I'm switching forums!

Hi, everyone!
I currently live in Saugus, MA and I have partied in the Northeast forum for several years. I have peeked in here a few times but soon, my hubby Brian will be taking up a new job in Orlando and we will become Florida residents. He will start on Jan. 5th. and we hope to have bought a house and begun the move by then. I will stay up here till the house gets cleaned out and our stuff gets carried away by the moving men. Then I will join him on a permanent basis. I am looking forward to Florida gardening and hope to have a moderate back yard in which to do it. No, I will not miss the seasons. I have no use for ice and snow. I hope to get acquainted with all of you and learn more about Southern gardening.
Martha

Martha, I am a native Floridian but many years into being a Georgia transplant. I've seen several posts about your pending move and have to say it's impressissive how you have reached out to old friends and new. But, to be fair, you will eventually miss the seasons, the horrible weather will become a romanticised vision of New England fortitude and Northern friends will be hard to beat. Your positive attitude will prevail. Good for you.

Nice thing about Dave's Garden. You can physically move but no need to quit your friends.
Stay with the people in Northeast forum and add the Florida one.
I'm in the Coffee threads & we have people from all over the country. Weather forum is another with people from all parts of the US. Kind of fun comparing weather.

Wish you the best in your new venture.
Bernie

Martha -- i am a new transplant, but I will be a snow bird at least for a few yrs if not 10, heading back to WI for the summers.

so far, even though I've only been down here about 5-6 weeks... we LOVE it. especially the cost of living -- very much so - looking forward to the new zone and gardening.

I'm a bit NW of Orlando in Leesburg in one of those 55+ gated, active adult communities.

Good luck in your search for a new home.

Terese

Hi Martha and welcome,

We live in Seminole county and my husband worked in Orlando for over 30 years, we both did actually. We even lived in Orlando for the first ten years of our marriage, but moved out in the suburbs for better schools, less traffic and crime. So if you have any house hunting questions about the area, I know it all pretty well. Just Dmail me.


Keep in touch and we'll be glad to help you out with all your gardening questions. You can grow so much in Central FL.

Hi.

I'm a Florida gardener, transplanted here from frigid Montreal 10 years ago. As much as I hate to disagree with MaypopLaurel (Hi, MPL), I do not miss the seasons one bit. Snow is nice on Christmas cards and during the Winter Olympics, but I've seen, fought and shoveled enough of it to last me a life time.

If I may recommend something: contact your local county extension office when you get here and enquire about the master gardener classes. You'll have to unlearn everything you know from gardening up north, like we plant our tomatoes in November here, etc.

Keep well.
Sylvain.

Hi Martha, welcome to Florida; where you can garden year-round!

I am a true Florida native and have lived inTampa all my life. You will probably not miss the winters, but summers down here can be brutal!!!!

I do agree with what Sylvain said about going to your local county extension office.

Good Luck,
Shauna

If I should lose my mind in the summertime, I have both a sister and her family and a brother-in-law and his family that live in Colorado. I can go there and stick my feet in the snow on top of a Rocky Mountain. The great bulk of my immediate family lives between Queens, NY and Greenville, NC so there is the possibility of escape there if necessary. or I will drive to one of Florida's many beaches and take up temporary residence on one of those!
Martha

The first time I saw snow I was fifteen. Up 'til then I had never owned a coat, mittens or boots. It was magical. The only colored leaves I had ever seen were on crotons and most trees had fronds. DD went to Smith. We visited several times and it always seemed to be snowing. That was the first time I had ever seen snow plows. DH and family is from Newton. They never missed the weather but missed the friends.

Orlando surrounds, especially Apopka, have some of the biggest commercial growers in the country. A number are open to the public. I travel there several times a year. You will have great garden resources.

Martha, you will probably discover that you like the beaches more than you like the snow! :-)

Shauna

Shauna, I already know that. I was born and raised in NJ an hour from the beach and we went down every summer. My mom and dad retired to NC and they got a beach place near Morehead City. I only live 5 minutes from the beach here in MA. of course, one cannot utilize it for several months of the year but it is there for the hottest days.
I will bring the extra large tub of sunscreen with me when I get there. The weatherman on our news tonight said it was 82 degrees in Orlando today. I am ready!
Martha

Hi.

The beach is 2.4 miles from here, as the crow flies. We're talking about a crow with a very long tape measure, that is; but 2.4 miles nonetheless. We never go to the beach and if I should go with friends from up North, I always stay a good 10 feet away from the water's edge. There are jellyfish in there and we play host to 2 shark migrations/year. Some days, there are more sharks in there than water. We get hammerheads, bull sharks, great white sharks, tiger sharks and every other species swimming just a few feet from the shore.

I paid good money to go and swim with sharks (on purpose) off Aruba's De Palm island. You look off the boat's edge and see 10-footers just waiting for you. What was I thinking? It was scary, but enjoyable. I've done the shark experience and moved on. West Palm Beach's TV station's traffic helicopter's camera is always fond of showing us large hammerhead sharks swimming 10 or 15 feet away from unaware bathers wading in 4 feet of water. I'm too plump and juicy to end my days as human McNuggets. We have a pool and I always make sure there are no alligators in it before I get in there.

So, I leave the sea alone and the sharks stay away too. I love it here.

Sylvain.

lol Sylvain. When Jaws came out, my mother and sisters wouldn't let me go see it, as they thought I would never go into the ocean again. Back then, they were probably right! I can wait out the migrations.
Martha

Hi Martha,
Been in Fl. 46 years from Conn. and adjoining RI. Still don't like the summers but when I get to sweating working in the garden I jump into our pool and then in the AC house and it doesn't bother me. I'll be 77 next week and sure don't want to go out and play in snow or ice skate again.

Been in our house 46 years and only seen 2 gators in our canal which is quite large. They also have never taken one of our cows for a wonder.

I am 23 miles west or Orlando and on hiway 50 you can be here in a short time. To be precise I'm 5 mi. so. of Clermont. We only have 15 acres so only keep a few cows but they are my husb. babies plus keep pasture looking good. Automatic lawnmowers.

When you need some I always have plants to share. As of late I have been hosting a plant RU at home usually in April. Shauna and Sherri (sunkissed) usually attend amongst others. It's lots of fun and would give you a chance to meet other gardeners.

Well I'm really up to my elbows in cookie dough so I had better get with it. So far 5 different recipes made but more to do. I fix plates for handing out and delivering.

I hope all on this forum have a blessed Christmas with family and friends and don't eat too much like I do. LOL
Bonnie

Dear Bonnie,
Thanks for the neighborly update! My niece will be playing in a softball tournament down in Clermont in March and I will be attending the games of course. I am fond of the RU's up here and will certainly look forward to your next one. I have a house full of plants that would just as soon live in Florida, hibiscus, bougainvillea, ponytail palms among others and am looking forward to gardening in Orlando. I'd love to meet the cows, too!
Martha

Bonnie has a nice place for the round up and she works hard at it. She also has a lovely garden to just sit and relax in. Nice folks to get together with each year too.

We have so many beautiful places to go and cool off in the summer, Wekiwa Springs is close to Orlando, Ice cold water. Best way to enjoy the water is in a kayak, ours is an Malibu Ocean sit on top and it is almost impossible to tip over ☺

First picture is west coast Gulf of Mexico, and the second is Rainbow Springs, #3-Wekiwa Springs (just outside of Orlando)

Oh Sherri I love the way you always promote our state parks. Wekiwa Spgs. was in my district when I worked for the state and I dearly loved that cool clear water. Haven't been to any parks for years and I sure miss them.

Martha you will have to visit and swim at our beautiful state parks. When you get settled in you will have to contact me and come over to get some plants for your new yard. Landscaping in Fl. in taken very serious. Some yards are a masterpiece of plantings. (not mine) but it grows whatever I find and buy to bring home. The best plants come from our roundups as the gals & guys take excellent care of them. Getting together is such fun and we learn from each other about many plants and shrubs.

I was born and raised in Conn. so I am familiar with the weather patterns and I don't miss that cold and sometimes snow a bit.

Welcome to the land of sunshine. (most of the time)

Bonnie

Welcome.
I was born and raised up here in northeast florida.

Sandy

Thanks all. I leave here on Thursday for a house hunting trip with my husband who will be there already. When I get back, I expect to make the major move somewhere before the end of January.
Happy New Year, everyone!
Martha

Good luck on the house hunt and safe travels, Martha.

Happy hunting Martha.

I know for my search... the internet was so very helpful to have a bunch all ready to look at. We got very lucky and we found our home on Zillow, for sale by owner.

Terese

happy New Year everyone! I have arrived in Orlando! The house hunting games begin tomorrow. Now, if one or the other of you would tell me where you hid the sun, I'd appreciate it.
Martha

Hi Martha and welcome to sunny, er uh, gray misty Florida. I have no idea what all this misty stuff is about. Hope it goes away soon. Good luck on house hunting.

Hi, everyone.

Martha, welcome to The Sunshine State - with occasional bouts of liquid sunshine. The time will soon come when you'll be wishing for a bit of cloudiness, mist and perchance rain. My friends from Montreal always say it's better to have 75 degrees F outside in the rain than have minus 25F outside with snow. I think they're right.

Enjoy.
Sylvain.

I agree with your Canadian friends! I left Boston on Thursday with 20 degrees. I don't wish to experience that again.

Martha

Hi Martha,
Hope you are now settled in a home in or around Orlando.

I won't be having RU this year but Sidney is having one on May 31st. in Okeechobee. I am hoping to attend. We should get tog. and go down. Give you a chance to meet some other gardeners and also bring home some plants. I'm going to contact Sunkissed and see if we can get tog. also. She is in Winter Spgs. which is not far from Orlando.

Bring us up to date on your move and location when you have time.

Bonnie

Sorry Martha, I didn't pay close enough attention to date. Sunday I'm in church. Only miss if I am sick.

If you are in Orlando you could scoot over here sometime and I would gladly share plants with you.

Bonnie

Bonnie,
I am the latest gardening resident of Oviedo now. Just went to the local garden club plant sale last Saturday. I just spent the morning repotting a bunch of those plants that survived the frozen escape from MA. I didn't have to worry about succulent plant drainage indoors in MA in the winter. but it has dumped a ton of rain since I moved them down here and it had to be done. I will be away at a wedding in CO this weekend but we could look at a time to meet when I get back.
Martha

Hi Martha, Sugarweed is going to try and change the RU to Saturday, I'd be happy to drive, both you and Bonnie, I'm only ten minutes away from you and we'd pick up Bonnie on the way there.

I didn't even know about a local garden club, maybe you can D-mail me the information?

I want to meet up with Maypop Laurel when

Saw on the news the Apopka Foliage Festival is coming up soon. I forget the date. Just watch the news I'm sure they will advertise it again. Always wanted to go but haven't made it yet. They say it's a huge affair.

http://www.apopkaartandfoliagefestival.org

Starts tomorrow... the 25th.

Looks like fun, too bad my weekend is full or I would check it out.

Martha

Welcome to my home state. Gardening is different from up north, but in no time you will have things down pat.

Best with the house hunting.

Jan
I'm on the Gulf side of FL

Also wanted to agree about Bonnies place for round up. It was wonderful.

Thanks. I have pretty much settled in. My personal gardening is pretty much all containers. I have bird feeders up and butterflies that visit several of the flowers that are blooming now in my containers. I have the best coleus I ever grew and two giant ferns that I got from the Oviedo Garden Club plant sale that I am amazed I haven't killed yet.
I am now a volunteer gardener over at Mead Botanical Garden in Winter Park. I have been working there two mornings a week + a little more because I have been rehabbing a succulent bed in the Legacy Garden. I have gained quite a few cuttings which I am in the process of rooting including various succulents and begonias. Most will go back to Mead once they root. I call it "my little plant hospital". I am trying to grow to my conditions and it has been pretty successful so far.
If you get over by Winter Park, stop by Mead.
Martha

Martha, so glad you are acclimating so quickly. I am originally from Conn. so I also had to change the ways I gardened but it comes pretty easily.

I've read about garden shows they have at Mead. Hope to get over there one day. Heck I like a garden show anyplace. Or a fish show which Orlando has once a year. Usually in March.

I am a plant and fish addict. Sure could have worse habits. Don't know of any hobby that doesn't take $ or work. If you ever find one let me know. LOL

Bonnie D.