Hi everyone!
I'm a newbie here and just posted on the welcome wagon. I found your forum by searching
tree cultivation and was thrilled to have found such a great resource.
We moved to Florida from North Carolina a year ago and are likely to be purchasing land on the panhandle this year. The land we're looking at, sadly, has been clearcut of
trees and one of my first projects will be to start establishing a group of shade and ornamental
trees when we get there.
The problem? I can't seem to make much of anything grow here in Florida--and it's REALLY frustrating me! I've managed to get a bouganvilla bush
growing nicely (she's doubled her size in under a year and stays in almost constant
flower) and I have a few normally-indoor
plants growing outdoors well plus some jasmine and a few bulbs, but I've put in a lot more than that only to see them wither and die or just sit there, stunted, and not do much of anything. I'm the first to admit that I'm still on a steep learning curve where gardening is concerned, but at least in NC I could pretty much grow whatever I planted.
So, my first question is about what
trees I'm likely to have success with here and how to I begin working with them. (Somewhere I noticed talk about "suckers" and wondered if all
trees can be cultivated in that way. Money is a big concern and that would be a wonderful way to start.)
I love the old-growth Live Oaks here, BTW, and Weeping
willows are my favorite
tree of all so if you have some information on them, I'd be thrilled. Will
willows even survive in this area? Feel free to refer me to good websites and avoid the necessity of writing everything out for me.
Thanks! I'm looking forward to learning!
Ranee