Kathleen, check with High Country Gardens, in Santa Fe, linked below. They specialize in plants for xeriscape gardens, and have an extensive list of grasses. Here is a link that might be useful: High Country Gardens

a native is a plant that is originally from that area. the problem with invasive is that they reproduce and choke out natives, which wildlife depend on. eucalyptus are severely invasive here, this was once a diverse habitat of native plants, trees and wildlife which all shared a symbiotic relationship, now it is this: Melaleuca was originally grown here for its aromatic oil, now it is extremely invasive and costly to eradicate. cutting it encourages vigorous growth, burning it releases its seeds. they clear cut it and spray it with noxious chemicals. anyone who has driven the parkway in south Florida can tell you these trees cover miles and miles of land. that is the worst end of the spectrum with invasives here. invasive really means anything that is not native and can reproduce itself without human interference (that would be a specimen) Canary Island Date Palms are invasive in California, because they are not native and the dates germinate themselves. however canary island dates can take 300 days to germinate and years upon years to even begin getting established, so thats the other end of the spectrum. you hear alot of snobbery sometimes over this issue, some is unwarranted but invasives can be a very serious ecological problem.

Sounds like wayetti to me. I have trouble keeping track of what's what in the world of narrow, long-leaf Hoyas, so I put together a sheet showing the ones I grow. If you'd like to have it, e-mail me through GW and I'll send it to you. Denise in Omaha

I'm not really an expert but I can offer a bit tidbits. Olive trees will survive and even crop well in very poor soils, but they will grow into a much more attractive tree in good soil. Strictly, they are not adapted to minimum rainfall but to seasonal rainfall. The regions where they grow often have more winter rain then London, just very little in summer. Make sure it isn't going to get waterlogged roots during the winter and you should be fine.