Patty, I can really picture the yellow light shining thru the forsythia--it sounds lovely. And Ink, I am sure to look for Michelle's book! One time I saw a "pizza garden" for children which featured all the herbs that you might put on pizza like basil, oregano, thyme. I think that the kids would connect with the pizza theme much more stongly than they would with a regular herb garden--an excellent example of taking the design idea a step further. Someone might recognize that garden--it seems to me that one part was laid out by color like a rainbow and another park was broken down by region and so had a "globe-theme". It was featured in a major magazine. The responsibility of putting together a plant list for a public children's garden was a bit daunting because of the health considerations--plants must not be poisonous, they must not cause photos-sensitive or other allergic reactions (oops, there goes the euphorbia, which would have been a great "outrageous looking" plant to include), they shouldn't be attractive to bees, they shouldn't have dangerous spines or thorns, they must be rugged, there must be adequate 4-season interest. At the same time, the look that is considered desirable around here is influenced by the work of Thomas Hobbs, Withey/Price and others and by the ready availability of Heronswood Nursery and is opulent and full of a lot of perennial plants and foliage color--more the "tapestry" look instead of drifts, and one is encouraged to include a wide variety of plant material.

Just a head's up in case anyone didn't know, there's a guy at Burpengary who has closed down his brom biz and has been selling off his stock. I was there this arvo and he still had a fair few Neos, plus some Vrieseas and Tills and a few other things, (many of them under $10 or thereabouts). I suspect it'll all be gone by the weekend, but in case you wanna check out what he's got left over the next couple of days, (might be worth calling him first just to check if he's sold out completely yet), the info is: BROMELIADS Closing down sale. Prices reduced by upto 50%. Select from 1000s of plants, $3 upto large landscaping plants. 17 Moore Rd, Burpengary. Last chance to buy at these prices, please phone 3888 0092 or 0417 635 359.

It is for fertigation. I've purchased several Mazzei-type venturi units. I need/want to build a PVC bypass valve - like the one in my original post, but I want the section where the venturi connects to allow for a 'swappable' section since the units are of different sizes. Given that I've found howto's for PVC tomato cages, PVC furniture, etc. I'm looking for a howto and parts list (something I can shop at HD/Lowes with) for the bypass valve. i.e. I need a ball valve for the shutoff, 1/2" PVC U splitter (it has a different name and knowing that when I walk into HD will save time), a PVC to Hose male/female? connector (that has a name too), etc. Knowing what something is called is really helpful when shopping at HD since saying you need the 'thingamagig' doesn't create an incentive for some of the employees there. Additionally, knowing what kind of length offsets various pieces create will help me when cutting the PVC to the (hopefully) right lengths. I understand the fertigation, it's the measurements and parts for the bypass valve. I could spend $100 and buy one, but I'd feel more accomplishment spending $20 on parts and putting it together myself. So, I'll post in the hydro section, but any added help from here would be appreciated. Andrew

Tropical Flowers & Trees Australia* A Proposed Society with interests in flowering trees, shrubs and vines originating in the Tropical Regions of Northern Australia and the World. Express your interest NOW to attend the inaugural meeting in February 2005 Contact By Post: The Registrar Tropical Flowers & Trees Australia Brisbane Botanic Gardens Mt Coot-tha Brisbane Queensland Australia 4066 Phone & Fax (07) 3423 1937 or Email: TFTAUSTRALIA@aol.com (Please Print) Title Name Postal Address Professional / Business Name (if any) Address Phone and Fax Email Area of Interest I can help with