Brian: There is no reason why the Apache blackberry should not do well in coastal South Carolina. I don't think I would be concerned about inadequate winter chilling hours, since this blackberry is grown as far south as Florida. Hot, humid summers is just what blackberries like, so long as the soil they are planted in is not allowed to dry out completely. I know that you have had an unusual dry period in SC this season, and in these conditions you would want to water the plants deeply about once a week, especially if your soil is light and sandy. But you can help this situation by mulching the plants with whatever organic mulch you can find, to help hold moisture in the soil and feed the plants. I use stable manure that consists of about 70% wood chips and 30% horse apples, but chips or sawdust from lumber mills, compost, or even grass clippings would be fine. I grow the trailing thornless Triple Crown and Doyle here, and we are picking their big berries right now, with the season extending to about the last week of August. Apache sounds as good or better than what I am growing, although it is hard to beat Doyle for total production. We just made our first batch of blackberry jelly tonight with a mix of these two varieties, and it is pretty good stuff. You can't buy anything of this flavor and quality. If you like blackberries, put your Apaches in this fall. Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA

3 years after I first planted Autumn Bliss I would have said it was better than Heritage. People are always citing favorites on line without specifying how long the relationship. It takes 10 years to really be able to evaluate a variety. Not that I'm suggesting that people shouldn't share their excitement- I just wish I could qualify input better because everyone on-line sounds equally expert and confident in their opinions without usually mentioning the depth of their experience. It was after growing brambles for 5 years that I began to realize that a lot of varieties get diseased after about that time and you have to start up a new bed somewhere else. Some sites last a little longer and some less. By the time I realized that I had so many other kinds of fruit growing that I couldn't be bothered with species so short lived. I tried about 8 varieties of raspberries, 3 or 4 blackberries, 2 types or purple raspberries and 3 types of blackraspberries and now all I grow are Heritage and a couple Navajo blackberries. The exception to the 5 year rule are primocane bearers (fall bearers). I am speaking from southeastern NY but have heard this is a problem over a very wide area of the humid U.S.

Thank you all for your input! Hubby and I are leaning towards the parthenocissus for the majority of the wall planted somewhere near the right (front) end. But I'm not sure which species would do well in my climate zone and in these conditions where the sun would be on that section for the entire day. Mine is fine with sun hitting it the entire day. If the leaves look scorched, water a bit more. Avoid P. quinquefolia (Viginia creeper) because it is too rampant. Named varieties of other species will be more tame. Expect a year or two to establish a good root system before the plant really takes off, but you should get some coverage the first year. Also, if those sticky suckers flake off, will the plant be at risk of falling off the wall? No. If some bit of the plant accidentally gets pulled off the wall, just cut that part off because it won't re-attach. A new bit will grow and stick on its own. Also, I'd still like to do one bougainvillea on the opposite corner. Anyone have tips for pruning to keep it the shape I want? Use a hedge trimmer and just shear it close to the wall. Bougies bloom on new growth, so new growth = flowers, so cutting back = more flowers, not less (within reason). Do not trim a baby plant too much. Let it establish. I'd like to have it climb up the wall at the corner and then most trail across the top section of the wall. In this situation where it will be attaching itself to the wall, how can I help direct its growth since there's nothing to tie pieces to as one would if growing on a trellis. Bougies won't attach themselves. You will have to install some strong wires or a trellis and use them to attach. Would also appreciate help on choosing a bougainvillea veiety suitable to this location/climate. I'm hoping "Orange Ice" will work because I really love the colors. A non-red color will be much less rampant and would be a good choice. Check on performance for that particular variety in your area--have you seen one growing in your neighborhood that looks good? Plant bougies in June or July when the soil is warm and do not disturb the rootball. Baby bougies are easily killed because the roots are so frail and brittle and need warmth. Established bougies are nearly impossible to kill. For planting slit the planting pot up, place the pot in the planting hole and gently pull out the pieces of the pot, leaving the roots as undisturbed as you can. Should I purchase online or would local nursery be better to ensure getting plants that are best for my area? If you have a good quality garden center nearby, that should be fine. Neither genus is particularly rare or hard to find.

Hi all!! I'm new to growing gourds, and while I know this is a pumpkin thread, I have been looking for an answer to why my luffa vine's female flower's start out appearing healthy and happy, but soon turn yellow and never full mature. I'm wondering if the same explanation might apply to this branch of the gourd family as well. I've had some healthy female flowers, 7 to be exact, on a vine that is easily 30 feet long (with all of its branch offs). I'm very mindful of the females because I'm told that one healthy vine can support up to 30 good sized loofah (luffa) gourds. I currently have 5 growing, and I believe a 6th was successfully pollinated by hand as were the previous 5. I contacted the site owner of luffa.info and he suggested I might have a fungus issue, or the water here in West Palm isn't all that great, but I can't find a definitive answer, and this is the only vine I have and I was hoping for a healthy crop of loofahs for gifts, but unless I figure out the reason for poorly maturing females...there's no way I'm gonna see even half that amount. Do you think it could simply be a matter of the vine needing to grow more in order to support more fruits? I only ask because while it's still branching, the rapid growth I saw over the last few months has slowed dramatically, and the vine may be close to, or has already reached it's maximum size. As best I can tell the vine is very healthy, and has been lightly fertilized, and I was hoping someone that's an experienced gourd grower, if not loofah, might be willing to help a newbie gardener. Any thoughts or possibly pointing me in the right direction if this is the wrong area in the forum to be inquiring about loofahs, would be greatly appreciated!! Thanks! 40Acres