In case you need to spend a little time on a garden tour, but, don't want to leave the comfort of the air conditioning here is an option> http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/739026/
Arm chair travel anyone?
Wow...nice pictures. I visited Bok Tower back in the seventies, but it wasn't quite this pretty then. My kids weren't very interested in anything but the swans they had in the moat area. It's very peaceful there. Thanks for bringing back memories. I've always enjoyed the unusual plants at Cypress Gardens, too. You all in Florida have so much to look at and enjoy. Thanks for sharing it with the members here.
Brugie,
Cypress Gardens is next weekend. Then either Jacksonville or Miami, and then....
The swans are still there, not the same ones I would think.
Thanks for sharing, Dale. :)
-Joe
Cool. They are such beautiful birds. Thanks for the picture. Can't wait to see what you come up with from CG.
Photo Safari on the weekends, hunting the big game. :-)
These folks were having a picnic on the grounds at Bok on Sat, I walked right up on them, they didn't care.
LOL! I think armadillo and possum are two of the ugliest creatures we have in the US. Good picture tho.
I can change your view of possums. :) http://www.possumrescue.com As for armadillos, they eat a lot of insects. In a way I think they're so ugly they're cute. They are also helping find a vaccine and a cure for leprosy http://www.hhmi.org/biointeractive/disease/leprosy/leprosy2.html :)
-Joe
I'm sure possums do eat a lot of insects and worms, but I've been around them for over 60 years and never did like them. I think it is the rat like tail that makes me dislike their looks and their teeth aren't pretty either. They eat my bird seed and jelly and poop on my deck. We trap them and relocate them. I'm sure we have trapped the same ones many times. I don't know what their range is. If they can use either of them to find a cure for something, that is great. I'd just rather not have to deal with them here. Sorry....I'm too old to change. LOL! Thanks for the URL.
:)))
I understand. Possums aren't the prettiest creatures in the world. One of my favorite critters of all time was a one-eyed albino rat I owned named "Petunia." She knew her name and would come when called, she would do anything for a treat, and she never ever once got mean or upset with me. She loved being tickled. (To me, and to people who would hold her) she was a really special girl. But I had a friend who got totally weirded out by her.
In the same sense, scorpions and I do not get along, at all. I know people who keep them as pets. Um, no.
:)
-Joe
LOL, two of my grandchildren had pet rats. I told them it was fine with me as long as they kept them at home. I don't think I could handle a lot of the things people have as pets. Just give me a dog or a cat. I think most of the other things were meant to be left in the wild. At least around my house.
Dale~
I know it is hard to compare, but do you have a favorite garden that you have visited in the past year?
Which had the best gift shop that sold plants?
Mom,
This is like the ghosts of Xmas past. I had taken this thread off my watch list. I happened to see it while lurking....
Bok Tower is my favorite, because it is on a hill - better exercise, and it is BIG. It is the nicer drive from Tampa because I can go across on Hwy 60 (no freeway travel). My 2nd would be Henry Leu, east of downtown Orlando (what a nightmare drive). Last would be Selby in Sarasota, it is small and somewhat low budget.
If I could I would go to Fairchild once a month, south of Miami, but at over 6 hours from the house it is a 2 day round trip journey for me. And I don't leave town for just 2 days, has to be a week to make it worthwhile to go that far.
Pagoda flower>
Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts Dale! If you can stand any more brain picking... do you have a favorite local and favorite mail/web nursery?
If you go to GoGardening http://davesgarden.com/products/go/ and type in your zipcode you will find that I have already listed them for the Tampa Area.
My favorites on the web - wholesale or retail? Remember I have a nursery and I plant flower beds for a living (wholesale).
Also I like to collect plants from other places and try them here. Those places include CA, TX, NC etc. (retail).
Croton, from the Mouse's House in Orlando (disney)>
hey dale
Any idea how hardy crotons are? I have a small one in the ground; should I dig it up and put it in a pot on the patio which is covered in plastic right now or will it do alright in the ground in my zone 9B. We are in the low 40's at night right now.
Patty,
Very few Croton can take a freeze. I only know of one that is 'hardy'. I would say err on the side of caution and keep it from any kind of frost.
We have some crotons here that will lose their leaves when we go below 45*. I don't plant those. Most of our crotons will take temps near freezing, but, only for an hour or two at most.
Thanks for the info. I've noticed that one of mine started losing its leaves. It was in a pot and I've moved it to the patio. I still have one other in the ground that I need to dig up and pot. Seems like we are going to have a colder winter this year.