Linda, I agree... I am only 15 minutes from where HWY 27 and I-4 connect. I will admit, I was feeling a bit wierd when no one posted here... I thought... are there no other gardeners who visit here in Polk County? lol... I plan on going to Solstice's plant swap... and i hear, there is some talk about one might occur in tampa as well.. while I am centrally located to both of those, I still am thinking, if I can get my front yard what i want it to be this year... in the next year or 2, I could consider hosting a plant trade... [even though my house in in constant state of repair, lol] BTW does anyone know a good tree doctor in my general area? I think I need some good advice, the original owners of the house planted 2 very nice live oaks on the property... but than they built on to the house, to where one of the trees is not even 4 feet away from the concrete foundation... we have noticed where the original porch concrete bottom is 'ribbing' from the roots, and we are afraid it will disturb the foundation on the house Blessed Be, Carrie Ann

In addition to local nurseries you could check out this great business called Edible Landscaping, which specializes in fruit trees. They're located in VA so most of what they carry will do well in our area. http://www.eat-it.com Juneberries/Serviceberries (amalanchier) are one of my favorite native fruits, and will do fine in some shade since they often grow in the forest. They have small red-purple berries with an edible seed inside. My husband says they taste like blueberries and I think they taste like Sweet Tarts (maybe I don't let them get all the way ripe!). The birds will love whatever you don't eat. I'll eat a pawpaw or two in the wild but the kerosene like aftertaste stops me after that, so I wouldn't plant them in my yard. Some people don't seem to be bothered by them though. Gooseberries and currants can also apparently take shade, especially afternoon shade (which side of your yard is the forest on?). Otherwise most fruit trees will do better in full sun. Figs THRIVE in my neighborhood in Takoma Park/Silver Spring. (There are so many trees within a few blocks of us, I have the theory that they're all cuttings off of one or two trees that have been passed around over the years.) I think the ones I like the best are Celeste, if I've identified them right. Animals seem to leave them alone, which is a major plus. You can dry whatever you don't eat fresh. If you've never had a fresh fig, there's nothing quite like it. I'm a huge fan. In general most folks I know seem to think apples and peaches are too high-maintenance to be worth it. I have a peach tree in my backyard that produces massive amounts of fruits but the squirrels like to eat them when they're green, so I get very few. It's kind of heartbreaking -- every year I see the number of fruits and my hopes are so high for good, fresh peaches, and it never quite comes out that way. We also have a pear tree that is not nearly as productive, but just as attractive to the squirrels. I have yet to eat a pear. I have a neighbor who grows plums somewhat successfully but loses a lot to the plum curculio bug. Mulberries grow pretty much as a weed tree in this area because birds eat so many of them and spread the seeds. I find them very tasty. You can easily feed yourself and the birds. You'd just have to stay on top of any seedlings that start coming up where you don't want them (especially along fences where birds perch). This year I have plans to plant a sour cherry. Birds are supposed to like them less than sweet cherries. We'll see. I'm also looking into Japanese persimmon. Blueberries also can do well here if you amend the soil to be acidic enough for them. You will have to fight the birds for them, too. Good luck!

Looks like this is a dead posting, but just in case, I have overwintered (in the ground)successfully: -Tuberous (100%) -Dahlias - multiple varieties - 95% -Cannas - multiple varieties - 90% - my lesson with these guys is to not try to move them around in the fall. Every time I have monkeyed with them late in the year and left them in the ground, I have lost them. -Butterfly Ginger - 100% -Black Magic Elephant Ears - 50% - These are my hardest as I can't seem to control rot on the big mother corms, but I always get volunteers to come up. -Traditional (green) Elephant Ears - 75% - Similar problems as above with the rot. My process is to cut back the plants prior to our last frost and then pile traditional hardwood mulch over the plant while the ground is fairly warm. For certain plants I place a piece of tarp inside the mound to keep moisture (and frost) from permeating down to the soil. Where I have spring bulbs, I avoid the tarp and just carefully begin pulling the mulch away when winter starts and the danger of a deep freeze starts to pass. Works great and I have been able to grow tulips next to dahlias with no problems. I live in the Annapolis area and this year I have added Philo's, a Chinese windmill, a needle palm, and two kinds of lantanta to my trials. I'll put up another post this Spring with results. Cheers!

Lena, your post made me laugh. I know exactly what you mean about needing someone to boost your car in the winter. I have found in this neck of the woods, it's more difficult to get to know the neighbours. I don't know if it's the culture here, but it really surprised me. I grew up on a street where the neighbours frequently would come out to help if you needed a boost or your walk shovelled. I can also relate to the civic pride. I think it's similar to a Canadian making sure they are not mistaken for an American because we are Canadian, a different country. kec - thanks for all that info. I am getting into gardening, but I haven't had much luck here in Tucson. I just don't have a solid grasp of what grows here and doesn't. I want all the colourful flowers we have at home, but they just don't grow here. I went to the local Basha's grocery shopping one day in the early fall and I nearly jumped out of my pants when I saw rhubarb in the produce dept. When I went to check out, the young man said, "m'aam, I don't think your celery looks too good!" I explained to him what it was and he had never heard of it before. Just one of the differences in climate. I can understand why gardening is so popular up there. the growing season must be short and people take advantage of it. In Calgary, restaurant patios are very popular because you can't sit outside in the winter. The season is so short there, that people are outside in the summer as much as they can to take advantage of the short warm season. I have already started to do alot of research. I just started looking at MLS listings to compare what we can get there compared to here. We can definitely get more house for less money. That's a good thing! deeje - thank you so much for those links! They are all very helpful. You're about the 10th person who told me that como is much desired. Do homes go up for sale often in that neighbourhood? I ask because my parent's area is very desirable and homes rarely go up for sale because once people move there, they stay. On the rare occasion a house is listed, it's gone before the sign can be put up and there are few contingencies because people just want to be in the area. My parents house is older, they are elderly, they updated years ago, but now those updates are out of date. They won't have to do anything to their home whatsoever and people will pay top dollar for it. kudzu - I don't believe I implied older was rundown or that SP was a 2nd rate city. I'm just trying to get info about a new place that I've never been, but will be making my home. I don't know the size or what ammenities are available and I have lived in other places that seemed to be large enough to have everything, but didn't. What is Yak Butter?