Wow you are very determined to have stayed through all that abuse. I was a member of a community garden for 3 years and it was run very well-- even in the best of situations things like theft, and accidental damamge can occur. I would absolutely confront the manager of the garden. Perhaps not with a laundry list of complaints -- but a list of "I feel" - I'm very frustrated, I care very much about..." think it out - even write out what you want to say-- with a purpose in mind. It seems to me like it would be wise to have areas of the garden which could be claimed by gardeners, where they could claim a plot and then the produce, work, etc would all be theirs-- you might suggest this be a fenced area or some other kind of barrier so that helpful community workers couldn't run mowers over the fencing or barriers, and then suggest - general areas - in which things like blueberry bushes, community projects or more pernnial projects could take place. You may need to offer some really solid suggestions to problems you see-- ie..I did all this work and now the ground I worked on-- is covered with glass. I have been a valued memeber of the garden for years and for me this represents alot of work, I need to know this won't happen again-- so here is what I suggest as a possible solution. At the beginning of every spring I would be happy to help to divide up this area into individual plots and be responsible for "renting" out each staked off area to interested parties-- we can each have our own area- with returning gardeners getting to put a claim on the area they cared for last year as a first preference. In exchange I would like for you to explain to the worker on site that this is not an area of the garden that he is responsible for-- but that once a year after the stakes are removed he may mow it to the control the weeds. Perhaps your manager is overwhelmed or burnt out and doesn't have the energy or time for enforcing common courtesy, or simply doesn't see the need-- but for your sanity -- surely that is neccessary. That may be the reason there are only two surviving gardeners on the plot..I tell you the first time someone plowed over my carrots or put broken glass in ground that I had worked -- I'd be gone.. and if a healthy discussion -- and offering to take over or assist with the situation didn't help it in some way-- I'd bug out, or at least back down on the amount of energy I expended there. Like I said -- I used to be part of a community garden and it worked fabulously-- there were no fences, but some basic rules. Here is what we did-- someone was responsible for getting names and dividing up plots-- also for getting the entire area tilled, every year. We each paid some small amount for this-- I think it was $20 or something-- that funded the tiller rental & water useage. Each plot was about 12x12. If it was your first year- you could have one plot, unless there were extras--there was usually a waiting list. After you had kept a plot for a year- you could ask to have more than one and veterans got first dibs on spaces & on extra plots. There was a letter that was sent out every year with a map of the plots- on the map was the persons first name and phone number-- this made everybody accountable-- your space, your responsibility, and your produce. If your plot wasn't weeded or cared for next year you didn't get a plot-- if someone had a problem with something in a neighbors plot or a question you could call them-- you knew it, they knew it and it helped. Everybody had the managers # and could call them too. It was also nice cause if you were out working saturday - you could say hi to bob or sue or joe and you at least knew their name. The small amount of money paid out in spring was a way of seeing who was interested enough to do it- and got some buy in and-- helped to cover some of the costs. Every fall everything was broken down and there was an end of the year potluck and work party, and every spring it was all put up again...it was somewhat limiting-- but it did make it easier and it ran very smoothly. Rules were clearly written out -- they used cheap wooden stakes and string to mark the plots, and it was a wonderful sense of community-- a joy. Rules and respect are essential in most things-- community gardens are no exception. Good luck to you!

You aren't kidding! Nothing grows at the North Pole!! :D Just watch Logee's plants, I used to order from them all the time and got some plant diseases on some succulents I had purchased and then they transferred to my Christmas cacti which I was bummed about, so I had to pitch them. To be fair Logee's said they would help if I wanted them to, but I didn't bother. They have excellent exotics, though some are pricey.

Thank you, amybabyboy3 and others. What some may not be aware of is that while it is most commonly grown as a tree in frost-free environments, it also grows quite well as a shrub in cooler climates such as zones 7b/8a, returning each year from roots. From your link I notice that it is growing quite nicely in Oneonta, AL, which is 50+ miles north of me. Tibouchina urvilleana (princess flower) and clerodendrum incisum (musical notes) are just two of many "zone 9+ semi-tropicals" that do quite well for me on the extreme northern range of zone 8a. I'm looking for a "division", "cutting", "seedling"....whatever, please - not people who quibble over simple semantics. Thanks!

It's understandable on account of the prior gate how the neighbors could make the wrong assumption. And it's irksome that they would presume it OK to use your drive for taking the trash. Since they're new and you don't know them well, this could go either way. If you need a solution that basically gets you off the hook, remember there is always available for use, the miracle phrase: "FOR INSURANCE PURPOSES." This phrase gets anyone to stop anything without any questions asked, or even so much as suspecting that the messenger is the originator of it, provided you accompany it with an innocent little story ... "We went to renew our homeowners insurance. They asked if anyone else had regular access to any portion of our property. We remembered that gate (that formerly went unused for X number of decades) to which they said we were going to have to pay a small surcharge on account of there being an additional access point available to non-residents! $60 more! I was shocked!! If you want to pay that surcharge we don't mind your using the path. If not, I guess we're going to have to return to not using that gate anymore except in emergencies ... which is why, I guess, the old neighbors put in, in the first place. The insurance company even said we had to put a lock on it!" Later, should you become good friends with the new neighbors, and wish to have them using the gate, you can throw the restriction out the window ... "Oh, it's OK. The insurance company is never going to know about it anyway." Never forget it: FOR INSURANCE PURPOSES. :-)