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My climate/environment:

I live on the escarpment at almost 700m, 150 km west of Brisbane. We get light frosts in Winter, with the occasional heavy frost. Westerly winds are strong around Spring time. Quite low humidity normally, much nicer than Brisbane's steaming climate. Temperatures are typically 3 degrees lower than Brisbane, but Winter nights are for hibernation. It's rare for people not to have a heater of some type. Northerly sun rooms are a sought after feature.

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I trace my love for Australian natives back to my childhood, when I lived on a small farm through which flowed an ephemeral stream, beside which there grew some wattles. I remember being astounded by the beauty of those wattles in flower. I was also fascinated by the paperbark trees (melaleuca species) because of the unusual bark. I often used to wander around the creek line finding fascinating and unusual little wildflowers.

I found the typical suburban gardens so absolutely boring with the same old plants and a lot of weedy-looking little flowers. There is such a tremendous range and incredible beauty to be found amongst native plants, that many people never see because they don't really use their eyes.

My taste in natives extends from the flowering plants - groundcovers to tall trees - to the rainforests. I have a weakness for trees that are covered in flowers such as the Flame Tree, Silky Oak, Lemon-scented Myrtle, Crows Ash, etc, or have scented flowers such as Pittosporum undulatum. I love the proteaceae and the flowering fields of WA.

I might grow a native plant if I knew it was endangered. I will add attractive indigenous plants because they are suited to the local environment and will therefore do better and look better than others. But I also try non-indigenous WA plants because of their beauty even though they are difficult to grow and usually die on the east coast where I live.

I am horrified that people are still growing invasive exotic trees that are environmental weeds such as privet, chinese elm, mother of millions, camphor laurel, willows, etc.

I live in: Australia

My zone is: Qld Australia

My favorite forum 1 is Australian Native Plants.

First registered on February 28,2002.