Toni, Yes, what is more fun than plant shopping? Yes we had a very good time. I assume the Hoop House in NH may be heated? Not sure. They had both colors but we went for the Green Oxalis with the white flowers. The Hibiscus is for me...lol My friend can do the basics so I am trying to make it as easy as possible. I will be able to check on them, especially until he gets the hang of it. As for the help at Home Depot not knowing the info on the plants that are offered, it is so surprising. It’s not like they have to be horticulturists or have such a large variety of plant material. Plus there seem to me to be so many amateur gardeners that are actually shoppers there, you’d think they would try to hire someone like that to have some basic knowledge. It would make it more profitable for them, I would think. Well, we have four HD locally that I have visited, and one of three is better than the others. One is like the one you described. Marquest, yes, I was reminded in the HD that my friend had expressed a liking for Burro’s Tail at one point and they were small inexpensive plants. The Aloe was too cute to pass up and small. I think succulents are just the easiest, to take care of, so I really encouraged him to try a couple of small ones. Thanks for the warning on the Oxalis. It could go home for a few weeks break if need be. Mike, someone on GW recommended Lake Street to me about 3 years ago and I like their perennials, shrubs and selection of annuals. It’s about a 40 minute drive for me and closer than Logee’s in CT. I bought a very pretty variegated Jade Plant there last summer, while shopping for perennials for the garden. I was not sure houseplants were in ready supply, but they had some healthy selections and that is my #1 priority. I would go back. I have noticed they offer classes, although I haven’t found the time to do that. I haven’t been to the Chelmsford Mahoney’s. I see Weston Nurseries has a new location in Chelmsford, too. I got out that way once last summer. Here is the 'Lime Bearss Seedless'..... I'm sure you are right, Toni, that a grafted tree is the best way to go, but this is just an experiment really, to determine if my friend can provide the care. If it goes well, we would probably really enjoy getting a larger grafted plant. And you have me curious about the grafted plants that might be available. Very mysterious...(g)

Clio, Did the problem begin when the cold snap happened in your area? Maybe it was just a little too chilly for their tastes. If they are gathered close on your balcony and a fungal problem began, it will spread more quickly when they're close together. I lived for a long time in the Sonoma County area, and Pelargoniums tolerate the chilly nights there and seemingly endless winter rain with little problem. Maybe your plants believed they would always be warm and cozy in LA, and are mad about this winter's nasty weather. You folks really got nailed! Be sure to remove any sign of the fungal problem as soon as you see it, including any foliage that falls onto the soil of the pots & anything with new spots (because they might shed spores). If you can, maybe changing the spray time to early morning would help. Try to move them farther apart for a while, too. Hope this helps.

hello everyone, I am late to join this forum but we are currently in the process of establishing a palm garden is Mandurah, WA. There have not been many contibutors in the forum from over this way, so hopefully this might encourage more western gardeners to join in. Initially I was worried about planting tropical palms this far south but after seeing some of the wonderful specimins growing very well in and around Mandurah I eventually persueded the family to let me have a plam garden. We have begun to plant a variety of palms in the front garden, most of which I have seen growing very well in my local area. I have planted (common names)Bangalows, Triangles, Spindles, Golden Canes, a jelly palm, Majestics, a European Fan, a Bismark and a bunch of different cycads but I also have a heap more in pots ready to plant out including Hawaiian fans, Alexanders and Kentias . I would like to obtain a few more tropical palms like "teddybears" and other varieties of Dypsis as well as some various charmadoreas to underplant with once the more sun hardy varieties get larger. Well I hope this might encourage some more West Australian gardeners to join in and contribute some of their knowledge about growing palms over this side of the country. Adam Harbeck

I have figured out a budget for getting the house into good rental condition, and I think we can do that for $17K. We are going to proceed with getting a loan from Kevin's credit union (after I get my credit unfrozen) for $100K, $19K will go toward the price above what we want to pay in cash, and then $17K to perhaps $20K will go toward renovations. Whatever we have left over we will pay back to the credit union, but they are giving us a good rate at 3.7%. Whatever we pay off will decrease the amount of time we have to pay back the loan, but not the monthly payments. One repair we will need to make ourselves is the heater for the pool/spa. I estimate this at $3K, but it will be worth it because people have already told me that they are willing to pay the $40-$50 per day charge for heating the pool when they rent in the winter. In May through October, there will be no need to heat the pool, but we need to have that option to offer. The main renovation we will do will be to change the bathtubs to walk-in showers. That's what we want for ourselves, and people have told me that they do not take baths in rental properties and prefer the walk-in showers. Anyway, to answer my original question, it looks like we are going to use my brother's credit union (from Sony) for our loan, and I will be meeting with him tomorrow at 11:00 AM with the loan officer. Tomorrow morning Kevin will do the wire transfer for the escrow from his bank on the Sony lot, and I will meet him after that.