Zone 9B Gardening

I love living in a microclimate of zone 9B and 10A. In this climate area, I am able to grow beautiful subtropical plants. Because I do get a few frosts a year, I am also able to enjoy some of my favorite fruits that usually don't agree with this weather. Given, I have to do my homework and research just the right cultivars, but I have successfully grown apples, pears, grapes, and yes, even cherries, in my little corner of the planet.

I'm working on hazelnuts now. Arbor Day Foundation has promised me that the cultivar I've chosen will in fact fruit here, but it will be a few years before I am able to verify whether this is true or not. In the meantime, I'll keep caring for them diligently, awaiting the day I see flowers.

Flordaprince is a self∼fertile peach tree that we ordered last spring. It has already grown 3 times in size, and even had two tiny peaches on it within weeks of planting it last February. The small but vigorous tree was sent bareroot, but lovingly packed and shipped. I received it quickly and it was planted within a week of it's arrival. Hubby dug a huge hole and we put in a nice rich soil mix to give it the best chance possible. Florida is not known for her soil. It's not really soil, it's more like sand with a small layer of topsoil, and that's if you are lucky.

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