This is my first post, and wish that I would have made it sooner...

This coming Saturday, Sept. 14th, the Central Florida Palm and Cycad Society is having a get together on the west side of Florida. There will be a...."discussion of ground covers and companion plants for palms by Laurie Schiller, owner of Florida Native Plants Nursery".


For more info, please click link:

http://www.cfpacs.org <---is that clickable? lol. I don't know how to make that clickable! --maybe copy and paste that into the address bar--then at their website call or click for directions.

I've never been to Sarasota before (and will probably get lost coming from the eastside of Central Florida).....but wanted to share with everyone who is also interested in palms and might want to go. Also, I have never been to a CFPACS meeting before, although I've met several members, and they are all very nice folks. What got me excited about this particular meet up is all the talk about the possible Natives. How cool is that! And it just seems like a really nice way to make a first post. I'm Shirley and it's nice to meet you.

Welcome Shirley!

Thanks for sharing the information.

Ooh thanks for the welcome! lol. I guess that link is clickable after all. Nice to meet you, David of Deland. Do you like palms, too?

Hi Shirley, Welcome from me too! Yes,, the link works and thanks for sharing as there may be folks on the forum who grow Palms and Cycads and would be interested in attending the function this weekend!

Wow, I see you joined ATP September 2012 and it took you a year to make your first post! I sure hope you stick around; this is a wonderful place with many knowledgeable and friendly gardeners from Florida and many other areas of the country and world! I hope you will pop into some of the forums that you find of interest and introduce yourself. Don't hesitate to ask any questions ... we have a great group of folks here always willing to help and share!

I hope you don't get lost on your cross-state journey! Sarasota is a wonderful area; my husband and I have vacationed on Longboat Key and Bradenton Beach (Sarasota area) many times over the years; it's really beautiful there.

Have a great weekend ... and again

Lin

Lin, thanks for the welcome! It always re-surprises me to find how crazy fast time flies. Last year, at about this same time-frame, my husband and I turned into palm nuts. A fella named Joe Alf lit the spark and then another fella named Bernie Peterson flamed it. lol. That's when I joined here, to help educate myself. ATP is a wonderful place to learn... it's just too crazy that a whole year has flown past!

I missed the meet up in Sarasota. Our dog was spayed last Thursday, and I thought I'd be okay to go....but I couldn't do it. All my plans were melted into a blob of goo because Trin whimpered for me. Ooh how giant is the dummy who lives in my head that I thought I could leave her! lol. Well, she is fine now, whew (and there will always be the next gathering). During all of this, one of the things I found out about CFPACS....it's very dog-friendly. That's gotta be the most terrific tidbit for Michael and me to hear because we have four! lol. Not that we'd overwhelm anyone with a herd of dogs...it's just super nice to know that palm lovers are dog lovers, too. And, we have a cat. Free fur for everybody!

I'm going to keep reading here at ATP and continue learning all things plants. Flora and fauna are my favorite things! Thanks for the welcome

Shirley thanks for posting the link. We are Florida wanna be's and plan to retire in Florida in the next two years. What I know for sure is I want to be able to take advantage of the Florida ports for cruising, my DH can play golf year round and I want to sit back in my big lanai and look out at a view of palm trees. The only problem is we have been unable to choose a location and lifestyle at this point. I joined this forum to learn about growing in Florida and more about palm trees. Yesterday I received this email:
Agent, Venice, FL
Susan,

The average home owner in Florida will sell their home after just five years. there are a number of reasons why this is so but the one most relevant to you is that many buyers don't take the time to become informed about their options and locations.

My recommendation is to put off making your decision to buy property initially and find a month-to-month rental until you are clear about location and what your search criteria would be. Many people coming into the area feel they need to commit to a decision immediately. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Take your time but finding a central location that will allow you to do day trips to familiarize yourself with other locations should be your first priority. At this point make the extent of your needs for real estate services be finding a good rental property. The clarity you are seeking will happen....just give it some time.

Best of luck,

Instead of being frustrated about our future retirement I will be lurking and learning about the tropical plants, container gardening in Florida, and the beautiful palm tree that will grow in central Florida. It is a joy and a pleasure to learn from the gardeners here, thanks all!

Susan: Wow, that Real Estate Agent is spot on! I think it would be terrible to purchase someplace just to realize in a few months that it wasn't the right location for you.

There are a number of Florida cities with cruise ports; the ones I can think of off the top of my head are: Brevard County (central east coast), Broward Miami/Dade Counties (southeast coast) and Hillsborough County (Tampa Bay area central west coast.)

I think you should do as the realtor suggested and rent for six months to even a year or more; take your time visiting different areas of the state to see which feels most comfortable to you. You might even consider leasing a motor home if you prefer that style of living and take your time traveling around Florida to find a city to your liking for your forever home. :)

Also ... when the time comes, ask questions of folks here about the city you plan on moving to; I'm sure members would be willing to give recommendations on possible rentals or at least what area of the city would be good/bad regarding crime etc.

He has a point.
So I guess we just got lucky.

We came to Naples for the first time back in the spring of 1999, and bought a house four days later. We have never regretted our decision, locationwise or about the house.

And you chose a beautiful part of the state Hetty!

Susan, you're smart to take your time in choosing which area for retirement. When Michael and I arrived here, we were given the same advice to rent and then explore where to live. Eventually, we found a well-rounded eastside central Florida location where we still feel lucky to have a home for the rest of our lives. This is where we will retire.

So far every member of the CFPACS whom we have met are just very wonderful people, and so are the folks of the International Palm Society.…you don't have to be a member or know anything about palms to take a peek and ask questions. There is a forum called PalmTalk that has been so helpful for learning more about what palm for which garden zone and how to grow it. It's also not just about palms….but very very helpful when Michael and I decided how much we love palms. I wish we knew about it years and years ago…..lol.

Best wishes for you and your family, Susan. It's always great to have more good people in Florida!

Susan……whoops, I forgot to say we are located in Brevard county, twenty minutes south of Cape Canaveral where major port of call is found, and we are surrounded by gulf courses and golf cart / bike paths connecting communities, shopping and dining/entertainment, and large areas of protected natural preserves are dispersed along the way for viewing and/or hiking pleasure. All the lakes are inter-connected too, which aides wildlife and controls floods during deluge. When tropical storm Fay came thru, we were high and dry, and were spared the blackouts others received. We have been very fortunate with every act-of-nature that has hit Florida in the past sixteen years. One other interesting tidbit about this area is that I've noticed we don't get the same kinds of freezes here like they do in other areas of Florida with the same garden zones. I think it's because we're inside the slim and wavering 'banana-belt' that starts at Merritt Island. We are five miles from the ocean beaches but are one mile away from the major coastal rivers. One more thing that I've noticed, we just don't get the rain fall amounts that others get. One of my friend's say we live in the black hole (she lives in Satellite Beach)….lol. I call it the donut hole. I can't say that every home has a large lanai and is surrounded by palm trees, but seek potential…and make your dream home come true.

My sister and her husband have been in the Fort Lauderdale area for 45 years and they plan on moving to Sebastian Inlet (Brevard County) next year. My sister is already retired but her husband won't retire until January. I love the Sebastian area and would love to move there in a few years when my husband decides to retire.