Sergey, Sorry for being so late with this post. The roses having been my focus so far; now I am turning to my fruit trees (It's pruning time!) Anyhow, I live in Santa Monica, about twenty blocks in from the ocean and have been growing peaches, apricots, figs, loquats, guavas, most of the citrus, blueberries, boysenberries and frais des bois for twenty years. Dave Wilson, as others have mentioned, is the single best resource both for trees and information. Armstrong's Nurseries carry their plants and will order anything they don't have on stock, but so will many of the smaller independent nurseries. I am also partial to Pacific Tree Farms down in Chula Vista and in addition have bought the odd tree at the Santa Monica Farmers Market, the Huntington Library Spring Sale and the Papaya Leaf Nursery out in Grenada Hills. Again, as others have suggested, the key is to plant trees with the right chill-hour needs for our area. The trees I planted twenty years ago, when there just weren't that many low-chill varieties around have been supplanted by varieties that sound much better to me. Mid-pride grows an enormous number of peaches which tend to ripen all in one week at the beginning of July each year. Some years they taste great, other years just bleh. I did use a weekly foliar spray of kelp this year and had a bonanza year of good tasting fruit on every plant. If you are starting from scratch I would seriously recommend Dave Wilson's suggestion to plant four different varieties in one hole to spread out your harvest time. All the details are on his website. About six years ago I put in a Goldkist apricot, which again I believe has been supplanted by better varieties (I have my eye on that Joe's Italian and also the white apricot being discussed on some stone fruit forums) but since it took forever for my apricot to bear (it doesn't get a lot of sun) I am reluctant to pull it. You will discover that on the coast that while we are certainly warmer than Russia, we don't get as much heat as some low-chill varieties need for good ripening. A lychee I bougth in Grenada Hills with fruit, refuses to bear down here. So talking to people in your area that have fruit trees is wise. If you find a club, I would love to know about it. I have been gardening solo since I left Hollywood and its wonderful community garden twenty-one years ago. But hey, you're in California now! Don't ignore the satsuma tangerines, the Meyer lemons, the figs and other trees you couldn't grow in Russia. And persimmons! I am trying to find room for one (or three) now. Good luck. Write back if you need more specific info. PS I am all organic if that matters to you.

Travis@bloosquall,thanks for the plug and compliment.When considering price pay attention to what the competitors are selling for and adjust your price up or down according to quality.In a price war everybody loses.I have a high base price for those who just want to buy a bulb or two and any sales over two pounds[I have a $30 minimum] and give a 20% instant discount(its easy to figure in your head) which encourages larger sales.Most large sales occur during planting season[sept.-nov.] with most sales in Oct.If you overproduce your market demand,which is easy to do,you will have unsellable stock no matter how cheap or awesome it may be.I have a box of mixed varieties at a cheap price some are small(2"minus),broken bulbs,highly irregular shapes and just plain ugly.I sell basically two sizes-2"-21/2"planting grade and 21/2"-3"gourmet grade same price.More than a half dozen varieties leads to consumer confusion.KISS-keep it simple stupid.I had 16 varieties this year and am cutting back by a third and also overproduced the market-left over stock.Sales $10-15k.Grew 12,000 bulbs,10k sellable this year and cutting back to 10k planted and hopefully 9k sellable.Some new varieties just did not perform/disappointing.My Spanish Roja outsells and outperforms everything I grow and that goes for the other vendors also.I have the highest and lowest prices in the market.I planted 6k Roja last year and about half were gourmet size.Most consumers will buy the largest bulbs;big sells and junk will break you. Guru Engeland claims its difficult for a grower to surpass 1500 pounds of hand-crafted garlic and I would totally agree.You have to keep 200-300# for planting.So you will probably end up with 1000# of quality bulbs.At 8 bulbs to the pound avg.you will have to plant 12k+bulbs;lots of work and preplanning. A 1000# at $6 pound will give you a gross of 6k now deduct expenses(fertilizer,marketing,etc.) You figure it out.You would probably make more money standing on a street corner with a sign saying,"WILL WORK FOR FOOD".I been selling and growing garlic for 15 years and have been insulted and praised but I'll be damned if I'm gonna work for nothing.There is no competition with junk and agri-garlic.Be proud of your product,grow the best.Yeah,I still have garlic for sale.Van Foeken Farm

My list: 1. Asperula Blue 2. Balsam white 3. Brachyscome 'Little Missy' 4. Browallia 5. Campanula longistyla Isabella Blue 6. Cerinthe - any blue 7. Ceratotheca triloba alba 8. Dicentra exima (white) 9. Elschscholzia california 'Wrinkled Rose' Globularia any low blue Linaria triornithophora âÂÂRoseaâ Lobelia any cascading blue annual or perennial blue like L x gerardia (spelling?) Nasturtiums - any by color (no mixes) prefer trailing/climbing, pale/white Nierembergia blue Pelargonium (Scented Geranium) - any Pennisetum glaucum 'Purple majesty' (Ornamental millet) Penstemon speciosus Plectranthus - any, especially aromatic (already have argentatus & barbatus) Plectranthus amboinicus (Cuban Oregan) Plumbago white Salvia canescens var. daghestanica Salvia chamaedryoides - would love silver leaved form Salvia coccinea white Salvia cyanescens - white, as well as blue Salvia patens 'Patio White'; as well as 'Patio Blue' Salvia rubescens - has silvery leaves/ red-orange flowers Stachys albotomentosa Stachys citrina Thyme - any Torenia Deep Blue This post was edited by primrose1x3 on Sat, Nov 30, 13 at 18:16

That's not my area, but I've been there. It's the last of the old Gilmore empire, which included oil fields, the bank, a race track and a stadium. All before my time, of course, but we were brought up with the ghosts. My memories of The Farmer's Market are mostly about smelly, hot, uneven asphalt, flies and damp heat trapped under the canvas top. It was pretty dirty all over. It sounds like it has improved a lot! The only food I remember eating there--all independent stalls, the restaurants were on the periphery and were also locals--was beignets. They were the rolled and cut rectangles, and bright yellow (eggs?), rather than choux dough (which I know is traditionally the most common kind in NOLA, but in L.A. would just be a French churro). The rolled ones were cut with a zigzag wheel, and puffed up into little footballs.