The only negative thing I can say about this forum is that it feeds the need to buy ever more plants. I see the beautiful plants and flowers that you all grow and begin to "need" that plant too. I try to stay away from the garden centers but, as I know you all understand, it's an addiction. Whenever my husband needs something from the big box stores he knows that I will happily accompany him and he also knows to park by the entrance to the garden center! Also, with our heat and humidity, it's so easy to propagate plants. Coupled with gardeners who are so willing to share their clippings, no wonder our garden beds "grow". Beth, you asked about the aptenia cordifolia. I too kept it in a pot for several months, thinking I would use it as a draper in a lanai pot. However it seemed to be going downhill so I decided to plant it in the ground. It has been saying thank you every since. Mine is planted on a small slope and gets morning sun (eastern side of house). I recently installed a micro irrigation system in my flower beds (why didn't I do this sooner - I love it!) so the aptenia gets some water about every 3-4 days. I highly recommend the Diamond Frost euphorbia. I see it at both Lowe's and HD. I bought mine last year and immediately took cuttings. The cuttings root very easily. I now have 4 big clumps of it - 2 on the east, 1 on the south (the one in the picture), and 1 on the west. They all survived the winter without damage. I did cover one plant when we had a brief and mild frost one night because I wanted to "save" at least one. The uncovered plants did just as well. Marcia, thanks for the info about the barleria. I originally started it from a cutting about 2 years ago. I've read that it reseeds readily but I certainly haven't noticed that with mine. Mine gets the western sun and not a lot of water and still rewards with ongoing flowers. It's a winner for me. Another plant that gets the thumbs up is the Brazilian petunia. I have clumps of it on the south, west, and north side of the house and they all do well. As the clump grows and the plant roots are shaded by its own foliage, it tolerates our Florida sun even better. Now that it too is on the new drip system, it gets a drink as the temps rise; it certainly perks up in appreciation. I've also seen the hummer on it. June

Karalynn, the eggs sound like anole eggs to me. Perfect description. I can't swear to it, but I'm pretty sure the snake eggs would be larger. (Wayne?) I move the lizard eggs out of pots all the time, and it doesn't seem to hurt them. No, the anoles and racerunners aren't toxic to my knowledge. My animals have killed (and sometimes eaten) both over the years, with no ill effects. I HAVE heard that skinks are poisonous, but I'll have to research that to be sure. (Again, if you are around Wayne, please share your knowledge with us. We are all trying to learn more about our reptilian garden visitors.) Marcia

The Mimosa would require a great deal of light to do well (they grow in full sun in dry areas here in the USVI) but the "banyan" might do alright. I don't know what species it is, but I've had good success with Ficus citrifolia... i glued it to the underside of an angled piece of driftwood and it immediately began wrapping roots around the driftwood and sending down aerial roots. Very exciting! I think Florida has F. citrifolia and F. aurea... both good stranglers. I would suggest looking in the cracks of old stone walls and on rooftops, etc... they like to germinate in such areas and yanking a little baby from there with some roots attached will make your life much easier.

Reminds me of the time my sister bought a floor plant (so long ago). She got home, had pulled in the driveway and looked towards the back seat at the plant......and saw a lizard sitting on the seat staring at her. Needless to say she screamed and got out of the car as fast as she could. When I heard the noise, I headed outside. Every door and the back hatch was open, she was trying to shoo it out of the car, still screaming but not quite as loud as the first. Not sure how long I just stood there and laughed, but it was a while. hehehe