Denninmi...I'm in the same place. I've got 4 trees in pots now, with no idea where they will eventually go. (one is an apple, as a matter of fact). (before you think I'm not even close, realize I've got 30+ figs in pots ranging from 2 gal up to 25 gal as well...not to mention the passionflowers and bamboos). I do have an autumn olive that I will likely remove, but its placement makes doing so a huge undertaking and I would have to do more than just cut it at ground level because I would want the planting space. I've not had much success grafting either. I had two that looked quite promising a couple years ago. They were too interesting looking to the squirrels or possums or something though as they were victims of something. After that I gave up. (I'll likely try again sooner or later though ~Chills oh, yeah...btw...the persimmon is leafing out well. The tops of the leaders were looking like they were dead, but slowly they are pushing their buds as well. Maybe I'll get fruit this year...time will tell

Thanks for all your kind comments, looking forward to next year to. Threas - hope you can start them indoors, they're slow growers from seed in the spring, I'll be lucky to get flowers from my babies even next year. I'll be covering the babies soon with dirt for mulch. Not a leaf left in site, some fungus got on the them, so not taking any chances. I have Neem Oil to kill fungus/mold. Has killed the white stuff that grows on the surface of outdoor soil brought in or that grows on unsterile soil. It also kills the bad insects and stops reproduction of them - so they say. honeybunny - I envy that you have the lord baltimore full grown. It grows the tallest of them all, that I'm aware of, and a beautiful red color. It was very good of you to offer plants and I'd be glad to pay you for the plants as well as postage for that price and take a chance that it'll get across the border without dirt. We'll chat come spring. If I've no 'sure thing' canadian option I'll take you up on that and we'll see what you can do. eloise - you have an orange tropical then...I know of no hardy in all my searches (and I have searched) and the oranges are tropicals as are yellow. There are some annuals, like manihot which is a pale yellow, I got one flower from it this year and a seed pod which I had to pluck before it cracked on it's own, an iffy situation. You californians are lucky, you can grow the tropicals all year round. Though they don't grow as big as the hardys we're talking about now. You should check out the japanese lantern hibiscus-schizopetalus, not so large a flower but a most unique flower. It was easy from seed even for me but would of had to be brought in. You'd have to have the room in the garden to, it's a big splayer like the butterfly bushes are. Happytoes - I had seeds for plum crazy, it is up there with my favorites. They have a unique crepe paper like flower and light shines through them like chifon. 5 seeds was just not enough for this lady to successfully grow one. Fireball has the same type of petals. Love your garden karma, especially the style...looks kinda like the japanese rock gardens. Very neat and ideal for specimen show offs. I'd get a kopper king in that garden, it's a good stand alone plant with your personal touches of coarse. Karyn - that is strange, you'd think you would have tons of babies. Maybe they just need that tropical environment the 1st year to get them going. You still have the mom's coming back for you and the only hibiscus I know for sure that'll be invasive with their seeds are the rose of sharon - single blooms - so all be warned. green_go - I gotta have something you want!! I couldn't even find the seeds for that one. I saw the foliage color which you all aught to note the contrast. There's a red veining through 2 others, fireball and plum crazy, but nothing like the foliage on this one. Red shield has a nice foliage as well but doesn't have the bigger sized blooms. The foliage is worth it for those into it. Your flowers are much more prettier than even in the pictures I've seen. They look a lot like the lady baltimore. I'd pay you for a good sized specimen of that plant plus postage. (big hopeful grin). I see you have an anna belle blooming there in the background, I've one of those to. I think I might split the root ball for 2 plants. Granddaughter and I are going to spritz the flowers with food coloring next year. There's a lot more kinds out there, I'd advise starting with an established plant if you want flowers this year. I've no idea how they do their first year started in a greenhouse or indoors. To tell the difference tropicals and hardy when shopping or identifying http://www.trop-hibiscus.com/gindr.html A good link in the hibiscus forum for those in zone 5 and up/colder/lower zone #. http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/hibisc/msg0820200032075.html PS. They do die back down to the ground and won't come up until late May early June so don't think they died. You'll just have to wait. Glad you all enjoyed. Happy winter gardening or spring planning. - Sandy

Hello! I hang in houseplants sometimes too, alot to learn over there! I think hoyas are pretty easy by comparison! Do you mean vines when you say strings? If so, sure you can cut them off, but you do take the risk of losing a vine that would potentially put out peduncles/buds. I usually just leave them be, I like the way they look, they add to the charactor of the plant...or u could wrap them around so they are no so obvious or in the way. If you don't like the bare look of the vines, keep in mind they usually do get leaves... eventually. As for repotting, hoyas can stay for years and years in small pots, and this is actually recommended for them. As they get more potbound you may have to water more or ocassionally top dress with some fresh soil, but the general rule is, the smaller the pot the better!

Sounds as though there are lots of animal lovers in your new neighborhood, but not a lot of animal caretakers. Some people just don't know what they don't know. THey know they want the cute and fuzzy, but not that they grow up and might need work! So, it sounds like you have an opportunity here! You can be an example for your neighbors as to how to care for an animal at the very least. You can also take it one step further and maybe provide free literature on vet clinics and low cost spay and neuter to your neighbors. If you don't have those services available locally, you can work to make those services available by joining a rescue group and working with other like minded folks. What I'm trying to say is what some other posters have said: there is POWER in numbers. Join a group. Found a group. Get the local kids involved in educational efforts and maybe they won't grow up to be their parents! You feel overwhelmed and a little alone now, but if you make contacts with other like minded folks, your effectiveness as an agent of change multplies! One person can't save them all....but a dozen people can save a neighborhood. It's like the old shampoo commercial. You tell two friends, and they tell two friends, and they tell two friends..... and the next thing you know, your county is actually opening an animal shelter where none existed before and the deputies just shot stray dogs (true story!).