Gail, Not too many neos will handle 2-3 hours of full Brisbane sun, Neos with leaves that are tough to feel will handle more sun than Neos with supple leaves, Dark coloured Neos will generally handle more sun than the lighter coloured Neos. If you have multiples, I would suggest that you try a few in differant locations but label them, I have moved plants around and forgotten which is which - they can change appearance quite dramatically. Spring is a good time to move plants out into more light to climatise, if you see the leaves fading it is the first signs of burn and they should be moved to less light, pups attached to parents will climatise better than parents - I was told why once but have forgotten. Neos will all generally do well with morning and afternoon light exposure in our climate. Cheers, Rick

Mine (at my old house) was in full sun all day and thrived. I took cuttings to bring here and have put them in mostly sun and close to the garage to keep them from freezing. It worked but then a week ago or so, caterpillars got to them OVERNIGHT! but their on their way back after being sprayed.

The south side of my house is an area 6' wide by 35' long. My neighbors have a 6' fence on their side, so it creates a long, narrow heat trap of sorts. It gets the least amount of snow and wind, and the most amount of light so I think I could store the pots there over the winter. They'd probably not get much snow on them, if any at all, so mulching around the pots would be necessary to protect from the cold. Our average low at our house is around 10* nights, sometimes it gets lower. We've dipped into the negatives a few times, but that's the exception, not the rule. The other option would be underneath my deck. It's about 3' off the ground, with a cement base underneath it. We don't usually clear the snow from the deck. It piles up the 3' high at times due to the wind. They'd not get any snow on them there at all, but they'd also get very little direct light. Might be warmer air under there with all the snow above. It's also blocked off on all sides except the south, so no wind underneath the deck. I know my dog lives under there in the winter, I assume because it's warmer. I'll have to pay closer attention this winter and see what I discover. I might try planting a few pots of herbs this year if I get a chance, but more likely than not it will have to wait until next spring. I'll definitely find out where to obtain some straw bales for the herb bed. That's definitely doable, thanks for the suggestion. Can't be too difficult to find in my neck of the woods :) If I have thyme and oregano in pots, will they not provide seasonings over the winter? What would be the difference between having them in ground or in pots?

I agree with Kyrri. I suspect some of the small aloes grow in shrubby areas where they get partial shade from nearby plants - I know this is true for at least some haworthias because I have seen photos of them in habitat. Aloe Vera's original "home" is unknown, so who knows about it?