New member

[aliray]

Hi and thanks for the invitation. My husband Ray and myself moved from Mass to Rotonda West Fla 5 years ago. I was born an animal lover and grew up with a mom that was a plant lover and gardener and never could throw away a perfectly good cutting or leaf. She used to enter some of her begonias and violets in the Boston flower show. As a result I also love gardening. I currently have 4 birds, 1 cat Sasha, And a 5lb Chiweenie named Bentley. Up north we lived on 2+ acers and I planted for me and the birds for 25 years. I also had it certified as a wildlife habitat. Down here the whole area where we live is a bird sanctuary with no hunting or shooting and the canals are all catch and release. As a result the wildlife around here is incredible. We love it and a lot of the houseplants up north you can plant down here outside all year. Plus you can have flowers outside all year. Anyway glad to be here and Tony I need my Salsa fix please

[Honesty]

Hi Alison and :th_welcome2: we are so happy you have joined us :desismileys_0606:

[Wendy K.]

Hello Alison and a VERY warm :th_welcome2: I'm so very happy you have joined us!

And also.....:th_birthday:

I am quite envious of your climate, I won't lie. :( In just a few moments I have a hot date (with my son, lol) who offered to take me to a garden center, as I'm in search for a Tree Peony to fill that one last empty spot in my garden. :)

[plax]

Welocme, aliray! Great to see you :D

[plax]

:th_happybirthday: too!!!

[aliray]

Hello Alison and a VERY warm :th_welcome2: I'm so very happy you have joined us!

And also.....:th_birthday:

I am quite envious of your climate, I won't lie. :( In just a few moments I have a hot date (with my son, lol) who offered to take me to a garden center, as I'm in search for a Tree Peony to fill that one last empty spot in my garden. :)

The peonies are one of the plants that I do miss I used to have a couple of tree peonies as well as many different types of peonies, and you can't grow them here we are in gardening zone 10, which is subtropical. but have fun at the garden center. What color are you looking for?

[Wendy K.]

The peonies are one of the plants that I do miss I used to have a couple of tree peonies as well as many different types of peonies, and you can't grow them here we are in gardening zone 10, which is subtropical. but have fun at the garden center. What color are you looking for?

Gardening zone 10??? OH my goodness...I'd be in HEAVEN!!! I grow over 26 different roses, and some of them are true Primadonnas, and aren't supposed to grow in my climate (6B). BUT, I baby them heavily, and so far they've been thriving. Just to think what ALL I could grow and plant in a 10 has me dripping and drooling. :D

Aaah, yes my Peonies! I do love them dearly. I grow 5 different hebaceous peonies and NOW I have 3 Japanese Tree Peonies. I have a yellow one (High Noon) in its 5th year, a dark mauve one (forgot the name) in its 8th or 9th year and NOW I have an apricot one (3rd year grafted). :D I haven't put it in the ground yet though. We JUST got back from the garden center.

[aliray]

Gardening down here has taken some getting used to. Up north I had beautiful deep rich black soil. Here it is sandy. Plus anything in a pot dries out almost before you can get back in the house. The weeds here also took some getting used to.There is one called ceasars weed that looks like a very long rangey clover but has seeds that stick to anything and anybody, they don't hurt but you constantly have to deseed your socks and shoelaces and pantlegs and the darn things do not even come off in the wash. You really would have a good time gardening here and it is amazing how fast things grow here once they get established because they grow all year. Going to the garden centers here is a lot of fun because of the variety of plants

[Wendy K.]

Blach...they turned out wee small. Here are some bigger ones :)

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[roxynoodle]

Welcome to the forum, Alison!

[aliray]

Now I am drooling. The tree peonies I had up north were chinese tree peonies Gorgeous flowers but you practically have to stand on your head to see them as they hang upside down. I also love roses , however down here I have made it a point to try not to plant things with thorns. Bouganvilla vines are gorgeous but the thorns are awful. Hubby can't seem to go out in the yard to mow the grass or work on something without coming in bleeding and dripping. He is on blood thinners so the only things left with thorns are three dwarf ponciannas, and my bromeliads have some nasty thorns but they at least aren't where he is mowing.

[plax]

Anyway glad to be here and Tony I need my Salsa fix pleaseI'll see what I can do once I get better caught up with things, Alison ;)

[Wendy K.]

Now I am drooling. The tree peonies I had up north were chinese tree peonies Gorgeous flowers but you practically have to stand on your head to see them as they hang upside down. I also love roses , however down here I have made it a point to try not to plant things with thorns. Bouganvilla vines are gorgeous but the thorns are awful. Hubby can't seem to go out in the yard to mow the grass or work on something without coming in bleeding and dripping. He is on blood thinners so the only things left with thorns are three dwarf ponciannas, and my bromeliads have some nasty thorns but they at least aren't where he is mowing.

I'll make sure and take pictures this year when my tree peonies are in full bloom, Alison. :) (AND I'll take pics of the herbaceous ones, too) As enormous as the flowers are, they hold up fairly well and upright for me, unless we get a heavy downpour. I didn't mean to, but I giggled about your description of your husband coming in bleeding after cutting the grass from the Bouganvilla's MASSIVE thorns. Each year, when I prune my roses in the spring, I look like I was in a cat fight afterwards. I have one rose in particular, "Teasing Georgia", which my mother in law bought for me 5 years ago for around $3.00 as it was on the "death rack" that has come back with SUCH a vengance, and is SO thorny, I would love to have a coat of armor to prune just that one.

They sell Bouganvillas here, too, but NEVER warn customers that it won't survive our winters.

[keepsmiling]

Hello and Welcome!:th_greet13: Another Floridian here. I have never heard of Rotonda.

[Wendy K.]

Alison, I have another picture for a fellow Tree Peony lover. ;)

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[aliray]

Hello and Welcome!:th_greet13: Another Floridian here. I have never heard of Rotonda.

Hi carole Rotonda West is located on the cape haze peninsular As the crow flies we are one mile form the Gulf of Mexico 86 miles south of Tampa, And 68 miles north of Fort Meyers. Rotonda West is a huge deed restricted community with our own zipcode. It is supposed to be the largest one in the country. We are located in Charlotte county.

[aliray]

Alison, I have another picture for a fellow Tree Peony lover. ;)

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That is so pretty Thanks for the picture. I used to grow a small bouganvilla as a house plant up north.

[mistywaterwoman]

YAY, I was hoping you were here, Allison!! Nice to see a familiar face, so to speak. :victorious: