....I am just learning. Thank you guys in advance.

Thanks, herman2! I am going to my favorite nursery in a few days, just to ask about their fig procurement availabilites. It is always good to know plant names when asking questions. It seems like everywhere that I have read about figs seems to be geared to northern gardens. It seems like most planting and installation times are in the spring and I am assuming after the snow. Snow is not a possiblity here. Even hard freezes are very limited in Cental Florida. It has to stay at freezing temperature for several hours to do any damage. My white grapefruit, tangerines and lemons are producing after years and years. I plan to watchfully hover over my papayas and avocado trees. Not to mention my tomatoes and peppers. Thanks everyone for all of information! GardenWeb is a fabulous place to communicate with fellow gardeners. Diana

I live in north DeLand and have a very old fig - brown turkey I am guessing . It grew very slowly but really perked up dramatically one year when I put a heavy application of oak ashes around it . The fig took off after that . I get two crops a year - one in July and a smaller one in October . It is in poor soil and full blazing sun . It is also in my citrus grove so it gets citrus fertilizer when I think about it . It is a wonderful carefree plant . I used to trim it before I knew better and now I do almost nothing . This time of year is great since the fig leaves are returning and are a pretty green . Plant the figs in Gainesville in the ground . Ask your younguns to water it regularly until the summer monsoon sets in and off you go !

Don't use Kinney pools. We hired them and had nothing but trouble. They did install the pool but it took 6 1/2 months from the time we signed the contract and the time they put water in it. They never finished back filling. We had to take care of it. Below are some of the details if you would like to read: The entire installation was one problem after another. First they did not know we needed a soil boring test (the township said every pool in our county needs this test). This was an additional cost of $800. We had figured there would be some additional cost so we didn't make a big deal about it. It took 4 months to start the installation (14 days after the contract date). There equipment leaked oil all over our driveway and in the street. They never even attempted to clean it up. Next, the Cement truck used to pour the cement for the collar of the pool left tire marks and cement stains all over the driveway. Next, two and half months after they started the pool was installed but they never finished backfilling the pool. All calls to them to finish the job were not responded to. I had to get someone else to finish the backfill so the cement work could be done before the winter. From the time we signed the contract to the time they had water in the pool was six and half months. Other items not completed were: (1) They never came to do the final clean up. They left the yard a mess and I had to remove 7 pallets and all the boxes from when they delivered the pool supplies. (2) Never received and indoc (they were supposed to show us how to operate the pool). Lessons learned. (1) Read the contract carefully. There is fine print that states that they are not responsible for any damage they cause (which is why they never addressed our concerns about the damage they caused to our driveway). (2) in the contract do not agree to pay them the bulk of money until the job is complete. On another note, the salesman (Ed Kinney) will brag about all the Judges who bought pools from them to try and gain your confidence. DONÂT fall for it. There is much more to this story but I tried to keep it somewhat brief.