In about two weeks we are going to move into a new house and I will be looking to your blog for inspiration. Right now the land scaping at this rental house consists of two frost damaged hybiscus bushes. I am not sure if they are dead, need to be trimmed back, or are just not ready to come back to life yet (my knowledge of southern plant life is lacking). Oh well it will not be my problem in a couple weeks…I am bad!

We’re in central Florida. I have two different hollyhocks…zebrina (which gets about 3′ tall, blooms about 3 inches across) and this monster fuschia thing, the name of which I completely forget. The zebrina is on the east side of the house, gets half shade during the day. The fuschia is in front of the house, gets full sun except in the early morning. Both were started from seed in a pure peat mixture. They were fed every week or so with a very weak high-nitrogen fertilizer solution (since peat has nothing resembling nutrients for the seedlings), and not put out in the landscape until they had at least three pairs of leaves. That’s about it, they’ve been fairly easy. The zebrina did great during the full heat of last summer since it only gets part-sun…the other did fine as well but it was busy growing. I don’t know how it’ll do this year, we’ll have to see.

Oooh, more echinacia colors! I have 3 colors out front so far – I must have more!