Hi everybody Purp Ill do my best to perk thing up here...but im gunna need more aroids hrm... I feel pretty well versed on aroids now, but I was thoroughly intrigued, and collecting them well before then...they are just too much fun. Im goin for the big move i think. I been rooted here too long and 850 miles wont cut it, I HATE the cold, it just hurts now i cant imagine when im older...ugh, but my old lady cant take the heat. Looks like west is our only option, I hope the lack of humidity doesnt hinder my aroid options D: AL is a beautiful state, id certainly settle for there as long in was near the coast. That little spotted EE just might make it there too, or make a nice house plant til next spring, they handle it remarkably well. tropic I havent found a destination yet, i dont think, certainly havent reached it, have I...now uve made me all philosophical...thanks... :P I spose the nt on the end of your handle means northern territory. That would be a reasonable destination, really, i think anywhere in AUS would do, atleast anywhere with people... Have any more of those where your at? More people that is...With that climate I might be ok with no people anyways. Ive given up on makin it down there tho, crosscounrty is daunting, globe trekkin with kids. not on this budget...o well. Land ownerships great tho man, keep up those payments, any hopes of being free from the banks soon? Not to beat a dead horse but i think my realist plant list would be much easier obtained from your seat than mine, Ive seen a cyrtosperma recently, in person! my freind in QLD owns 7 types... That grass sure does look green over there...from here. :S mike your close! my new friend! :D Im super stoked our interests cross over and your so close. I really dont ever check my email. >1K. unread mails...ha, and honestly my plant collection is so minimal (seeming to me) that theres no need for a list. I want more plants, especially aroids, I bet we can do each other a fair bit of good on new acquisitions. Hopefully maybe meet an do some face to face plant swapping. I might mention at this point ive conjured up some tropic shangrila in your backyard, do you have a greenhouse, or plans of building one, and do have more near a hundred or thousand plants? Sorry im nosey :P I really do appreciate your offer, hopefully soon we will both have some sweet new plants from the other :D Thanks for responding everybody I got alot of good pics up and most labeled good enough for now at http://www.flickr.com/photos/88898514@N07 140 of em for now. several more to come. Please post any comments or questions here, it seems like a good place Hope to hear from a few more aroiders here before this thread gets old and crusty and on page 2 :D Here is a link that might be useful: some of my plants

There's definitely some kind of problem with the member profile. I seldom look at mine, but just did so I could check the box to send copies of replies to my posts. I usually don't want to be emailed but thought I'd check it out. Not only could I not find the check box for that, it had my favorite forums as Terrariums & Gulf Coast Gardening. I know I've never chosen those as favorites, so put TXGardening back in & something else, saved & closed. Then I went back & my favorites were once again Terrariums and n/a.

Val Interesting ? - I didn't read any responses yet I found this forum late 2005 after we had a flood in our home. First finding the kitchen forum. I had so much work to do in a very short period of time. Basically an unplanned entire home renovation. The biggest being a kitchen gut & master bath gut. I could not have come to a more welcoming place. I was a maniac poster at times (might cringe if I were able to find my posts) - I had to move us out of this home, find a rental, movers to move contents out, rid of junk/flood ruined things, deal w/the insurance co., GC's, kitchen design, lead abatement, etc,etc, etc & 2 parents who were quite ill. I owe so much of how my home turned out to the talented people on GW - they helped with paint choices in each & every room, wallpaper, cabinet hardware, furnishing choices, rug choices, placement of furnishings, wood stain - You name it there was not a query that went unanswered. I felt overwhelmed to say the least. But GWers were always up to the task. I learned about hanging pics/mirrors which are typically to high, grouping artwork (still working on that one). Types of fabric/paints/carpets - Mind you I was much more concerned with the plumbing runs going through the joists in the LR and how that would be corrected. I think mostly I learned that I had capabilities and to trust myself & my own judgement. Along the way I gained much decorating confidence and became more engaged. I think previously my decorating sense was there, certainly not as educated or engaged. With confidence (much of it gained here) - I ventured out and started to do things I was interested in but afraid to really try - purchased a sewing machine & started some projects. I got an angle grinder & skill saw one Christmas & did my first tile project. I got so many ideas from looking through the eyes/homes of the GW group - still do. Where else can you go and get people(total strangers) willing to give their time and advice to help you? with anything? GW IS THE BEST - that's why I'm still here. Maybe we could have class of xyz reunions!

Planting in the right season, after it cools down in fall and can be expected to rain), and planting smallest size plants and mulching heavily goes a long way towards to getting plants well established to survive their first Mediterranean climate summer. If someone is having major problems keeping well known Medit climate native survivors such as Rosemary and Lavenders alive, it is just as likely due to trying to force them to adapt at the wrong season, and not paying attention to natural cycles. For a garden in Greece with extreme heat and poor water quality, I'd recommend that you pay extreme attention to what already does grow well in your neighborhood, and only plant new smaller plants out in November/December. Also, it is important to remember that not all Mediterranean climate zones are equal as to amount of cold in winter, amount of winter rainfall, length of dry season, and amount of summer heat and winds. I'm located in coastal northern California, where we are a Mediterranean climate rainfall pattern, but have next to no summer heat, and have much reduced drying out of soils and plants because we get so much summer fog and overcast which keeps things cooler and less dry. Trying to grow things in high summer heat with poor water quality is not a foreign concept in parts of southern California, and tried but true methods often rely on choosing desert or high heat adapted plants, and providing moderated shading in summer for plants that can't take full hot sun with such high heat. I'd suggest that things like American southwest desert species of Agaves, Leucophyllum species, Teucriums, Phlomis, Cistus, and things native to the Mediterranean Basin that are adapted to limestone soils would be the natural approach to take where it is both hot, dry and basic soil ph. A lot of plants from Mexico and South Africa as well as Australia would do well under such conditions. Where I garden in Berkeley, it is even balmier than the Algarve in Portugal, and we often have more in common with tropical Cloudforest habitats than other Mediterranean zone climates, due to our foggy summers and cold offshore ocean currents. I grow many of the same succulents that Orchis mentions, but some of the more frost tender Kalanchoe species are both prone to rotting and occasional freezing in our wetter/colder winters here near San Francisco. Some of the more tender Aeoniums such as A. canariensis can grow fantastically well here, but an occasional cold winter's frost can also do major damage. Some all purpose plants that I could recommend as survivors in high heat might include Aloe saponaria and Aloe ferox, Bulbine frutescens, Agave bracteosa(in partial shade), Agave parryi, Artemesia species, Arctotis cultivars, Brachychiton populneum, Brahea armata, Caesalpinia mexicana, Centauria gymnocarpa, Centranthus ruber, Ceratostigma plumbaginoides(in partial shade), Convolvulus sabatius, Correa species, Cotinus coggygria, Cussonia paniculata,...