Doing yardwork is actually something I crave during Winter, so I'm happy to be able to still find things to do. I finished putting down a layer of leaves, and today I finally finished covering one section of the garden with coffee grounds -- and started the next section. At this rate it'll probably take another month or two -- or longer if we get enough snow to impede my daily walk to Starbucks. So here are some pics of the main beds in the back yard -- nothing glamorous, just the garden being put to bed. I didn't take pics of the two side beds or the front. After putting down fertilizer in Spring, I'll put a thin layer of fresh mulch on top to hide whatever leaves have risen up from below the coffee grounds. And I'll have to do more work on the "lawn"...... :-) ~Christopher

I have been in Florida since 69, the native wildlife & plant life has been changing for many years but the global economy is really taking it's toll. Florida is different than many states as the sub-tropical weather allows many species to climatises & flourish here. We ship plants to all parts of the globe & they ship theirs here. There is no way a inspector can confirm a entire shipment of plants if pest free, hence we have citrus greening, a half dozen types of white flies. sri lanka weevils, Cuban tree frogs, pythons and a Gambian rat as big as a cat in the Fla Keys. As much as I don't like indiscriminate killing of wildlife I will exterminate every exotic pest I find. The health of the Fla ecosystem is counting on it. Check out the Fish & Wildlife page on current exotics. http://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/nonnatives/amphibians/ Some are not much of a problem but others like the Bufo toad or Cuban tree frog are. Just my two cents Craig Here is a link that might be useful: FWC invasive speices

Just got back into town a few days ago and came across this thread. nytrini...how'd ya make out with yer 'house guest'? I wish I was closer and had seen this post earlier...I have a large Hav-a-Heart trap that I no longer need...I would've given it to you. Before I left for a family emergency a few weeks ago, I discovered evidence of a rat in one of our two garages. SHE was building a nest! (spells M O R E rats!) While snooping around to see what she had chewed, pee'd and pooped on...YUCK!!!...I opened a cardboard box to peek inside. SHE JUMPED OUT!...LANDED ON MY CHEST!!...GAWD!...and jumped to the ground. I was doin' the heebie-jeebie dance...LMBO! I immediately called my pest control company that sprays only the inside of my house, (for bugs)...and they came out, strategically placing 3 bait boxes. $118.00 later...smelled that unmistakable odor in the garage....tore up everything and wouldn't you know...it was in the very last box...sheesh! Needless to say...EVERYTHING in that garage that couldn't be washed and salvaged, was thrown out. For the record...they're supposed to eat the poisoned bait...find water...and die. According to my pest control guy, it can take several days for this to happen. He also said they will gravitate away from a nest so as not to harm the babies, of which we had none. (phew!) ...but don't count on'm leaving the area...ours' kicked in the garage.

Thanks for all of your help. Steve, I'm OK with a 10-15' palm. I am looking for a smaller one due to my neighbors big trees that the palm might collide with if it gets big. I also want to grow some sun loving plants in the area and I don't want a huge canopy. I am mainly looking for it to be a backdrop. I have a lovely bismark in front and another in a pot with no where to put it but it would get too big for that area. We are a mile and a half from the beach, so salt isn't an issue. I want a single trunk and a palm that's not overly messy. There is also only about 3 hours of direct sun in that area. I was thinking of a spindle palm but maybe a Christmas palm would be less messy, easier to clip off the seeds. Thanks Nancy