Did a little searching on this forum and Ricky and junglegal are my inspiration! I don't think I want to go quite as jungley - but I really like the natural feel to both their gardens. Until we tore everything out, we had those boxwood bushes that were shaped in balls and square hedges - yuck! I have no idea why the previous owners would have tried to turn it into a formal English garden. I would post a photo except I have no idea how. A bit more research required on that but it seems like everyone uses Photobucket and we use Picasa. There's really nothing to take a photo of anyway except scrubby lawn and big dirt areas where we took out most of the hedges, a really ugly juniper tree thing that's coming out, and some of those Pygmy Date Palms (I think) that I don't like either. The backyard is on hold - we've got to take out a laurel oak and decide on a pool, but that's where we'd probably put the royal palms - along the seawall. My biggest thing is trying to incorporate edibles into the landscape as much as possible after reading "The Omnivore's Dilemma". That's why I'd like at least one coconut palm (think "Castaway") and some fruit trees. I already have a Winter Mexican Avocado and a Key Lime tree from Jene's, still in pots, already made 2 Key Lime pies! The neighbor on the skinny side has agreed to "share" the fruit, so we can put the trees right on the property line there. We also already have bananas that we share with them, since they've grown up on both sides of the fence between our side yards. I just like the way bananas look - very tropical looking, and that Siam Ruby is gorgeous, although I believe non-fruit-bearing. I live in South St Pete right off Boca Ceiga Bay, so we don't take the freezes quite as badly as everyone else in our zone (which is why I can say "10a" when I think I'm supposed to be "9b"), and everything I listed grows in my neighborhood, except I don't see much citrus, avocado, or starfruit. Mostly because everyone is afraid of fruit rats and not very original in their yards. We have one jungle yard on my street and there's a native yard down a ways, but almost everyone here loves their lawns! Most people have just stuck a couple of palms in the middle of their lawns, but too boring for me, and that still requires a lot of mowing! Here's where I get really wacky - I'm thinking about setting aside the first 12' or so in front of the garage to put in a veggie garden. Then I'd put a small retaining wall in front of it and berm up a few feet, sloping down to the street. And probably put some vines or bushy stuff along the top of the berm to "hide" the veggies and the palms in front and on the side, too. The street runs north-south, so I'm pretty sure that area would still get plenty of sun during the growing season in fall/spring. My DH is totally against this. I think that even a wall or berm, without veggie garden, will give the otherwise flat yard some dimension. Or maybe the jungle look is enough. Just trying to sort through all this....

Aw thanks everyone for the warm welcome back. I missed chatting with you. I used to have kind of a "meh" attitude about Florida and now I can't for the life of me figure out why. It's so easy on the eyes. And really nice folks there - although maybe they're just so nice because they're living in paradise. /Eileen. I hear you about the furry babies. I have been out of town so much lately that my cat is punishing me. ._.' So great that you have 3 sisters down there! I definitely hope I get to retire near my sisters someday. /Poseidon. "I agree, joni is one of those people that you just do not forget meeting." You just could not have put it better. That's what I keep trying to explain to people about her. I can't quite put words to her, but she's one of a kind. /Pug. It is exactly like that. I felt like Homer in that episode of The Simpsons where he is in The Land of Chocolate. All those little planty faces staring up at you, and their moms nearby so you can see exactly what they will look like when they are of an established size. It should make it easier to decide what you want, but really what happened to me was that I suddenly saw the appeal of all the plants I'd previously vetoed when merely viewing them online. Unfortunately Kelly has been busy addressing some health issues. We recently heard she was making some progress and I'm sure she'll be on here again eventually. I miss her too. /Renee. Whoa a vacation with both Bulbophyllums and Hoyas?! That's pretty posh. :) I hope you're able to make it out to Sarasota/Siesta Key. My sister really wanted me to drop her off in Siesta Key while I was visiting Joni but unfortunately for her, she slept in and I wasn't going to wait any longer! :P /Ima. It's a really pretty area, so I think it would make a fun day trip. If your daughter takes you, maybe as a thank you gift, you'll be faced with the same conundrum as I was: what a person's First Hoya should be. I went with polystachya, but Joni's suggestion of merrilli was a really good one, I thought.

Loves2read, funny that the Florida Cl seems better than your Dallas CL. I found the opposite, with much better CL options here in Milwaukee vs Florida. Maybe because there is such old stock here. Most of Florida seems to have been populated after the 60's, and I am not too keen on the quality of recently made furniture. I'd rather rehab something solid wood. My needs are unique, though: dirt cheap but great potential. And I have time to search out pieces and to rehab them. I just finished a $7 Goodwill chair that started like this and now is this I am learning to sew and upholster practicing on the guest rooms, ha. The chair will go in the twin bedroom for which I just found those wicker headboards. I have miles of the red fabric ($1/yd) for bedskirts and scored 2 new oatmeal linen Shabby Chic duvets at Goodwill into which I'm slipping clearance Kohl's $16 quilts. I have a free dresser that needs painting, and some Goodwill wicker lamps. Some CL desks and tables, and a little yardsale dhurrie rug. Sew up some pillows. DH and I will make artwork - and I use the term loosely. Voila! One room done. I found it helps to let a vision evolve in your head for each room. I go nowhere now without my notepad filled with fabric scraps, paint colors and dimensions.

We used to go to the Florida beaches regularly and our all time favorite was Grayton Beach and the Destin Area in general. Wonderful seafood restaurants, very laid back, lots of fun things to do and go to. And some of the prettiest white sugar sand beaches, so clean. We loved the state park at Grayton Beach, we would park the RV there and really enjoyed it. The beaches were wonderful and you could be the only person on the beach for miles. But we have not been able to do that in quite a while so things do change and it may have but I know how beautiful those white sand beaches are that will be the same I am sure. Definitely worth checking out. They do have very nice cabin rentals there also. Grayton Beach