Wow... again! LOL... Such responses. It's taken me the better part of the day to absorb it all. I'll try to take them in order. Guapogardener... I'm trying to do the whole xeriscaping thing. I am not one that likes to spend copious amounts of water when it's not available. Also since all of the watering done will have to be done by hand, it's a lot of work to do for this entire lot. My old garden in Portland was large, but not as large as the lot I have now. I can't imagine planting labor intensive flora in the long run. I am looking for 'substitutes' so to speak. I feel it would be strange to try to put in plants that thrived in Portland here in Orlando. Additionally, there are all these beautiful tropical plants to choose from - I can't imagine picking something as 'mundane' as a rhododendron when I can have crotons. I would actually *love* to get rid of about 40% of the lawn I have now. Not just because it's a hodgepodge but I'm just not a big lawn person. Mowing, edging, weeding blah blah blah. And in return... a lawn. Now I know there are those that love lawns, I'm just not one of them. Also in Portland a brown lawn in the dry season is a badge of honor. It means that you are doing your part to conserve water. Countrynest... thank you for the welcome. :-) I intend to be asking many questions. Especially on plant identification. There's a couple plants I've seen that I'm really finding attractive. I just need to go out and get pics of them to post here and ask. Gardencpa... The nickname is actually from my boyfriend. I have a lot of Irish in my background and because of my hair and skin, he calls me that. I have to admit I like it. *grin* Watering... there are plenty of nozzles available for hoses. Which is a good thing in the establishment phase of things. "only the toughest plants survive"... there must be a lot of tough plants here. It seems like everything grows so well... almost too well. It confuses me because of the sandy soil and the heavy rains that wash away minerals. Yet... everything grows like wildfire. Is everyone fertilizing like mad or did too many people bring in too many plants? The skunk vine... is that the name of the very delicate looking vine that's very invasive? The one with the clusters of small white flower with magenta throats and small pointy leaves? I'd love to know the name of it. You know what they say... 'know thine enemy'. ;-) Ill_mannered_ache... I think you are so right about starting small. If nothing else it makes sense when trying to establish plantings. Instead of driving the water bill sky high by trying to establish new plantings all over, it seems better to so a bed or two at a time. Not only for labor but because you do have to water things that you're trying to establish. Lakeron... I sooooo know what you mean about microclimates. I've noted so far that I have at least four... not just for the four compass directions either although they do play a role. The western sunset sun is much more harsh than the eastern sunrise sun. Also the southern side is much more prone to have things wither than the northern side. I'm glad you posted because it made me think of sectioning off parts in the yard into individual areas. I've got more than enough space to do it. Lacoquina... One of my big concerns is planting 'bad plants'. The ones that can get out of control, be invasive, have environmental issues etc. I am glad you posted about the passion vine simply because I'd been looking at it. I think I am better off with a different flowering vine. Any suggestions? :-) Fawnridge... I'm trying to go with the approach of creating 'islands'... I'm not big on water features simply because... well if it's a fountain and it runs it makes me have to go to the bathroom. *grin* Anna... thank you for posting. I'm still confused about things growing so big/fast and the condition of the soil. If the sand is so bad, why do things grow so well? Susieq... a sidenote... that's my sister's nickname. :-D My oleander hasn't bloomed much for the past months, is it possible that the bugs are eating the blooms? What product do you use? In Portland I used natural controls for bugs - alliums, marigolds etc but I fear that natural controls may not be enough here. Whew! Thank you all for your feedback. I'm watching this thread like a hawk. So much knowledge in one place. It's like I've found nervana for garden info in Florida!

Pam, We are nothing here if not enablers. We all enable each other, whether it comes to gardening, preserving or cooking. I have heard of Linda Amendt's book, but don't have it. I think you could do a search on the Harvest Forum and find reviews of it there. The three non-Ball canning books on my bookshelf that I use the most are these: "The Complete Book of Small-Batch Preserving" by Ellie Top and Margaret Howard. My copy is from the second edition, published in 2007. They may have a newer edition or a more current revision out, or even a newer book. I haven't checked lately. This book has marvelous small batches many of which make only 2 to 6 half-pint jars, which is a great way to try new recipes without making huge batches you might never eat. It also is ideal for items you grow in smaller quantities or can purchase at the Farmer's Market. This book has a lot of great recipes for everything from the usual jams, jellies, salsas and pickles to flavored vinegars, mustards, marinades, dessert sauces, syrups and even liqueurs. I use this book pretty often. "The Joy of Pickling: 250 Flavor-Packed Recipes for Vegetables and More from Garden and Market" by Linda Ziedrich. I have the second edition, published in 2009. This book has a huge variety of recipes and they are different from a lot of the standard pickling recipes. For example, she has a whole chapter on recipes for sauerkraut, kimchi and other cabbage pickles, and a different chapter on rice-bran, miso and soy-sauce pickles. There's a full chapter on fermented pickles, and also full chapters on sweet pickles, quick pickles and freezer pickles....as well as chapters on pickled meat, fish and eggs, and a chapter devoted to chutneys, salsa and other relishes. I love this book. "The Joy of Jams, Jellies and Other Sweet Preserves: 200 Classic and Contemporary Recipes Showcasing the Fabulous Flavors of Fresh Fruits" by Linda Ziedrich. My copy shows a copyright date of 2009. I am not positive if all the recipes in this book are free of commercial pectin, but nothing I've made from this book has included commercial pectin. It is full of amazing recipes for anything and everything you possibly could make from fresh fruit, including these: apple cider syrup, apricot-pineapple jam, cantaloupe jam with mint, maraschino cherries, fig jam, rose petal jelly, rose petal syrup, red grapefruit marmalade, lemon curd, lime syrup, orange jelly, peach-fig jam, hot green pepper-lime jelly, plum-apple conserve, pomegranate syrup, pumpkin butter, quince jelly, raspberry jam, raspberry vinegar, strawberry-orange jam, tomatillo jam, tomato marmalade, yellow tomato-pineapple preserves, watermelon rind preserves and watermelon molasses. If you are looking for recipes that are a little different from the usual fruit recipes in canning books, this book is full of them. I was watching the same football game and thinking at times that it looked like they were playing the game inside a snow globe. I know you'll be busy today ahead of the brutal cold front. It is almost noon and we're still below freezing. It is hard to imagine that a week ago we were in the 70s and hit the 80s a couple of times. Today it is a whole different world, and a very cold one at that. Dawn

Thank you, ghoghunter (Joann), toad08 (crazy that we're both 08s!), and butterfly4u for you replies and advice. I really do appreciate your wisdom, as I am really pretty new to gardening (though, I am finding it to be an addictive, enjoyable--but expensive :)--hobby! I am sorry that it has taken me this long to say thank you and address each of your posts. ghoghunter- I had heard of dutchman's pipe and I do like it. I will do some more research on it a a climber for my tree. I do know a bit about trumpet vine as well--my mother has one growing on a large brush pile she has at the back of her 6 acre property and it is absolutely gorgeous. I would love to plant trumpet vine...but the tree is too close to my house and I know it spreads like wildfire, so that is not an option. Thanks again for your suggestions! toad08- Chester County, PA is in zone 6--sorry I forgot to include that! I was under the impression that American Wisteria is "safer" :) and much less aggressive than Chinese Wisteria/non-native wisteria? The woman at the garden center where I purchased it said that growing it on my pergola would be fine, but that some pruning would be necesary of course. Maybe I am too naive and she was just making a sale :) Could you tell me a little more about the differences between American and Chinese wisteria? I have done some research on the web and did not find anything to make me think planting it where I did was a huge mistake. Please take no offense--I'm not trying to sound rude at all! I just want to know from an experienced gardener their personal experiences with American wisteria vs. Chinese, ect. Since we are not in the same zone though...not sure how that affects the question/answers... Thanks again for all! butterfly4u- Wow! Thank you for so much input! I will talk to someone about my dead tree before I go through with any planting of any vine. The tree is not totally dead though, I've come to realize more and more. There are lots of leaves on the side that was not struck by lightening and it looks healthy besides the charred side (not the whole side either, just a blaze) So, perhaps I need not worry about the tree so much as worrying about not killing it further with a vine? I would just like to conceal the charring. But, again, I will most defidenly consult a professional first--I feel stupid b/c I never even thought of that! Thank you!! I did look up the climbing hydrangea and it is lovely! I will consider it for the tree (if I am given the go-ahead) but for sure another spot in the yard--I have a tall fence that could use some sprucing up...would this vine work for that spot (7' tall, flat panel pine privacy fence)? Any further advice or experience would be very much appreciated! As for the wisteria...as I said above, I thought that American Wisteria was much less agressive and safe for the house than a non-native wisteria? Well, mayber dumb question, as you stated that your girlfriend has one that she uses a ladder to reach to prune--sorry!! I'm fine with ladders/heights, so that is not an issue. How should I help the wisteria to climb up to the actual pergola since it cannot climb the square post? The post may not even be 10" on each side...how small an object does a wisteria need to twine around? I thought since it was so heavy a vine that a larger object would be good? I know the stems become very thick. You know more than me though...please advise as to what material (sorry, oh god--you said wire! I'm sorry to be so careless!--see last sentence please) to attach to the post to get it to climb and how to actually train the vine onto that object, if you can--much appreciated! **How do I attach the wire and what kind of wire? Not to be completely sounding idiotic...but, like how much space between the post so the vine can twine between the wire and post? Thank you, thank you, thank you! Kind Regards-- Lauren

Pool Care 101 for residential pools, if you are connected to the internet, and since you can see this, you are very likely to be, is, at this time, best handled by reading the Pool School section in the upper right of Trouble Free Pool web pages. The is no hidden agenda, no reinventing of the wheel, no Jedi magic, nothing. It contains the honest facts. It tells you how. It tells you why. It tells you where, when, how much of what, etc... It is what I use. It is what I tell my customers to go by. I make nothing from this site. Let me be clear. I use it and recommend its use because it works. If you can't take less than an hour a week in 99% of the residential pools that exist today and are physically and mentally within the normal parameters we as a people have, you are BS-ing me and everyone around you that you NEED someone to care for your pool. Sounds harsh? Maybe. But if you have to spend more than an hour a week on a regular basis, you didn't read and do what was told. Don't reinvent the wheel! Proper, sanitary pool care is not that hard to do and not that expensive. Here is a link that might be useful: The Best Pool School I know on the net as of 3/17/2012