On Fri, 19 Dec 2003 10:33:45 -0500, madgardener wrote:
snipped here and there

Over here in Tennessee what I advise the newly arrived to this region
(the ones from Florida who are used to zone 8 and 9 and are now facing
zone 7 with undertones of the former 6b zone and want "something to
bloom all year......'try silk plants' lol)

hehe - I wouldn't kid too much. What is it with the silk plant folks over
here in the U.S? A relative of my hubby's was actually amazed when she
realised that I had 'real' plants inside my house.

but seriously, I would go
to the phone book and look in the blue pages.

Well, I think I found the right people, but judging by what some on here
are saying, I may not get the kind of help I was after. But here's the good
news...

.... I was chatting with my new neighbour yesterday, who came over to
apologise for not coming over sooner and asking if we needed any help
(however, when I pointed to the rake he looked at me as though I had asked
him to cut his head off... lol!). Anyway, it transpires that he and his
wife are keeping in touch with the lady who used to live in my house. She
was the super gardener that tended these lovely gardens. My neighbour
thought that she might be delighted to come over and take me through what
used to be her gardens, telling me what's what. I probably couldn't get
much better than that!

and send me some of yer pics! I'd love to see them. Get up
in the faces of the plants and such so I can see the buggers...

Well, I've taken the pics and I'll start another thread for that one. Even
though I'll have Mrs ex house owner coming over at some point - hopefully -
maybe - it might be good to get some other's input on what's what and
what's best to do. If anything it will be a bit of entertainment for the
experts out there, where they will be able to say, "you don't know what
THAT is!?!?" :-)
Thanks all!
--
Lynda