Yeah, I'd say you've earned the right to call yourself a native.

Moved to Florida when I was 4, I turned 40 a few months back, it is all I know.

But just started gardening in the last couple of years and I only have so much time, attention, and money for it, but I really enjoy my time outside with the plants, even pulling weeds can be fun.

Born and raised in Hollywood. Went to college in Lakeland and moved up here about 2 years afterwards. That was 35 years ago. Since then, I have probably planted 85,000 plants, and have donated 3000 trees to be planted out, and right now, I have about 40,000 plants laying around my place. Plants are just a way of life!

Hi

First came here in 72 but went back to Kansas where I grew up until 78

stayed in Homestead until 79 moving to Palm Beach county where we still live in the same house lol Little did we realize that half the world was moving with us ?? lol Came within an inch of buying into a motel in Costa Rica in 85 but wife hates the" jungle" particularly the bugs so settled for many visits.

Interestingly both of my daughters have moved back to Kansas One even lives in the town of 2200 where I grew up so all the grand great kids are there!!

We have often discussed moving back also until we think about winter lol

Also don't know if we could handle the population surge !! The town has swollen to 2800 which means there are at least 500 that we're NOT related

I think they may be illegal immigrants or they are counting some of the cows?? lol gary

And I've been gardening in SW FL. for 36 yrs. but never veggies only landscaping plants, trees, flowers and at our 1st. home fruit trees.

I am not a native, but I am definitely a Floridian. I enjoy almost every aspect of living here and the Florida lifestyle suits me. The laidback part, not the club/party part. While I would like to be a little closer to the coast, I like being equidistant from either side. And the effect that being a penninsula has on the weather is great. I love how the tradewinds can cause a winter's day to be nicer than northern spring days. If anything bugs me, it is that I live in a country where the plant market is focused on temperates with some tropicals, but finding actual Subtropical plants is difficult. You have to do the digging (pun intended) and find others who grow these plants to acquire them.

Michael I agree with everything you wrote. That's me too. I've only been in Florida a few years having lived in the greater Cinti area for most my adult life but I grew up in Greece where the climate was very much like where I live now - it's good to be back home :)

Michael, yes, that's true about not being able to find the plants you want. I've gotten bad about actually walking up to houses asking for seeds and cuttings. Gardeners don't usually mind, though. I've never been turned down and have made some good friends doing that.

bea, isn't Greece more Mediterranean -- meaning drier? My friend moved to FL from SoCal and she can't get used to the humidity. She wants to go back to her nice, Mediterranean climate.

I remember the humidity being pretty high but I lived in a port city about a block from the sea and sea air is quite a bit different than inland. Our temps were very much like where I live now except we had a few less 90 degree days.

Three weeks! That is how long this sandy 'soil' has been a problem for me. We moved here from central Illinois where the soil is black and very few amendments are necessary.

I will try, but my hopes are not high for doing things as before. The outside of the house we purchased has been neglected for several years and I have been doing things outside for about four hours each day. I don't see an end. I am scared of all this sand. When I go to the store, I see folks loading bags and bags and bags of top soil.

Wow! The missus loves the weather, the cat has adapted well. I believe that I will struggle for many seasons.

@jim_1 The first rule of gardening in FL is "Forget everything you knew about gardening up north." Make a 5-year plan, start adding organic matter to your soil every year and you'll be fine. It's not a struggle if you do it right. Look into native plants that don't need any soil amendment, and very little else. There are some real beauties. Another thing that needs no soil amendment is Bougainvillea. You just stick it in the ground during the rainy season, and it sets roots and in the winter, it blooms like mad with no watering required. It acts like a native, although it's not. If you're looking for lovely ground covers, try the native Mimosa strigillosa (Sunshine Mimosa) or perennial peanut, which also is pretty carefree once established.

If you have a tree, leaves are your best friend. Either start a compost pile or mix them into the soil. I just put them directly into the soil as I plant or create beds. Easier that way, works great because they decompose completely during rainy season and the also feed the earthworms.

One thing to remember is MULCH! MULCH! MULCH!, at least 3 inches deep, but please don't use Cypress mulch. It's a "thing" with we Floridians that are trying to save the cypress forests that are being decimated. If you're environmentally aware, you can use Malaleuca mulch, which gets rid of a horribly invasive species. I just use leaves and Spanish moss, myself, and if I need it to be pretty, I put some pretty mulch on top.

Where do you live? People here can direct you to where to buy native plants.

Jim_1,

Sometimes if you have the resources or a truck you can buy a larger quantity of mulch or compost to get you started. It may help to break up your projects into zones so it does not seem so overwhelming. Good luck.

Dirty73 - All I have access to for mulch here (or to compost) is pine needles and the leaves from sycamores and live oaks. That's for a natural mulch. Little moss falls from the trees. What do you think of incorporating that into the gray sand soil after using it for mulch?

Jim, I've been here 2 years and three spring gardening seasons and like dirty said I learned to forget about northern gardening. I miss my perennial gardens still. But I marvel at how quickly everything grows here. And my tropicals love being outside most of the year. And it's so much fun to grow these plants that were impossible up north!

I do most of my vegetable gardening in containers - less soil and my arthritic knees thank me for not trying to kneel. If you want to try that go to a good garden center and ask them if can look at their pile of empty nursery pots in the back. They usually sell them really cheap. Then spray paint them with white paint for plastic to reflect the heat.

Become friends with the folks at that garden center. They can help you choose the right plants. I don't pay much attention to the zones on plant labels at box box stores - I'd rather believe real gardeners here and my garden center lady.

Try these two websites, they have great help for Florida gardening: http://floridata.com and http://solutionsforyourlife.ufl.edu/lawn_and_garden/calendar/

And when you get discouraged remember the snow, ice and cold you no longer have to deal with!

greenthumbs2 - I love using pine straw for mulch! We have some pine trees around here, but there are so many pine cones, I don't even try to rake the straw. Pine mulch is the best! It mats down and controls weeds better than anything. It's great around acid-loving plants like azaleas and camellias. It decomposes pretty quickly from the bottom, so you usually have to add more every year.

You don't have to wait for it to break down. Just dig out a trench and layer the leaves in with the soil and use the pine straw as mulch. The leaves break down really quickly in the soil. Toss in any kind of organic matter; sticks, whatever. It all turns into soil over the summer.

With oak leaves and pine straw, you do have to watch the soil pH, though. The do acidify the soil.

been here since i was two lived. in m.o for a year and in n.c for a year and a half,been gardening for about five years