Susan: OK, I'll give Anna a little break. It fruits reliably regardless of the chilling hours. Last year it was decent, which is odd because we had a terribly hot spring with April temps over 100 degrees EVERY STINKING DAY. It incinerated the usually reliable Dorsett Golden into mush, but Anna was the best it's ever tasted (which still isn't saying much) but had almost no color. Anna ripened late June in the ongoing heat wave, and we ate them all. The three years before had cooler springs and Anna set big crops, but the taste went from hard and sour to sweet and mealy in a microsecond. They also had a peculiar astringency that made your mouth pucker. I don't know if the lack of heat had anything to do with it. But those years Dorsett Golden was so excellent it made you want to tear out the Anna and Ein Shemer trees and plant more Dorsett. I guess growing Anna is like fishing for bluegill- the quality may not be that great, but you're sure of getting something almost every time. Applenut

Wow, you sure like your Stapeliads! I have only had one, for about a dozen years now. Christopher

I got there yesterday at 8:20am and had to park in the 4th line of cars!!! I usually get there at that time and I'm in the first row. It was really crowded. I was looking for a nice plant to put in the bed on the side of my house facing the street (I'm on the corner lot) to replace an Indian rubber vine. I got a 3 gal hibiscus for $5! It is beautiful. Not a fancy tropical or a double, but the color was just breathtaking. I got it at Esperanza's Garden Center booth. Seemed like a family run business and she gave me a card. They are at 6001 Haines Rd in St. Pete. They had beautiful plants and the prices were so low, but I really can't go digging any more holes in the yard. I have enough to take care of now. I got my free plant(lantana). Only got one this year because my DH was home sick. Did get one little plant from Colorfield Farms (they have great stuff) but I have no idea what it is!lol It's an oak or maple flowering plant with pink & yellow flowers. Also came in red & yellow. I love the Green Thumb Festival. They are so well organized. I wish they would change one thing...keep the dogs out. It's so crowded and everyone's pulling a wagon, some people trying to get by in scooters and then you have two or three people with dogs getting all tangled up. All in all, it's one of the best sales you can go to. Julie

Got there right about nine this morning. No problem parking in the lot in the second row. Found myself three bamboos: Black Timor, Ying Yang, Teddy Bear (lots more bamboo vendors this year, trend?) Red Lady Papaya from a very grouchy tropical fruit vendor who told me kiwis won't set fruit here in FL....need to check on that. Almost didn't buy from him because of his attitude, but it was such a pretty little tree I couldn't help myself. 10 beach sunflowers from Twigs n Leaves ...found out they moved to Central which is why they've been closed the last dozen times I drove by the MLK location. Rooster Spur pepper from the peeper plant dude. Ice Cream Banana from Mitches, and a gorgeous ornamental banana that I can't remember the name of...but it's from Africa and gets really big around and tall...will need to look that one up. Ginger roots and a lobster claw heliconia. What I didn't find was bougainvillea. I only found one place that had them, and they werre fancy bigger expensive ones in topiary and such. Bummer. Had fun though!