potato blight out of Canada,
and it's present in WA state. (That's the spud blight that caused a
million Irish to
starve to death, and another 1.6 million to move to America in the
1880's. Two pairs of my great-grandparents left Ireland because of the
pratie famine. Our family who stayed behind all died of starvation.)

Take the plant inspection stuff seriously, because it *is* serious.
Don't import anything with bugs or disease. Call your state ag dept.
and ask for an inspection
or ask them what procedure they recommend. You may be able to ask the
border guys in Calif. for an inspection.

Jan


Yes, that's why I'm posting to various gardening groups asking advice.
Sorry if I appear neurotic, I really don't want to have my plants tossed
in the garbage when I reach California! I'm leaning towards giving them
ALL away at this point!

You're not appearing at all neurotic! You come across as a decent
person who (a) doesn't want to bring pests into a State which, as
others have pointed out, is the fruit/veg basket for the whole
country, as well as abroad. And (b) doesn't want to get in trouble
with the Ag border e xaminers.

Seems to me that your bottom line should be to ascertain if the plants
HAVE pests or not. If they're pest-free, obtain an attestation to
that effect from a responsible Texas authority. As you mention that
some of them are valuable, it might be worth the trouble.

BTW - What part of Calif are you moving to? You realize that the
macro- and micro-climates vary WIDELY! Calif. is like a country unto
itself, both in terms of GNP, and in terms of great climatic and
geographic variation.


--

Persephone