I haven’t visited these forums in some time and actually rediscovered this thread doing a google search on some rare plants (go figure). Since we have a lot of trees and not a lot of resources and time to protect them, most of my losses are due to deer/rodent herbivory. Instead of dwelling on all of the plants I haven’t been able to keep alive, I’ll mention the highlights and surprises here. I went go in depth on too many so ask if you want more details and I’ll try to keep an eye on this thread and respond back when I can. I have been in Arizona since May and I’m basing the updates from this past growing season on my mother’s observations. -Strongest growing maple is Acer lobelii by far; arrived as a stick broken in half during shipping en route from Colvos Creek Nursery in Washington state and has grown at least 3 feet a year. It towers over all of the other sticks in my maple collection at about 15 feet. -Acer davidii grosseri hersii (what a taxonomic mess!) is the strongest growing snakebark and a new addition since the original post I believe. I don’t give it any “help” nutrition-wise and it has grown 2 feet each year; excellent striped bark turns crimson with the onset of cold weather and the leaves are a mix of red, orange, and purple in the autumn. From Forestfarm and while they are awesome, I have not yet keyed this plant to confirm its identity; either way, doing awesome for a snakebark in a clay-dominated alkaline soil in an exposed area. -Acer rufinerve gets no fertilization either and has some years where it sits back and grows little, and other where it takes off. Apparently this year it grew over 2’, so it now stands about 8’. Bark is excellent, although it doesn’t change to crimson like some of the other snakebarks. Can occasionally develop minor signs of nutrient deficiency but not a big deal. Leaves are amazing both texturally (coarse) and by color in the autumn, a mix of red, orange and violet. -Acer henryi looks like a Boxelder and grows like one in upstate NY. After a rough time establishing and a nasty bout of sunscald, it now grows about 2’ a year and has excellent red and violet autumn colors, with violet usually dominating. -Acer longipes is notable because I was able to get one through a winter (low -13F) with the only damage due to herbivory. Supposedly sprouted up big time this past summer. Not many experts seem to place much faith in its hardiness and it may have been below the snowline at the time of the low temp. Time will tell. -Acer mandshuricum, Acer triflorum, and Acer maximowiczianum all suffer through chlorosis. A. triflorum does the worst, A. maximowiczianum the best. A hybrid from Forestfarm between A. pseudoplatanus and A. griseum has done very well, with violet-backed leaves and red fall color. Hybrid vigor and no cold or soil issues. -Acer oliverianum is starting to pick up steam and has yet to be damaged by temps as low as -16F. Might be benefiting from the protection of a nearby hedge. Fall color is usually reddish-orange; it is deeply shaded. -Calycanthus raulstonii ‘Hartlage Wine’ is a huge success. Massive flowering in the second year and completely hardy. Grows very fast and gets leggy unless trimmed. Flowers are gorgeous and large, with virtually no scent. Numerous visitors that have seen the plants have subsequently scoured google for a dealer. The intense color has even drawn some hummingbirds. Seedless. Highly recommend. -Magnolia grandiflora ‘Bracken’s Brown Beauty’ gets defoliated by about January when the truly consistent cold temperatures begin. This about the time that the soil freezes for good as well, limiting the plant’s ability to care for the leaves no doubt. At times, it looks like a fancy houseplant with shiny green leaves growing amongst the snow. No cold-dieback although it is not yet established and grows only about 6 inches a year max so far (haven’t got an update for this past season yet). It is late to leaf out in the spring. -Have a Stewartia malacodendron that apparently did very well in a shaded and very rich sand lens in a protected area that gets partial shade. It is big enough to be above the (likely) snow line and I will be very, VERY interested in seeing if it overwinters. Perhaps more updates later (and as I receive them!)

Gardening (Landscaping-wise) in Central Florida largely depends on developing the right micro-climates. During the summer the best things to grow are tropicals. During the winter it's the more temperate plants. But it's hard to keep the tropicals alive through the winter and the temperates alive through the summer. But what I'm figuring out, if you work on the structure of your yard, you can create micro-climates where the northwestern winds are blocked during the winter and small bits of shade can be found to give the temperates a short break during the day. The temperates will not thrive during the summer, but they should survive to give their best during the cooler months. Shade has been a hard part for me as my lot has little to no shade to speak of. The only shade I do get is from an oak to the south of me and that is only during the winter months, when I don't need it. But what I have figured out is that if you put a temperate plant next to something a bit more tropical, when the cooler plant shrinks back in the summer, the warmer one grows up and gives it a bit of shade. My first few years here, I also lacked a way to block the western winds, but I planted some dense shrubs (Walter's 'Whorled Class' Viburnums, Wax Myrtle and Simpson's Stopper) and they're finally getting to the size where they should add some relief from the winds. Positioning in regards to your house helps as well. Plants on the eastern side of your house are going to have a better time than plants on the northwestern side. My northwestern bed has been the hardest for me to figure out, but I think I have come to a happy compromise of using evergreen shrubs to provide structure during the winter with semitropical annuals that reseed themselves to provide color during the summer. On a last note, Florida Natives are a huge help with building both structure and appeal in the landscape. They are the most adapted to living with these temperature fluctuations and really help with building the micro-climates to help the more sensitive exotics.

Hi Gina...it's NOT in bad taste to see if folks will be bringing certain plants they are looking for. It certainly isn't a secret. I think folks are anxious for people to get things they are looking for at a swap. In fact, some folks set up trades via email beforehand that are separate from the group swap - and put those plants in their cars before the actual big swap begins. (I think Hostalavista and Michigan Betty do that with certain hostas since they are both collectors) I will be bringing some pots of hardy crainsbill geraniums to the swap. Time (spring) will tell me which ones...later on. In fact, I am hoping someone has Achillea Taygeta. I would LOVE a division of that plant. Sounds like there will be quite a few folks bringing their left over winter sown plants for swapping!! Fun! Think sunshine!.......Beverly

Mark, is any of the yard in the shade? Bermuda, with the possible exception of the Celebration variety, needs full sun. Otherwise, with the active lifestyle, bermuda is a great option, because it will defs grow back quickly from the daily damage. Second choice, and practical for shady areas, would be St Augustine. It will return and dominate other grasses especially in the shade, but it does not come back as quickly as bermuda. Zoysia would not be good because it takes an eternity to repair itself. Noah, When you rototill with a hand held tiller it fluffs up the soil unevenly. When I say unevenly, I mean that when the tiller hits a rock, root, pipe, or dry spot, it leaps up out of the ground. When it hits a soft spot it digs in going deeper than you might have originally planned. All this results in an uneven tilled profile under the surface. When you level off the top, that makes an uneven depth of fluffy soil. The first time you water it the soil will start to settle...unevenly. It continues to settle for 3 years until the formerly fluffy soil has some structure. Ultimately the surface will match the uneven profile of the untilled layer underground. Then when you have bermuda, which should be mowed at a low setting, the mower wheels will drop into the low spots and scalp the grass. It is possible to level the surface once this happens, but you can avoid the whole event by not rototilling. Or, if you have access to tractor mounted rototiller, that will work without creating an uneven subsurface. Tractors just have the mass needed to hold everything steady. If your soil is hard (impacted, or "compacted"), you can spray it with any clear shampoo at a rate of 3 ounces per 1,000 square feet followed by 1/2 to 1 inch of irrigation or rain.