Where is Everybody?

When I can get Internet, I check to see what's going on in our forum....very q-u-i-e-t! Out Christmas shopping is my best guess. Loving the almost tropical vegetation in Vero Beach - there's a beautiful banyan tree here, probably 10 feet across. Love those!
Entlie

Christmas shopping, decorating the tree, addressing cards, wrapping gifts, baking cookies. LOL, I have not done any of those things, I am just being a slug.

Hope you had a good trip down the ditch or did you go outside?

In the ditch all the way this year, and beautiful country all the way.

I've been getting everything in the greenhouse. It's been so warm here, I didn't need to start until a few weeks ago, after Thanksgiving. Even now, the temps are fluctuating so much, I can sometimes leaves the greenhouse doors open at night.
Other than that, not a lot has been going on.
Barb

I didn't put my key lime in the garage this year. It's getting big and unruly with hardly any limes. I think this will end the love hate relationship.
Entlie

I have a hibiscus like that. It's one of the first ones I grew from seed and is a single red, but the blooms are small and pale. So, it's not in the greenhouse. Now watch, dang thing will survive...

Barbie, anchored at Carolina Beach on our way south, I think that's pretty close to you.
Entlie

Heck yea it is! 2 miles away, on the same island. Are you going to anchor there on your way back?

Maybe. Probably. I'll send you a D-mail if we do. Boy, it was foggy that day, and we went down the Cape Fear in Pea Soup. Boats were following us, because we had a chart plotter and AIS (ship id) and knew where we were going :) By the time we got to Southport it was even worse! Stopped for a couple of hours, then went on to St. James Plantation when vis got to 1/2 mile. Entlie

Yep, when you were on your way to Southport, right after you past Sunny Point ammo depot, my house was about 3/4 of a mile to your East.
Barb

Barb, we'll have to offer her an incentive on their way back, free plants or something. :-)

Excellent idea!

Ooh! Who can turn down free plants!
Now in downtown Fort Lauderdale, tied to a wall in the New River. It's very beautiful here, tropical, lots of holiday lights.
Entlie

jealous!

I grew up in Ft. Lauderdale - parents and sister still live there.

Here in Summerville I'm shaking my head at the 80 degrees outside at the moment .. this uber warm fall/winter is really messing up the garden and causing me problems in the greenhouse. My Confederate Rose and Hydrangea's are starting to leaf out, Brugmansia are putting on new growth at the base and in the greenhouse things are GROWING like crazy. They are all suppose to be cold and comatose by now .. I have to spend a few minutes every morning cutting off passie tendrils so they don't mug their neighbors and my tropical Hibiscus are budding and blooming!.

On the key Lime tree, Entlie...I had always read they had to be kept above 50 degrees during the winter in order to bear fruit, so I did that. Some bore tons of Limes, some none. I thought the fruit-bearing trees were ones that I had kept in the big greenhouse to over-winter (which I keep above 60 degrees), but I didn't think much further than that. Then earlier this year I read that key limes need a minimum 60 degree winter temperature. So I put one of my "high-producing" KL in the cold greenhouse, but moved two others into the big, warmer GH to winter over. Both of those in the big GH are covered with flowers/fruit; none of the trees in the little GH have flowers/fruit, but they are staying alive. I suspect that 60 degree minimum for fruiting may be right...very inconvenient...but probably right

Ah HA! Good to know.
Barb

I'm with Xeramtheum about the weather. I am closer to the coast- about 8 miles as the crow flies so considered 8b. The temp changes have my plants in confusion and me too. Daffodills are coming up and the daylilies are putting out new growth before the old have even died back. Have even started to improve my vegetabe beds for planting on the wolf moon 1/8. In the past haven't started till late February but this year think I'll take the chance and put in my cool season plants- peas, radish, beets and boc choi.
Everyone-have a safe and happy holiday, Susan

None of my daffodils ahve some up, but my paperwhites are almost in full bloom. With the blooms that are on my Fredrick Mistral rose, I'll have a lovely arrangement for tomorrows Christmas dinner.
Barb

One of my Snowflakes opened yesterday. They normally start blooming then end of January

My out of zone date and queen palms are loving the mild Dec, too. I have one iris in bloom, and one of my bottlebrushes also has a few blooms. My Japanese magnolias are budding and the loquat trees are loaded with fragrant blossoms and tons of tiny fruit. They're also attracting lots of honeybees. I've also been munching on lots cumquats from a potted plant that hasn't required GH protection so far. I'm hoping (knock on wood) that it won't be necessary to protect the date palms this winter. We'll see...

I'm keeping my fingers crossed it stays like this too!

Hi from Bimini in the Bahamas. Beautiful crossing yesterday on Boxing Day.
We always notice how the vegetation struggles here in the poor soil and with little water.
Hope everyone had a nice Christmas.
Stono, I think you should develop a key lime tree without thorns. That one of ours jabbed me to shreds!
Happy Holidays,
Entlie

Wow..it IS quiet in here! I'm still here....mostly just reading and lurking.

I'm still here but have been busy. Took advantage of all the nice weather and built 4 more raised garden beds, turned and heavily composted the existing beds, had a damaged tree taken down and turned the area around it into my new herb garden, raked leaves, raked leaves and raked more leaves. Wouldn't mind so bad if they came from my trees but I'm on a corner so everyones blows my way. Have planted all my veggie and herb seeds and they are up and growing on the light stand. Ordered the herbs that I couldn't find seeds for and today before it rained got the beets, radishes and all the bulbs that I had cooling in my wine box planted. Friday we are going to County Line Nursery in Georgia to pick up the camellias that I just couldn't find locally. Now if we just hadn't had that freeze on the 2nd everything would look so nice.

Can you all see that I can't stand not to be doing something!

Where is County Line Nursery? I have bought some nice ones from the American Camellia Society's Massee Lane Gardens not far from Macon but I am always looking for new sources.

BTW, I got tired just reading all you have accomplished. I feel like a slug by comparison.

County Line Nursury is 10 miles from ACS in Byron. They have the most beautiful camellias looking at their web page. They are a wholesale nursery but do sell to the public- but they do not ship. We are going Friday to pick up 9- yes 9. Couldn't decide on just 2 which was my original goal so DH said if we were going all that way- 5 hours from Charleston, we might as well get all we can fit. Tommy Alden is the owner and he responded to all my e-mails right away and even called me to discuss my selections further. They have so many selections you just can't find retail. He says he doesn't discourage drop-in but if you know what you want they pull them for you in advance. no credit cards, cash or check only. Look them up

Thank you! I will check them out. The older I get the more I love plants like camellias that take no work at all. A little water and compost and that is it. I don't know if it is the salt air or what but I have not even been plagued with scale down here. When I lived in Columbia I always had to watch for that.

Maybe you can check out the gardens at ACS while you are in the area, they are lovely.

We have a new camellia grower at our farmers market, he lives over towards Hampton County I believe. I am going to ask him if he gets his plants from County Line. I know he goes to GA to get his liners.

Safe trip...

A friend and I are planning a "girls" trip in February. We were originally going to visit NYC, but my friend would rather head south this time of year. Wimp!
I would like to visit different nursery's and gardens on the trip. County Line may have to be one of them.
Barb

There are a slew of great nurseries in the Athens, GA area in addition to the Botanical Gardens there. Let me know if you are heading further south, like to FL, and I can give you some of my favs down there.

I'm with you Ardesia, the area in the front I used to fill with annuals but it is just getting to be to much work, plus at least with the camellias there I'll have winter color- and I can always add a few annuals.

I'm starting to agree with the 60 degree minimum winter temp. on the key limes, Entlie. Put three "heavy producers" in the "big GH" for the winter (Min Temp 65...all of them are blossoming/producing minifruit. Put the other three "heavy producers" in the little GH for the winter. They're struggling (to be polite). Truth is, NONE of them in the little GH are flowering, fruiting, or even attempting to...they's just struggling to stay alive! Ain't worried about propagating or being fruitfull, but the one's I kept warm are all flowering. I don't think Key Limes are a rational option for our zone(s)...at this point...

The only lime I have been able to keep alive was the Palestine Lime and the flavor was unpleasant. The leaves had a limey scent but that was it. The darn thing was thorny and since we could not use the limes I shovel pruned that thing. Now, my Ponkan tangerines were the best ever this year, the flavor on them is outstanding, they produce heavily AND they are unusually hardy.

BTW, Jim, good article by your spouse in the CHS newsletter.

i just looked up Ponkan tangerine and found a nursery that sells them. They have a great sheet on citrus care, inground and container.
Nursery:
http://www.justfruitsandexotics.com/Citrus.htm
Care sheet:
http://www.justfruitsandexotics.com/JF%20Citrus.pdf
I'm off today and will be uncovering plants covered because of the cold nights we've had. I also need to check on the Thompson citrus I bought last Spring that's in the ground.
Barb

Thanks for the link Barb! My wife and my girls and I are looking to put in some berry bushes this year and this will help us out for sure.

Mike

It is good, isn't it?
I just checked my citrus in the ground (a Thomasville, not Thompson) and it seems to be just fine.

On teh "girls" trip, we WILL be visiting here:
www.mckenzie-farms.com
On the way back of course, so I cen bring home some new babies!!
Barb

Just wait until you meet Stan, he is a hoot!

Cool!
When the Citrus Growers group had their yearly Expo there a couple of years ago, I missed it and have wanted to visit ever since.
Barb