Hi Bill, welcome to Florida and the forum! Congrats on the babies, it will be fun for you and them to learn about Florida gardening together :) I'm a transplant from Ohio. I've been in Florida 10 years, first in Williston (9a) in north central Florida and now in Englewood (10a) in SW Florida. It took me several years to finally quit trying to grow plants down here that thrived in Ohio (I so desperately wanted to grow my bee balm, tulips, foxgloves, lamb's ear, etc). While July and August can be brutally hot and humid in Ohio, Florida's summer is generally 8 or so months long. Many of my Ohio plants couldn't handle the heat and humidity that long. In addition, in Williston I tried to grow all the tropical plants that I thought were cool (birds of paradise, citrus trees, etc) and was sure that I would have my own tropical paradise soon. Wrong! We got several hard freezes each winter and my sandhill property's "soil" was pitiful. Now, just 1 full zone further south in Englewood, those plants thrive and I have a jungle! I think the most important things I can recommend are: - improve the soil in your entire garden (not just the hole the plant is going in) with manure, compost, fertilizer, etc based on your plants' needs for the best chance of success. - try planting natives whenever possible as they will be easier to grow since they are acclimated to our beautiful state - here or anywhere you live, plant nectar and host plants to attract pollinators like butterflies, bees and even hummingbirds so that you have a better chance of fruit and vegetable production. In addition, your girls will learn to identify and love the many cool creatures the plants draw. Sorry for rambling on. Good luck on your new adventures! Rhonda

Photolovely color as well.

When I lived in Winter Haven, It was a 20 minute ride over to Florida Southern. I was just starting to get really interested in growing good roses. I remember when things started to get fired up at the school. Dr. Manners had about 32 Double Delight's planted in 25 gal. pots in a long row just outside the Gym doors. Each bush was injected with different types of virus's and different amounts. It was a great start to a life long project. The school colors are red and white, so the Double Delight's were a big hit. Back in the 80's the school had a great basketball program and packed the gym every home game. They were a big hit with everyone. I learned a LOT about soil and what it actually does from Dr. Manners. It didn't take long before the "big boys" learned about what was happening at the school and his work became well known. I feel very humbled to have watched this program come out of the ground.

Say hello to my little friend... John Deere! But seriously, if they are out in a field, cut em down and just mow (be patient, it may take up to a couple of years for things to stop resprouting). It works for just about anything that suckers - brambles, sumac, poplar, bamboo, etc. The only time it doesn't work is if your bananas are growing right up against something you DO care about, then you have more work to do.