Back from Florida Vacation

Hi all,

We had a great time in Florida, it was very different than what we expected. I've only seen pictures on TV or in magazines of Florida, so I never realized how green and rural it was. I'm so used to the "Concrete Jungle" so it was beautiful.
We stayed in Tampa for a few days, then went to Orlando to see Epcot Center, then we took a drive to the East Coast to see Coca Beach and Cape Canavaral.

Epcot was a little disappointing, as we were under the impression that it had more interesting info on all the countries and that it can take 1-2 days to see it all. We got there at 10 am and left at 4 pm and had seen the whole place and what it had to offer. We thought it was more of a Disneyland type production!! The Int'l Flower Show was held during this time and they did have a lot of flowers everywhere and a small tent with some demonstrations once in awhile. I sat in on one for "Hypaturfa" and it was very interesting.
Our favorite place of all was "Cypress Gardens". It also was having their Spring Gardens Time and the place was all in bloom. Even my husband was impressed with the place and he's not a gardener.
We also went to Busch Gardens in Tampa and it was also nicer than some other places we have visited. Our friends that we stayed with has a neighbor who teaches the dolphins and puts on the show there. He surprised us by taking us behind the scene after the show and gave us a private tour and we both got to pet some dolphins. It was exciting to say the least.
Out here in Calif. there are nurseries everywhere. Do you think I could find a nursery in Central Florida? Not very easy. The HD and Walmart have put a lot of them out of business and the few they do have are on peoples private property. After searching the central Florida area, I did come home with 6 new plants and several cuttings of plants that pinched off myself. Shhhh, don't tell, ok? I rinsed off all of the dirt and sent them home via "Priority Mail". I received them the day after I got home. This is what I bought myself: Jacobinia, Croton "Mamey", Dwarf Mex. Petunia, Ixora "Coral", East Indian Holly Fern and a Firecraker plant. All of these were new to me, so I just had to have them.
My DH called our trip, the "Gardeners Vacation". As I was more impressed about the plants and vegatation than any of the attractions. I took lots of pictures and will post them as soon as I find the time to upload them and resize.

Donna
ps, dave I noticed a few changes while I was gone, but not so much that I couldn't find my way anymore. LOL

Hey next trip to Florida you gotta go to Miami and check out Fairchild Tropical Gardens! Great palms, tropicals and everything else!

Welcome back, SoCal! We missed you, and we're glad to hear you had a good time! We won't tell anyone about the plant rustling you did.......

Welcome back Donna! We missed you! I am glad ya'll had a good time...I saw you waving at me when you flew over! Lisa

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