Mindy, I've seen programs and videos on the Bancroft garden but have never visited personally - northern CA isn't exactly on my usual travel route, unfortunately :-) It does look amazing and I will make plans to visit should I ever be in the Bay area. My last visit to SoCal (my sister lives there) included a trip to Palm Springs and a visit to the Moorten Botanical Garden. This little place will never make a top ten list but is a labor of love of the Moorten family and includes some very impressive succulent and cactus specimens. I will always hold the vision of an enormous - it was easily 12' across from tip to tip - variegated century plant (agave) in my memory. They also propagate assorted succulents for sale and you'd be surprised what I managed to pack into my carry-on baggage to tote home with me!! Unfortunately my significantly damper PNW climate makes growing many of these plants a challenge, certainly to any significant size at the very least, but I do have a nice collection growing on that live indoors during our wet (and much colder) winters. You can always tell a serious gardener by the "must-see" attractions they include on any vacations :-)) Forget the museums and art galleries -- we go for the gardens and arboretums!! Here is a link that might be useful: Moorten Botanical Garden

Here's the one's I have on my fridge. From a card from my MIL: I know a little garden close, Set thick with lily and red rose, Where I would wander if I might, From dewy morn to dewy night. - Wm. Morris From a postcard from a tomato friend in KY: To see a world in a grain of sand, And a heaven in a wild flower, Hold infinity in the palm of your hand, And eternity in an hour. - Wm. Blake Quote from Oscar de la Renta that I cut from the newspaper: A garden is a lifetime. The only way I will ever be finished is when I'm dead. And lastly from a fortune cookie: Your love of gardening will take on a new meaning in your life. It's not much of a quote, but I still can't believe I got a garden message in a fortune cookie! Remy

Here's a quick guide to a few of abbreviations and terms you're likely to run across most often on the Plumeria Forum. They're in alphabetical order. (Some of them are tongue in cheek, but that's the way we are around here.) EP: Exotic Plumeria, a Plumeria source. FC: Florida Colors Nursery, a Plumeria source. Also often abbreviated FCN. PP: The Plumeria People/Botanic Treasures, a Plumeria source. GW: GardenWeb, the host of the Plumeria Forum. GWers: People who belong to the GardenWeb community. Inflo: Inflorescence; a flower cluster. JP: Just Plumeria, a Plumeria source. PA: Abbreviation for Plumeria addict. They are in abundance on this forum. PE: Abbreviation for Plumeria envy. It strikes every Plumeria addict from time to time, especially upon the discovery that somewhat else has acquired a great new cultivar. Plumie: Idiomatic term of endearment for Plumeria. PMS: Plumeria Maniac Syndrome. An unfortunate psychological condition that may cause addicts at Plumeria sales to push and shove each other to get to the best plants first. Failing that, those in the deepest grips of the condition may rip branches off Plumeria snagged first by others. Sporadic; can be worse at certain times of the month and is thought to be influenced by ambient light levels. PP: The Plumeria People/Botanic Treasures, a Plumeria source. SNG: Spray-N-Gro. A supplement and growth enhancer. Also often abbreviated as SnG. ST: SuperThrive. A supplement and growth enhancer. "The Bidding Place": A notorious Internet auction site whose name we dare not speak. This list is a work in progress. If you would like to add additional terms and abbreviations, please email twistedparrot.

There are more than a handful of old books that are available free online via Google Books and other such sources. I think someone posted a link in an earlier thread that directed online users to quite a few old rose e-books... I'll try to relocate it. For my birthday, my husband is giving me used copies of 'In Search of Old Roses' (I know- how can I not have read this already?), and Ethelyn Keays' 'Old Roses', a book that Jeri has recommended, and that- from bits I've read online- I know is well-written and engaging. A book I already have- really, the only rose-related book I have- is the previously mentioned 'Noisette Roses: 19th Century Charleston's Gift to the World', and if you have any interest in Noisettes, it is a worthwhile read. Two other books I hope to obtain are 'Wild and Old Garden Roses' by Gordon Edwards and 'Tea Roses: Old Roses for Warm Gardens' by the Australian 'Tea Bag Ladies'. Much of its text is available online, but I want the physical book with pictures... Here is a link to a bookstore that sells old books about roses, and there may be something listed here that 'calls to you': http://www.oldroses.com A good source for used books in general is http://www.abebooks.com Let us know what you find to read! Virginia