Wow... again! LOL... Such responses. It's taken me the better part of the day to absorb it all. I'll try to take them in order. Guapogardener... I'm trying to do the whole xeriscaping thing. I am not one that likes to spend copious amounts of water when it's not available. Also since all of the watering done will have to be done by hand, it's a lot of work to do for this entire lot. My old garden in Portland was large, but not as large as the lot I have now. I can't imagine planting labor intensive flora in the long run. I am looking for 'substitutes' so to speak. I feel it would be strange to try to put in plants that thrived in Portland here in Orlando. Additionally, there are all these beautiful tropical plants to choose from - I can't imagine picking something as 'mundane' as a rhododendron when I can have crotons. I would actually *love* to get rid of about 40% of the lawn I have now. Not just because it's a hodgepodge but I'm just not a big lawn person. Mowing, edging, weeding blah blah blah. And in return... a lawn. Now I know there are those that love lawns, I'm just not one of them. Also in Portland a brown lawn in the dry season is a badge of honor. It means that you are doing your part to conserve water. Countrynest... thank you for the welcome. :-) I intend to be asking many questions. Especially on plant identification. There's a couple plants I've seen that I'm really finding attractive. I just need to go out and get pics of them to post here and ask. Gardencpa... The nickname is actually from my boyfriend. I have a lot of Irish in my background and because of my hair and skin, he calls me that. I have to admit I like it. *grin* Watering... there are plenty of nozzles available for hoses. Which is a good thing in the establishment phase of things. "only the toughest plants survive"... there must be a lot of tough plants here. It seems like everything grows so well... almost too well. It confuses me because of the sandy soil and the heavy rains that wash away minerals. Yet... everything grows like wildfire. Is everyone fertilizing like mad or did too many people bring in too many plants? The skunk vine... is that the name of the very delicate looking vine that's very invasive? The one with the clusters of small white flower with magenta throats and small pointy leaves? I'd love to know the name of it. You know what they say... 'know thine enemy'. ;-) Ill_mannered_ache... I think you are so right about starting small. If nothing else it makes sense when trying to establish plantings. Instead of driving the water bill sky high by trying to establish new plantings all over, it seems better to so a bed or two at a time. Not only for labor but because you do have to water things that you're trying to establish. Lakeron... I sooooo know what you mean about microclimates. I've noted so far that I have at least four... not just for the four compass directions either although they do play a role. The western sunset sun is much more harsh than the eastern sunrise sun. Also the southern side is much more prone to have things wither than the northern side. I'm glad you posted because it made me think of sectioning off parts in the yard into individual areas. I've got more than enough space to do it. Lacoquina... One of my big concerns is planting 'bad plants'. The ones that can get out of control, be invasive, have environmental issues etc. I am glad you posted about the passion vine simply because I'd been looking at it. I think I am better off with a different flowering vine. Any suggestions? :-) Fawnridge... I'm trying to go with the approach of creating 'islands'... I'm not big on water features simply because... well if it's a fountain and it runs it makes me have to go to the bathroom. *grin* Anna... thank you for posting. I'm still confused about things growing so big/fast and the condition of the soil. If the sand is so bad, why do things grow so well? Susieq... a sidenote... that's my sister's nickname. :-D My oleander hasn't bloomed much for the past months, is it possible that the bugs are eating the blooms? What product do you use? In Portland I used natural controls for bugs - alliums, marigolds etc but I fear that natural controls may not be enough here. Whew! Thank you all for your feedback. I'm watching this thread like a hawk. So much knowledge in one place. It's like I've found nervana for garden info in Florida!

Google is great for stuff like this. City-data forums and Google maps are great for researching areas. I have often Googled an address of a place I am interested in and find out lots of information that was left out of the real estate ad. My parents spend a good part of the winter in Amelia Island/Fernandina Beach, which is right near the GA/FL border. It really doesn't get Florida warm (upper 70's) until April but it is still a great improvement over upstate NY winters. Because it is a little cooler, the winter rates are lower than most of Florida.

Arkansas- The Natural State. The name means "south wind". Our beautiful lakes and rivers are a main draw for people. This state is very rich in minerals and has the only open-to-the-public diamond mine in the world. Lots of forest land and we grow rice better than any other state, along with other crops. I live near Eureka Springs, which is a tourist town also referred to as "a little Switzerland". It was attractive to people starting in the late 1800s because of the healing properties of all the springs. Ozarka water was first bottled here. Arkansas is home to Wal-Mart, too. We moved here from FL to get away from crowds and hot, hot weather. Now we have 4 seasons and no neighbors and the closest real traffic light is about 22 miles away, in a town that has just about everything we'll ever need. :)

Damage report from western Boca Raton... My back is sore, really sore. Oh, and some dead Areca fronds fell down... around 843 of them. Honestly, I'm going to have a hard time claiming I survived a Cat 4 hurricane. Matthew was nothing compared to Francis and Jeanne. Even the three days of Irene were much worse rain than we got from this storm. I'm thankful, don't get me wrong, and even more thankful that it missed Jamaica - our home away from home, but after 11 years of not having to hang the shutters, my back was not entirely up to the task. There were cookies and Advil aplenty yesterday when the last piece of galvanized steel shutter was shoved into the corner of the garage. For those of you, like me, who were spared the ravages of what could have been the storm of our lifetimes, we should wipe away the sweat and hope it's another 11 years before we go through this again. For those of you who lost part or all of your garden, remember - they're just plants and they'll grow back eventually; as long as you're okay and your house is in one piece, say thanks to whoever you thank when miracles happen.