I wholeheartedly agree with this. We actually have a VanZyverden Bulb Warehouse in our town that has fabulous sales twice a year. You would think I could find anything. Nope. Never have I seen crinums other than Ellen Bosanquet. (A lovely one, but it only blooms once a year. Not enough to pay its rent when others bloom repeatedly.) Many of my favorite bulbs I would not have lest I had been given them or traded for them: Snowflakes, Atamasco Lilies, Spider Lilies, zephyranthes (these should be in EVERY southern garden in my opinion! Nothing is easier or gives more show for so little care), Byzantine glads, cammassia, etc.Perhaps it has to do with the difficulty in keeping bulbs fresh. I have read that Snowflakes need to be planted immediately after they are dug. (Exactly how I got mine.) Maybe they are too risky for retailing? I do have to say that I have had great luck with buying bulbs on the internet, both through "catalog companies" like Brent and Beckys or Old House Gardens, AND through E-bay sellers. I can honestly say I have never been disappointed.

I share your concern, Chris - I hate seeing compost that was so nice and dark and rich looking when it came out of the pile, sit on top of the soil and turn pallid and dry. But I've gotten over this concern, because you can't argue with success. Despite the worry that my compost would be put to better use when mixed into the soil, the fact is that the plants don't seem to care. It works great as a mulch. I usually use compost as a mulch in the springtime, when I'm emptying the pile that has been cooking all winter. I'll also usually purchase a few yards of cow manure based compost (great stuff, and I can get it delivered for $20 per yard, which 'aint bad!) in the spring too, for use on the flower beds and veggie garden. This produces nice results; you'll see a flush of growth within a week or two after the compost is applied. 1) Compost is easier to spread around and among small seedlings in the springtime. Straw would bury them and grass clippings or hay would burn them. 2) Compost contains a good shot of soluble nitrogen, which is sometimes in short supply in springtime. The nitrogen (and other soluble nutrients and microbes) leaches out of the compost when it rains, leaving behind mostly carbon and other complex organics that haven't broken down yet. This stuff will of course eventually break down, but in the meantime it protects the soil from the harsh sunlight and retains some moisture. Adequate moisture is not usually much of a problem in the spring anyway, so although compost doesn't retain moisture as well as say, a thick layer of straw, it's generally not an issue. Later, in summertime, I'll add a layer of straw if I have any available (hard to believe, but straw is getting harder and harder to come by around these parts). This really helps hold moisture during summer heat. It keeps the layer of compost underneath it moist too, so the compost resumes the process of breaking down and releasing nutrients. -Diggity

Let me clarify if I may. The phyto is obtained by the sender only, not the receiver and the cost is determined by the govt where the sender lives. It costs around $50 in Aus. and anywhere from $10-30 in most other countries. As the receiver you only need an import permit and in the U.S. this is totally free and the form takes as much as 5 minutes to fill out if you are having a cup of coffee while you do it. You only need to list a couple of species/hybrids and once you get it you can import thousands of bulbs of any species that is not CITES protected even though you never put it on your list in the first place. By the way, you only need to list one country on your original import permit and then you can import from any country you want as well. I have been doing this for many years now and have talked with the people at our APHIS/USDA office numerous times to get these points clarified in person. Trust me when I say this is totally trivial...totallY!! The only problem you will have is sometimes the bulbs are not packed as well as they should be or are packed the slightest bit damp and then you have some that arrive with fungus or rot. If you are importing bulbs that are tougher than Amaryllis you can simply expect some loss....everyone has this problem that I have ever talked to about importing that does it in significant quantities. All the best if you decide to do it :o) Dan

Question - why do you want to shade your grass? Are you trying to get rid of it? Grass grows best in full sun. And as far as a tree recommendation goes, there are many that will grow in Central Florida. As Lou mentioned, visit the local nurseries to see what they offer. You will minimize the number of seedlings if you avoid trees that profusely flower and fruit. Have you considered a palm or a grouping of palms?