Hey Jeff, I have quite a few medicinal herbs on my trade list-- please take a look. Also, I have one Stevia plant on which I'm waiting for seeds. It is still flowering heavily and it is absolutely covered in bees and all kinds of interesting pollen-seeking bugs. I don't know if the season will run out before I get seeds. I'll let you know. Also, do you have heavy-duty spam filters on your end? I don't think my last couple of e-mails made it through. Bev's trade list (opens new tab / browser window) - Bev

I bought this plant once and the poor little thing died on me! I was most upset. I'm interested in Chinese natives and wanted to grow it more as an interesting and pretty climber for a shady spots. It's a cucurbitaceae and when you see the plant you'll know it.

Lavender, the mail order nurseries I have dealt with and received good service are: Marshall's Herbs (www.herbsalive.com.au) - Good service and good size plants. Otway Herbs (otwayherbs@bigpond.com.au) - Send 3x50c stamps for a catalogue. Good servic. The plants were rather small but the ones I bought have come along quite well. Austral Herbs (www.australherbs.com.au) All Rare Herbs, Qld. (mcplant@hotmail.com) - I ordered 5 plants from them recently and a couple of them were a little scraggly looking; however, they apologized for this fact. The plant have since come on well. I will order from them again. Their service was good. Like yourself, I prefer to browse among the plants, touching as well as looking. Have you been to the Herb Garden at the Botanic Garden in Sydney?

Good luck! These are not easily found, but you could ask your nursery to try to hunt one of each up for you. For the pepper, do try and find a fairly advanced plant. The following information might be helpful to you in explaining why! Propagate by seed or by cuttings. Needs plenty of water, shade and heat. It takes 3-4 years before the first fruit can be harvested. Plants are most productive when about 8 years old, but will continue bearing for up to 30 years. The plant needs a support such as a trellis. It will grow well when its roots are waterlogged, and is suitable for planting near a pond. Harvesting: For black peppercorns, harvest the berries before they are fully ripe, when they are still green, then dry. For white peppercorns, berries should be picked once they are fully ripe, and the red outer shell removed, leaving a grey-white kernel. Green peppercorns can be preserved in brine before drying. If you live in a reasonably cool area, you might have more luck finding the Tasmanian Mountain Pepper, or Dorrigo Pepper (Tasmannia spp). And the following information on vanilla should explain why you can't use processed vanilla pods for propagating, and why they are so expensive: Propagate by single node shoot cuttings 60-100cm long, taken in spring. Take cuttings from parts of the plant that have not previously produced fruit. Remove the bottom 3-4 leaves at the node and leave in a shady place for about 1 week. Plant close to a strong support structure such as a pergola or tree, making sure that the basal cut end portion of the cutting is kept just above the soil surface. Gently tie the top end of the cutting to the support. Cuttings take 4-8 weeks to strike roots. Grow in an area which provides 50% shade. It needs high moisture, high humidity, shelter from strong wind, and excellent drainage. A raised bed is recommended. Grows best where temperatures are a constant 25-32C. Soil should be loose and friable and a high content of organic matter. Mulch well around the base of the plants, and fertilise regularly during the growing season. Nip out the tips occasionally to encourage more shoots. Flowering commences in the third summer after planting, after which it occurs every year. After fruiting, the old stems and weak branches should be pruned off. Pollination: Pollination should be done by hand in the morning on which a flower is fully open. Work with a sharpened toothpick. You will note that the anther (pollen-bearing structure) hangs over the stigma (sticky receptacle), but there is a flap between the two. Remove the pollen-bearing portion and place it on the stigma. In a few days, you should see an enlargement of the pod. If not, the old flower wilts and drops off. Fruit will reach full size in 5-6 weeks, but 9-11 months to mature. Over-pollination will weaken the plant. Only the flowers on the lower side of the raceme are pollinated in order that the fruits may hang perpendicularly to produce straight beans....