Hm, I live in Silicon Valley (San Jose-ish,) not right on the coast, but not desert inland either, if it's coastal enough, give me an email, I'd love to give em a try...

Loam is a specific type of soil that consists of 45 percent sand, 25 percent clay, 25 percent silt, and about 5 percent organic matter. What is sold as "topsoil" is most often a mix of something the seller puts together and is most often a waste of your money purchasing since all you need do to your soil is add organic matter to create a soil even better then you can buy, for less money. What your soil might need can be determined by a close look and these tests can help determine that. 1) Structure. From that soil sample put enough of the rest to make a 4 inch level in a clear 1 quart jar, with a tight fitting lid. Fill that jar with water and replace the lid, tightly. Shake the jar vigorously and then let it stand for 24 hours. Your soil will settle out according to soil particle size and weight. A good loam will have about 1-3/4 inch (about 45%) of sand on the bottom. about 1 inch (about 25%) of silt next, about 1 inch (25%) of clay above that, and about 1/4 inch (about 5%) of organic matter on the top. Drainage. Dig a hole 1 foot square and 1 foot deep and fill that with water. After that water drains away refill the hole with more water and time how long it takes that to drain away. Anything less than 2 hours and your soil drains too quickly and needs more organic matter to slow that drainage down. Anything over 6 hours and the soil drains too slowly and needs lots of organic matter to speed it up. 3) Tilth. Take a handful of your slightly damp soil and squeeze it tightly. When the pressure is released the soil should hold together in that clump, but when poked with a finger that clump should fall apart. 4) Smell. What does your soil smell like? A pleasant, rich earthy odor? Putrid, offensive, repugnant odor? The more organic matter in your soil the more active the soil bacteria will be and the nicer your soil will smell. 5) Life. How many earthworms per shovel full were there? 5 or more indicates a pretty healthy soil. Fewer than 5, according to the Natural Resources Conservation Service, indicates a soil that is not healthy.

Hi, my goal here is to share pictures. The red turkscap is at a local historical house where my Master Gardener group does volunteer work. Please take advice from others who actually grow it in their yards and know more about its culture. Planted some years ago by the Master Gardener group the turkscap is a HUGE mass beloved by hummingbirds and admired by tourists. Pictures taken Aug 5, 2014 at Kent House (1796), Alexandria, Louisiana, z8b, heat zone 9, central Louisiana. As ogrose notes above: morning sun, afternoon shade. This location also has many shadows and is near 2 fig trees. As wantonamara notes turkscap is a native plant in Louisiana. NOT MY HOUSE! Another picture, Folsom Native Plant Society, near Covington, Louisiana House furnished with beautiful period antiques, outbuildings with extensive displays of various molds and farming tools: Visit Kent House (1796) and learn about life in a French Creole family in the early 1800âÂÂs This post was edited by river_crossroads on Wed, Aug 6, 14 at 13:46

I know the species and the chocolate one get it quite readily, even in containers in a nursery setting. Plants shipped from the south to the north could help spread the disease further. I have noticed nursery trees given less frequent but heavier watering seemed to show symptoms of the disease quicker than those trees receiving frequent irrigations with moderate amounts of water. This is just my personal observations and could be coincidence.