Roses in Australia part of the forum is dead for some time, so I was hoping someone could still be around reading some articles, including this one. Karl, I think import ban on Australian roses is over and after so many decades Americans can enjoy Australian-bred roses. I believe Alister Clark's are becoming quite a hit over there, especially in warmer parts of the States.

Thanks everyone... Dublinbay - I'm having trouble transferring the photos from photobucket to this forum. This is what happens: [IMG]http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t71/tangles07/DSC02488.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t71/tangles07/DSC02494.jpg[/IMG] The above are photos of "Smooth Ballerina" that I bought from yesterday's show. The problem with me is, when I see other people buying plants - I want to get them as well. I don't know whether I had made the right choice because I'm a fan of English roses, so I don't know whether it will blend well with some of the English roses that I'm planning to this coming winter months... Smooth Ballerina looks nice, but the downside is it has a very mild scent.

g'day tirto, best i can say is plant them in a warm position that would be one with good northern sun in the winter yet protected from those southern to north westerly cold winds, and keep them well mulched for the coming winter add more in the autumn, keeps the soil warmer for the corms, the tops may die off but the root stock should remain viable. we keep edible ginger going this way. if the garden can have a brick wall behind it all the better but not good to plant gardens or anything within 2 meters of the house foundations. most varieties should grow in these conditions or the only other option is a climate control hot house. now as for flowering they may not as that might be influenced by the length of summer and the length of days along with the ambient temp of winter, in the tropic/sub-tropics nowhere near as low as what you get. len Here is a link that might be useful: lens garden page

We own a home just south of there in Vero Beach, so I'm somewhat familiar with the area. We sometimes use the Melbourne airport. I spent a couple hours there last week. There are a few good restaurants and shops downtown and along the beach. Check out VRBO or Homeaway for rentals available on the barrier island.