Im moving to Mexico and heard that Mexican grown strawberries are irrigated with residual water, and American grown are expensive and seasonal. The place has summer temps of 80s and in winter daytime 60s and 30s or 40s at night. What strawberry variety would suit the climate best and which would yield quality fruit all year?

Well, since nobody's answered this message... I'll tell you what I think. I've grown a lot of Alocasias, and they can be somewhat tempermental for me. They tend to like it warm and fairly moist. The long vining may also be a response to not enough light. The plants would be probably happiest divided into new pots, but be careful not to overpot by too much as they are vunerable to rotting, especially after transplanting. I would think that burying the elongated stems would merely invite additional possibility of rot, especially in the winter. The plants will survive okay until spring, somewhat on the dry side if it's cold, perhaps going dormant. In the spring, I'd suggest unpotting the whole mess and dividing the tubers into several pots, not burying them too deeply.

strip the foliage and cut it back right before you leave. Roses do go somewhat dormant in hot weather with reduced watering--just enough and no more. Start cutting back water now. Good luck in Mexico.

Hi Jae, I'm in Santa Fe and came here from N California. Basically, it took me 7 years to "get it" about gardening here - but now I have a courtyard wonderland that is the envy of everyone who sees it. We don't have lawns and huge gardening spaces - even on large properties. The idea is that you do "spot" gardens near the dwelling and leave the rest of the property to native growth. Dig a hole in our soil and you have a clay pot with a very small drain hole. So, your first approach is to amend small areas at a time and do a lot of container gardening with annuals while you slowly amend beds and add perrenials. This gives you a "flowering garden" while you build up what's actually in the ground. Use really rich potting soil like Fertilome for amending and for the containers. Every year, the slightly spent potting soil from the containers gets worked into my flower beds, and with the addition of composted mulch, the beds have gotten deeper and richer every year. When planting a perennial, you dig a hole much deeper and wider - like a large flower pot. Loosen the clay bottom and then fill with Fertilome or other really rich soil. It's exactly as if you are planting the perennial in an underground "pot" which will eventually break down and blend with the soil. Do enough of this and eventually the whole bed or area will be amended (along with top dressing with composted mulch, of course). The most wonderful thing about gardens here is the relative absence of pests (no slugs or snails or mosquitoes or fleas - pets don't need flea protection), and the proliferation of wild birds, little lizards, quail, and other critters that are so willing to occupy your garden space with you and make it more like a natural paradise! Plants need watering *every* day here, which is why containers, soaker hoses, and Native plants are a great idea, because water is a precious commodity here. Another essential is to understand microclimates. Because of adobe walls which store heat, and wind issues, you can have 3-4 climate zones right in your Zone 5 garden. Here is a link to our most wonderful local gardening resource: http://www.highcountrygardens.com/ Periodic vists to their store/nursery, Santa Fe Greenhouses, is a must and *such* a fun experience. Hope this helps - and welcome to Paradise. jessica