The garden season starts pretty early here. The average frost free date here in Gainesville is March 10, but we typically get at least one cold dip between March 10 and March 31. Our local ig Spring Fest that draws about 4000 people over 2 days is usually the last weekend in March, but also the last weekend is the Leu Gardens Dale in Orlando, the annual Tropiflora sale April 5, the FSU Spring sale April 12, and the Mounts spring sale April 26. There's also a local plant swap I may attend on April 19. A lot start over in June for the "summer" round, and then in October/November there's a "fall" round. These local sales and swaps are where I get most of my very best plants of all types, not just Hoyas. I agree, we are very lucky here. It'd be worth a vacation for you to come to some, LOL.

I've been good Mike, how are you? My plants are doing ok, i suppose. Marjorie, is still the only plumeria blooming. I expected to have something on Penang Peach by now. My brug leaves aren't liking the heat so much, but they are all still blooming. I've got a noid brug that is putting out another flush of about 20, in this heat! Yea, I didn't really see anything that wowed me at home depot, but i thought maybe someone else would. I don't have much overwintering space, so anything that i buy has to be special. I'm really tempted to try and find one of the JJ Thai Jades that Kenny had the picture of. I'm trying to resist the urge, just not very successfully.

I know Bakersfield! :D You can live there... I don't even want to live as far south as Fresno! I understand your need. When I started growing tropicals, there was no information at all on half the plants I owned. Half the reason I was on here was to share what I'd learned through trial and ERROR. Also, you have to wade through the information about tropicals growing in humid conditions, and weed that out. Puya's need most excellent drainage.... but they aren't cacti, so they'll need more water the more drainage they get. I have mine in a clay pot, one of the few plants I put in a clay pot. I have a lot of time, being disabled, but I have still found that if I don't have too many plants, I give them better care.... that's awful news to tropical lovers. :D Since you live in sub desert conditions, I'd sink your plants in the ground. Unless we have another freaky winter like last year, most of yours will survive fine outside during the winter. If you are lucky, thank you global warming, your habanero might even survive, but I thought they needed more humidity than Bakersfield could possibly provide. :D I tried growing them, but gave up when the cats dug them up.... :( I am now trying cut my water usage, cept in the tropical area of my garden. good luck! have fun! :D

It looks like a carpenter bee. We have them here in So. Cal. I don't know about the Mexican kinds, but ours are a solitary bee, less likely to sting than a common honeybee