Welcome to Alabama, when do you think you will be moving?

Ant beds are AWFUL here - they are a fact of life for us. I personally am convinced there is a whole colony underground, stretching from one coast to the other.
Treatment once a year? Maybe for some. I treat regularly - just to make them move to the outer edges of the property if nothing else.

It varies here - LOTS of us like flowerbeds, landscaping, etc. However, there are LOTS of people who don't - and so they don't. My flowerbeds aren't perfect - and i am by no means thru - but a link to my pictures is below - it is constantly a work in progress @ my place.

Hawaii - wow, that would be cool right now - rainy cold weather coming back in - but it is almost spring!!

Here is a link that might be useful: my plants

Aloha, Terry
Just a bit of friendly rivalry.........
If you are interested in great properties, great schools, and great gardening (Garden Clubs), do consider Jacksonville, located about 12 miles N of Anniston.
We sent all of our south. Just kidding.......
However, wherever you settle, welcome to you and your family.

Hello Terry, and welcome to our neck of the woods. I live about 20 miles east of Anniston right near the Georgia state line. And like Rosey said, the fire ants are part of the deal.

I've been here 3 years and they haven't been so bad for me yet that I can't simply spot treat or move any mounds I find, but then I don't have a lawn installed yet either. If I finally get my lawn this year I may be a bit more protective of it since I like to barefoot it on the freshly mowed grass. Might have to go with more frequent treatments under those circumstances. I will give them credit though -- they stay out of my raised flower beds for some reason. I typically only find them in the grassier field areas away from foot traffic.

To answer your other question, no it doesn't have to be difficult to garden in Alabama. Like most any other place on earth, if you want less work just try and plant things that are known to be hardier and typically do well in this area. I'm sure most folks on this board would be happy to give their two cents on their favorite easy-to-grow plants for our region. My biggest complaint with Alabama (and with the South in general) is the red clay. Can be a total pain in the butt to plant in. But it can be ammended with some work. Personally I'd recommend creating raised beds with healthier soil. Sometimes that means you have to buy the soil and I still have a hard time trying to bring myself to pay for dirt. I mean.....it's dirt!

Good luck with your relocation! Sincerely, Danielle

Most Alabamaians do grow grassy lawns and flowerbeds, but most of them go dormant through the winter. Perhaps all the real estate photos were recent with the grass brown, trees shedded and flowers died back. WE usually have adequate rainfall for good gardening and that red clay can be very productive with some sand and organic material tilled into it.

Welcome. I've lived around here all my life and wouldn't trade this spot on earth for anywhere (except maybe for a ski slope for a few weeks in the winter).

The ants are here to stay. I had to laugh at Rosey's description of them being one big colony from coast to coast, but unfortunately, she's probably got it about right. They are extremely difficult to totally eliminate now that they have spread into this area. The good news is you can spot treat them, usually using a combination of products I find works best (one to eliminate the queen and another to sterilize the workers). Also, you can treat a large area in the fall during their feeding season. For instance, try to find out what some of the golf course or athletic field maintenance crews use and treat it like they do but keep your "safe" areas in mind (small children, vegetable garden, etc). The thing to remember regarding gardening (the bad news) is that the ants love to find disturbed earth to relocate. Just be diligent and go after the mounds as soon as you see them. You can be fairly successful in keeping the population down around your house, lawn, and garden, but if you have wooded areas, there is likely no way you'll get them all.

Another word of warning - be careful where you step. They can crawl into your socks or between your toes in no time and the bites will sting & burn like heck for a few minutes. Sometimes I've stepped unknowingly onto a mound that is under straw mulch or something and had quite a surprise.

Again, Welcome to Alabama Gardening, and keep us posted.
Elaine

Welcome, Terry. If you will treat each ant hill and treat each new one you find, you can gain control of them. You will never completely get rid of them. Fire ants are a fact of life. Just be sure to budget for fire ant bait. LOL. There are several good ones. A lot of people this day and time are too lazy to keep a yard. That is why so many are buying large homes on postage stamp size yards without any trees. They don't want to spend too much time cutting grass, pruning shrubs or raking leaves. Lot's of us do have kept yards and flower beds. People in Alabama are generous and kind. Alabama is one of the top five states for charitable contributions and we share our plants with our friends and neighbors. I think you will be very happy here.

Thank you all for such a warm welcome. I got a good chuckle from the ants marching across Terramadres post :)

We hope to be moving any day. My husband was just in Anniston last week for a job interview at the Depot and he did drive up to Jacksonville and liked it very much. We've sold our condo here and the movers are coming to give us an estimate tomorrow. He thought I'd like Jacksonville too but I think we want to buy a place closer to his work. We've been looking at one house with five acres and a place to keep a horse. He plans on working for another 5 or 6 years and we think we will like it there so much that we plan on staying and retiring there. I'm eleven years younger than my husband and I need a place where I can be active. I feel like I've been on vacation for the five years we've lived in Hawaii and I'm anxious to move back to the mainland. His family was from Mississippi although we met in Oregon and lived there for many years. The temperate climate in Oregon is great for gardening. I have found living in Hawaii and trying to grow anything to be a total pain. We live in Hilo and get close to 200 inches of rain a year! 8 to 10 inches of rain in one day is typical.

I've been reading more about the ants on line and I'm sure I'll be able to adjust. We have lots of bugs in Hawaii too.

I have another questions for you all. Is it possible to grow citrus trees in Alabama? I see that the winters there can get pretty cold. I was hoping to grow a Meyer's lemon and a key lime tree in big containers, but think that I'd probably have to put them in some type of greenhouse for the winter. Has anyone else tried that?

Happy gardening! Terry

You should be fine on the citrus, i would think, if you move them into GH during winter....that's all i know though!

Hi Terry,

I too am a transplant to Anniston (10 years) and also work on the Depot. I am a Master Gardener and a member of the J'ville Garden Club. Terramadre and I will be glad to help you when you get here. Welcome aboard.

I'm a translant from Atlanta to the Anniston area, Piedmont, about 11 miles east of Jacksonville....One place you must checkout when you get here is Bloomin Miracles near Jacksonville.....They have perennials, wonderful pots and all manner of Japanese maples plus the owners are really nice and really knowledgable...David and Victoria are they're names. Well worth checking out.

Paul

Aloha, Terry. Welcome to Ohana Alabama. Fire ants aren't that big a deal, unless you happen to be allergic to the sting. You can spot-treat the mounds with bait such as Amdro or use a season-long control like Over 'n' Out. The season-long control takes about 3 weeks to start working, but after that, it does what it says.

As for hardy citrus, try a type of mandarin called Satsuma. The sweet fruit peels easily and has few seeds. Thanks to global warming, the tree should be perfectly hardy outdoors in Anniston. You can get one from a great little nursery in Jemison, AL called Petals From the Past.

I'd also suggest you pick up a copy of the Southern Living Garden Book. It has great information on just about every kind of plant that grows in Alabama.

BTW, I visited Hilo a couple of years ago during a vacation on the Big Island and know what you mean about the rain. How does anyone paint their house there?

I just wanted to let you all know that we have arrived in Anniston and I am blown away by how beautiful it is here. I have lived in the Pacific Northwest and Hawaii so I've seen some of the most beautiful landscape in the United States and I was so surprised to see how beautiful Alabama is. With all the flowers and trees in full bloom it is an incredible welcome to gardening in Alabama. We are house hunting now and I can hardly wait to get my hands in the dirt!
Thanks to all of you who have responded to my posts. I'm going to start exploring the garden centers even though I don't have a pot or plot to plant in yet.
Terry

Welcome! I was amused to picture you buying plants even though you didn't have a pot to pea in.

Yes, the area is gorgeous! I grew up in Gadsden, 30 miles north, and will be moving back there in June. Katrina made me decide to leave New Orleans!

Early Spring, when most trees are still bare but the dogwood and redbud are blooming, has to be the most beautiful time.

Welcome back! Gadsden it'self hasn't fully recovered from the crash of the smokestack industries having completely lost the steel mill and big reductions in the tire plant but all the suburbs are thriving, I'm in Rainbow City.
Yes spring is beautiful here, the dogwoods are in full bloom and the rdbuds are fading but I think autum is prettier when all the leaves turn multicolored with all the Bradford Pears bright orange to bright red, and the hickory's and poplars yellow.

Oh Ted, you big romantic!!

Terry, check out the Ohatchee area, you should be able to find a house with land and your hubby will be close to the Depot.

I feel like the luckiest gardening girl in the world!! We made an offer on a house that is north of 204, near Sulphur Springs that has 12 acres and they accepted our offer. The property already looks like a botanical garden. It's as if the property was just meant for us and waiting for me to be it's care taker. I walked the property yesterday and I was so happy that I cried with gratitude. We are going to love living in Alabama, although I'm a little nervous about the tornado warnings. We are staying on Fort McClellan right now and I almost had a heart attack last Sunday morning when the sirens went off.

Can any of you give me more information about the Jacksonville Garden club meetings? I also need to find someone who can till us a vegetable garden for me too.

There is also a plant on the property that I don't recognize. Is there a way to upload a picture so that other people can view it and give me a clue as to what it is?

Terry

Hi Terry,

Our April meeting was yesterday and was held in Anniston at RouRou's nursery near Ft. McC. Too bad I didn't read your post earlier. Our next meeting is May 17 on Ft. McC at the Terra Cafe at 11:30 for lunch. Please join us. Drop me an email for details.

Millard

If you grow tomatos, herbs or vegetables you might want to visit The Tasteful Garden which is not too far from you.
http://www.tastefulgarden.com/index.asp