If you are looking for unusual plants for your balcony, don't restrict yourself to only local nurseries. Check out on-line nurseries as well. My favorite local nurseries, including two Internet nurseries, in ranking order are: AnnieÂs Annuals I love Annie's. Located in Richmond, CA (northern California). Some of her plants can be purchased at Rogers Gardens or you can order on-line. She has a great catalog! Annie's Annuals Buena Creek Gardens They have some plants in the ground so that you can see what they look like as mature plants. Fantastic nursery and worth the drive. 418 Buena Creek Road San Marcos (760) 744-2810 Buena Creek Gardens Brita's Old Town Gardens 225 Main St. Seal Beach (562) 430-5019 Brita's Old Town Gardens RogerÂs Gardens They have all the big-box store plants and much, much more. They cater to Newport's wealthy and thus their prices are little higher. 2301 San Joaquin Hills Rd Corona Del Mar (949) 640-5800 Roger's Gardens World Wide Exotics Located out in the middle of no-where and they do business beneath a shade tent. They have many interesting plants. 11157 Orcas Ave Lake View Terrace (818) 890-1915 Open Wed-Sat 9:30-4:00 H&H Nursery They will have all your big-box store plants and much more. 6220 Lakewood Blvd Lakewood (562) 804-2513 H&H Nursery Epies By Pat This is a local on-line nursery. Epiphyllum are wonderful balcony plants. I've included a photo of one of mine. Epies By Pat Epiphyllum do well in hanging pots in a shaded area.

Philo, They won't, but the beagle mix and the Rhodesian ridgeback will. DC, You probably see the same thing a lot, too. DS, Those are fledgling hummingbirds (ruby-throated, I think). They were gone the next day. Hummers are year-around residents down San Diego way. Breton, They're in Spring Valley, where I visited some friends. Sorry to disappoint in that regard, but I don't need any more plants now - I've got a little haul from Down South that I need to process into The Family.

Thanks for the well wishes! I started out with 16 possible entries a couple of months ago, last night I made the final decision on the top ten. They're all nice but the ones I selected are my favorites and IMHO are the best of the best. There's at least one that will wow the judges. For the average grower it is not a big production, but for me the being so anal about the presentation and the headache of making a pot to match the plant it is fairly involved. Most of the specimens I'm taking have to be prepared months in advance, taking them from growing pots or bed to show containers, root pruning or downright removal. There's one plant I cut in half to fit into the pot and still look balanced. Another was plucked from the ground 5:00 this morning and staged before I went to work. There's only two that I did nothing to, since I want them to grow slow I just leave them in the show pots year round. Then there's transportation. If it was just across town it would be a piece of cake, but a 6hr drive takes some preparation. Each plant has to be anchored to the pot so it doesn't vibrate out and topple over. Then the smaller plants need to boxed in such a way so they don't dump from going around a corner. On one plant the stems are so fragile that I put netting around so they don't snap from the bumpy ride. Another plant that didn't make the cut

Agave desmetiana and attenuata are common to see at nurseries around here. The Mediopicta Alba may be a little harder to track down. Yes, you can grow all three of these in pots, but the americana will eventually get too large for that. It's a slow grower, even more so in a pot, so it will do just fine in a container for years. In fact, all three of these have gracefully recurved leaves that look great in fancy pots. A retailer with a good selection of Agaves and other succulents is Half Moon Bay nursery on Rt. 92. Many retail nurseries in this area buy their Agaves wholesale from San Marcos Growers. Check out their web site, they have the plants you want. Then check their retailer list for Northern California here to find one near you. Then contact that retailer and tell them what you want. Depending on the item and its cost, you may be required to pay up front, no refunds, but you'll be able to select from a long list of great Agaves. Succulent Gardens in Castroville has some agaves, not an extensive list, but I think Robin Stockwell grows the three you want. Call first, but a visit to his growing grounds is a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon. Brad