I am interested in both! Some things I can offer: > orange clivia (plant) > Abutilon Marion Stewart (gorgeous and huge and covered with blooms) (plant) > Brug cutting Jean Pasco, Insignia Pink, Dr Seuss > Red firespike (plant) > Purple firespike (plant) > Sesbania punicea (scarlett wisteria) (plant) > Caeslipinia mexicana (plant) > Dwarf Pride of Barbados (plant) > Coral vine (plant) > orange plume (plant) > yellow plume (plant) > Pink plume (plant) > Rouge berry (plant) > Clerodendrum musical notes (plant) > Clerodendrum bridal veil (plant) > Misi Luke banana pup > Praying hands banana pup > Red and white bleeding heart vine (plant) > Purple and red bleeding heart vine (plant) > Purple bow tie vine (plant) > Chalice vine (plant) > Variagated pandorea vine (plant) > Datura seeds: La Fluer, Alba, Ballerina > Red Castor bean seeds > Variagated tapioca (a must have for the tropical garden!) (plant) > > I also have > > Tibouchina urvilleana (I think) - this is the one with the small dark leaves - blooming now so I can get seeds or a cutting > Tibouchina heteromalla (I think) - this is the one with thr big lighter fuzzy leaves - Silver leafed Princess Flower > Hibiscus hamabo - I got this plant at Leu Gardens (wonderful botanical garden here in Orlando) I cannot find much on the internet but it is yellow flowered and is NOT the Rose of Sharon Hamabo. Here is a link with a picture: http://www.strictlyhibiscus.com/Hibiscus_hamabo.php L:et me know! Thanks, Anita

Here's some more info on my heliconia. I discovered that it is a Heliconia Schiediana, native to eastern Mexico. Most heliconias are native to the tropical Americas. Mine only get to about 5' high, and supposedly they do okay in pots. It looks like you might need to plant it in an area with sandy soil, or at least very good drainage, since the site lists it as growing in a dry area. Check the link below for threads about growing heliconia in zone 8 and other zones in pots. Evidently people are having success with that. Right now I'm trying to get some ginger rhysomes to grow. Heliconia should be blooming in our Botanical gardens too, but they are over an hours' drive from here. They're only distantly related to Bird of Paradise, Ginger, and Bananas, as they are in a family of their own. I have a view of the heliconia bud from my front window, next to my desk, and so I'll be sure to photograph it again when it opens. The are about to bloom again. Lars Here is a link that might be useful: Heliconia info at gardenweb tropicals

Horganics are the best! We revisited them just before christmas and got a couple of rostrata, jacquinii, hot rio nights, and kawochi (spelling?), and they've already grown a heap! They've all grown at least 30cm up, their stems have thickened beautifully and they all have a few new huge beautiful glossy leaves. We were also there a couple of months before that and got some gingers, some budhas belly bamboo and a sacred lotus. They're all such healthy plants and are doing so well. The lotus has completely taken over one end of the pond with the cannas at the other and the gingers and bamboo has thickened beautifully. We now have our own little tropical ecosystem humming along nicely and have attracted some beautiful birds, frogs, dragonflies, and butterflies. And our fish have bred from the original 4 to 36! Thanks Horganics, and we can't wait for the heliconias to develop themselves more :)

Yes, well said. I really dislike that the news is so focused on just the reporting doom & gloom. I can almost see them rubbing their hands together when they can report on a particular horrible event.