Hi Al & Josh I'm just reading this as I'm an Aussie and like NZers can't get 'turface' but have just found I CAN get red scoria. I've been using Al's 511 for about two years. I've never screened the bark size bc I was too lazy. I think this has resulted in mixed results (as you'd expect) with the 511. Nonetheless, i STILL like it better than potting soil! I've decided that this year, with some of the plants that arent faring as well in the unscreened 511, to transplant them into SCREENED GRITTY mix. Now there is no way I can get the bark down to 5mm size - they just dont make bark that small here. So I'll commit to leaving the bark at 10mm-15mm size. And I'll screen the scoria and the perlite to a 5mm size. That's all cool. What I'm questioning now is the whole 511 ratio for the gritty mix. It seems to go out the door if I'm to ensure 2/3 of my media is 5mm or smaller size. AM I RIGHT IN THINKING my ratio for gritty mix will now look a bit more like a 111 - ie 1 - pine bark (sized 10mm-15mm) 1 - red scoria (screened to 5mm) 1 - perlite (screened to 5mm). Hope my question makes sense. And thank you for answering if you find the time.

One tip in finding a suitable PBF is do not get hung up on the term "Fines" I asked everywhere and all said no, a few looked at me as if I sprouted an eyestalk out of the top of my head! even when I described what I was using it for! I actually found suitable material at all most every one of those places (except the big box stores) that said they didn't have it or know any place to get it! Get to know what you are looking for, and look for it yourself instead of asking the store or garden center! Look for "Pine Bark Mulch" (NOT nuggets or mini muggets) flip the bag over and read the small print on the back or side of the bag. If it says "can be used as a soil conditioner" or particle size "1/2 inch to dust" or "100% pine bark" it is probably at least 65% useable product. My current source, AGWAY Pine Bark Mulch, is approaches 90% usable material, and nowhere on the bag will you find the term "fines"

I happen to be a fan of 'New Zealand' and its white sport, 'Full Sail'. Both produce beautiful, fragrant blooms; very nice foliage, too. However, having grown these roses in 2 gardens, I have to say that both NZ and FS are slow to really establish themselves. Until they do, they are rather lackluster. All of my experiences with these roses has been with grafted plants. Because they are slow to establish, I think I might hesitate to grow them on their own roots. Maybe someone else can weigh in on that matter. I can't address the cold hardiness issue; if that is a concern, you're probably wise to heed henry's advice. NZ is among the very first of my roses to close down in the fall, so I think of it as a warm weather producer.

There is a small section on Oca in the book, "The Garden Gurus - A Guide To Water Wise Gardening" by Trevor Cochran and Neville Passmore. This book is quite specific to WA gardening and conditions. I'd assume because there is a section on Oca, they can be successfully grown in at least some parts of WA and can be obtained locally. They also have a website www.thegardengurus.tv. I tried emailing this, but I got no reply - frustrating!