Hey Gonzer and HDD, Thanks for the early morning chuckle! You blokes will have to get in line for any of my cash = I have already started to stress about the logistics of accummulating enough cash for the day and how i can decorously represent the Vic Society whilst shoving visitors out of my way in the quest for some wonderful plants.....what if I hide my badge??!! I tell you what, I am going thru withdrawal at the moment - I have not bought a new brom since May (the start of our winter here in Melbourne). A couple of nights ago, I was kindly offered a lift to get to the Brom Meeting = I had organised to buy $50 worth of mini neos (not caring whether I had them or not .....I just NEEDED to have something to bring home to nurture). Armed with my two shopping bags, I approached the seller, grinning from ear to ear like a numbnut, only to be crushed when he told me he hadnt brought any coz he felt squeamish about bringing plants that I might not want but might feel obliged to buy!!! ARHHHH. After politely saying that 'all was ok' and 'I thoughly understand', I raced to the buyers table only to find that there were only 4 plants left that even I wasnt that desperate to buy. *breathing slowly, calming down*....to top the night off, I get my first prize in the Novice Section for Neo. Ritzy.....congratulations from all round the room....except that my brom was the only one to represent the novices in the room, it was hard to gracefully accept the accolades. You gotta laugh or you'd cry. And don't even let me get stated about the shadecloth that i have the money to spend but can't find! Sorry to unload on you all - I don't know about you but I feel a little better ( my darling husband nor my dear friends just don't get it) 'Avagooday' everyone, Cheers from Von

No, I go over the border into sth-east Qld occasionally and it's as dry as a dead dingos up there. We do get dry spells and we were even on restrictions a few years ago but we have nowhere near the population of the Gold Coast (Surfers, etc.,), and so not the demand on the supply. Rain has been fairly plentiful the last few years; the lawns might just start to brown up and a good storm would come over and cure the problem. I'd say we've had sufficient to keep the lawns and mature plants happy, about once a fortnight on average. I stick mostly with native plants though, and after settling them in leave them (with a watchful eye) to exist on what falls from the sky. I think our saviour is the Lamington National Park and the Nighcap Ranges N. P. plus other rainforest areas in the mountains to our west. Every afternoon, nearly all year, storm clouds gather out there and often come our way with a bit of precipitation. Maybe if we hadn't destroyed most of our rainforrests we mightn't be in this drought, or maybe it wouldn't be as bad. By the way, land prices are soaring here now and the population is rapidly increasing. Just hope they never destroy those forests.

Hi there, we are in Central Vic and getting serious about collecting succulents, love to see others pics and cultural notes and interested in swapping if interested.

Hi Aroideana, Could I please ask you if you for some Hoya info?I'm new to Hoya parent and have done everything wrong with my first one, poor plant. She is a Aeschynathus- Curly Lipstick Plant. Unfortunately I Didn't listen to my instinct and my own research and listened to others bad advice She was a bit overwatered at the beginning but the main damage was from the moving and dirsect sunlight and wrong fertiliser. it is out of direct sunlight, watering only when dry taken all pebble fertiliser out and rested before giving her some worm casting tea. She is still a bit stressed but seems to have stabilised. I would like to spay her with season to encourage foliage regrowth but I am unsure if I should use the normal water seasol mix or should I water it down some more. Could you please tell me what ratio you use for your Hoyas. i also have the more hardy leafy variety of Hoya. She is hanging by a window that is almost always open. Her flowers died after 3 weeks after we bought her. I would also like to ask you was that the normal blooming period for Hoyas or was it the move or the draft from the window? My thought process of handing near the window was that she was outside when I bought her so if she was near a window she wpuld at least get fresh air. But I'm not sure if that was wrong. Hope you are having a good week B