A very good time was had by all .
We missed our buddy - ill-mannered-ache .
I thought Pells had the largest and healthiest looking plants I have seen in ages and the prices were fair and reasonable . Nice people too .

cool! i had too many deadlines, and spent the whole weekend working. i'm mostly done now, thank goodness.

pells looks great. maybe another trip, when the weather's cooler!

who'd mary hit? mary -- what guavas did you get?

I bought two Strawberry guavas with fruit , called Cattleya guavas and a Pineapple guava called Fuijo guava . Huge three gallon pots as pictured above for $14.95 .
They went in the ground today and replaced ailing citrus trees in the grove .
Now for some rain please !
Missed you Ill . Bon voyage and safe return .

i recently tried some cattleyas (two kinds, one red and the other green i think) at a friend's place (she grows several other kinds, too). they were REALLY tasty, like a berry and a cantaloupe somehow. i wish i had a bit more space for one or two or three...

I had a great time too! It's a beautiful place, and the staff told me quite a bit I needed to know about azaleas. I'm probably going to be going back soon to buy some when I figure out my planting scheme. I'll let y'all know when I go.

I'm the one who received Gatormom's mean right hook, by the way. But I don't mind. A good hard punch every now and then does me good.

Bill

I'll never live that down . Poor Bill . He's a good man who can take a punch and still keep his composure . And , he doesn't hate me . Now that's a friend !

I am the one that has the 2 cattleya guava trees that Michael mentioned. One is the Strawberry (red) and the other is the Lemon (yellow) fruited one. The strawberry guava is so loaded with fruit that they are falling on the ground. They are in peak season right now. These plants are more hardy than the regular guava varieties plus I like the flavor better.

Have you guys taken a trip to Lukas Nursery in Oveido? Be sure to check out their butterfly garden area and the Butterfly House. If you pay for your plants at the Butterfly House instead of the main register they may let you into the Butterfly House for free.

happy - how can you tell when the strawberry guavas are ready to eat ? When they are soft on the bush or do you pick them and bring them inside to ripen ?
I read that these are cold hardy - down to 20 degrees . It said they can get very big . What is you experience with guavas ?

Gatormomx2--I don't grow the regular guavas because the trees die at 32* without protection, plus I just don't like the fruit. As for cattleya guava plants, they are more cold hardy. An older strawberry guava can easily handle mid to low 20s and the lemon guava mid 20s. The lemon cattleya guava is more cold sensitive that's why you won't find it around here to buy. You have to go further south to buy it. I grow mine as an understory plant under the south side of a large oak tree. These fruits ripen similar to how figs ripen. The clusters of fruits stay small and dark green. Then they suddenly swell to a larger size and turn very red (or yellow). I pick mine ripe from the tree. Yes, they are small trees so give them some room. In time they can get quite large if not frozen back. The strawberry guava makes a handsome ornamental tree. These plants must be protected from freezes for the first few years. Hope that helps. I can take a picture and show you my small tree if I can figure how to upload it.

I have lots of unusual fruiting plants in my yard so ask anytime. (I have been a member of the Tropical Fruit Club that meets in Orlando for the last 14 years.)

Christine

From what I have read on the UF edis.ifas site , these guavas can get to be 20 feet tall , need quite a bit of trimming and are susceptible to insects and disease .
I have them planted in my citrus grove and plan to treat them the same way as the citrus . We'll see how they all get along ! I appreciate any info you share .
Is the lemon guava different from the pineapple guava I just bought - a Fujio guava ? This seems like a much hardier bush/tree.
No matter what , I am thrilled to have more edibles on my property .

I saw a large stump of a tree from a former huge cattleya guava tree that got frozen in the '89 freeze, so the potential to get very large is there. However, my (multi-trunked) tree is about 8 years old now and it is only about 9 or 10 feet tall. It has been care free with no problems. Some light pruning on occasion is all that is required. It did get some freeze damage when very young but it recovered nicely. It is better to treat it like a landscape plant because it is so attractive. It is not a heavy feeder like a citrus plus it needs to be mulched. Are you sure that you weren't reading about the regular tropical guava in the bulletin?

The feijoa (pineapple guava) is not even in the same family as the guava. Pineapple guava is just a nickname. Pell's sells the ornamental kind of feijoa. I bought one from them years ago and the fruit was just terrible. If you are looking for the edible kind you want the large fruit variety only found at specialty nurseries. Here is a link to the feijoa page at the Just Fruits and Exotics web site http://www.justfruitsandexotics.com/PineappleGuava.htm The feijoa is a very hardy bush/tree and grows very well here.

Pineapples are starting to ripen now. Are you growing some?

Christine