Hi Carl If the tree has curly leaf then it has the following problem... It is stressing out... Now you say the tree has curly leaf because of the cold but the cold might not be the cause of the curly leaf only the apparent cause of the stress Curly leaf is caused by a lack of calcium Lack of calcium is very common in Australia because we have (usually) acidic soils Trees which produce fruit having big woody pits such as peaches and almonds and cherries and apricots and even pears and quinces (and probably curry trees)usually come from areas where alkaline soils are the norm...they need large quantities of calcium to produce all these pits each year In your case the tree may be lacking in moisture and thus creating a lack of calcium To best solve your problem you will need to not only make the soil more alkaline but you will need to make the soil higher in humus ...best by adding decomposing organic matter This will also aerate the soil as well hold moisture more evenly and also guard more effectively against when a frost might occur...the tree has more water in the cells and can take a higher level of frost These types of trees above dislike uneven watering and the roots may not get the water while in a pot because the soil may have become water shedding I suspect that (if it is in a pot) then it has many problems....soil compaction, lack of humus content, impervious to water, root bound, etc etc You will need to deal with all these to solve your curly leaf problem cheers Peter

We purchased our 1 lt bottle from Landmark in Midland. That was 2 years ago and we haven't had to buy any more yet ... but can't believe they will only sell it in 5 lt lots. Cheeky so-and-sos. If that is the case, Annabel, and you're in Esperance(?I think) then why not see if farmers who purchase large lots of it would let you buy 1 lt off them. 5 lts would last an awful long time in the average garden. I'm going to Midland tomorrow so will ask around and let you know. Cheers Barb

Rose - I live near Burswood - probably not close to the Hills enough. I have seen the archway in Melville Nurseries - absolutely gorgeous. Plus the GardenGurus featured this absolutely stunning flowering cherry a month or so ago ... I was thinking maybe I could have a crab apple out the front. We are actually in need of a small deciduous tree. I didn't want to plant a chinese tallow. The position is probably too sunny and windy for a japanese maple - south west exposure + northern aspect. I'm amazed your malus has survived 3 yrs in a bag - you must have been loving it fairly well for it to be still alive. I suspect Lathlain is too flat and I regret to say that I don't think my front yard will be a good home for it. But thank you for your offer. I haven't been to Wondawest. The other place I was going to try was Floraland. Thanks for your responses. Aggie

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!