very slim chance of getting a lush garden with no irrigation .. spend a few years improving soil and installing tanks , and then you may have a chance .
btw Alexandras are one of the most water loving palms around , would pay to research some more before planting .

Thanks for your unhelpful and rude response. Why don't you take a happy pill?

Contact Palms for Brisbane - who are in Morningside. They're your best bet for all the help and advice you need.

However, Aroid... was right in what he said. Tropicals aren't necessarily like Natives where you put them in the ground and don't worry about them. You should be watering at least 3 times a week in the Summer and once a week in the winter.

If you want any more advice drop me a line and I'll help you.

[i]Tropicals aren't necessarily like Natives where you put them in the ground and don't worry about them.[/i]

Tim, I really have to correct the assumption that natives are plants that you 'put in the ground and dont worry about them'. This 70's attitude is what has given Australian plants their undeserved reputation as 'spindly, shortlived eyesores' in many quarters of the gardening community.

I'm not going to start another natives vs exotics thread - I have both in my garden - but unless we are talking succulents and one or two 'cast iron' plants, the 'stick it in the ground and forget it' line just doesnt apply to any plant that I am familiar with. My advice to would-be devotees of Australian plants is to become an expert on two things - mulching and pruning. You wont spend as much time maintaining your garden as your average cottage garden fan, but it wont be all beer and skittles either. I spend a lot more time pruning my Australian rainforest species than fertilising exotic tropicals, and I wouldnt have it any other way.

We all generalise - I'm certainly guilty of it in relation to roses - but its dangerous when said generalisations become accepted truths. End of sermon.

Cheers,

Artie

Laura, Aroideana is absolutely right, what they said was honest and fair - your response was not. If this is your response to honest and helpful advice you are just wasteing the time of this forum, however as you dont seem to want to hear the truth just keep on asking and someone will tell you what you want to hear-but it wont make plants grow without water which is the most basic requirement for life. When I worked in a nursery and we had customers like you they were referred to the nearest fake foliage retailer.

Couldnt agree more, plantsplus. I saw no malice in aroid's reply, but I think you've hit the nail on the head when you say that the OP simply wants someone to 'tell you what you want to hear'. My concern is that the nursery industry isnt entirely populated by people of your ilk - many *will* tell the customer what they want to hear, hence furphys like 'all natives are waterwise' and ' is completely unkillable' whilst directing the gullible victim toward their next acquisition. Again, I'm generalising : I've met quite a few really good nurserypeople who have steered me away from a given plant choice because said plant just doesnt do well in my area, but we have to be realistic : a business needs cash to survive, and that potential customer will just go down the road to the next guy if a suggestion isnt forthcoming.

In the interests of appearing 'happy', here are a few proven performers that do well in tropical gardens in dry times (once *established* ..):

Bougainvillea
Frangipani
Yucca
Agave
Dracaena
Strelitzia
Bromeliad

Other suggestions would include Australian plants noted for their abaility to do well in our 'dry rainforest' enclaves:

Flindersia Australis
Harpullia Pendula
Alphitonia spp.
Melia azedarach
Pandorea Pandorana

and the list goes on. So much of it is microclimate and ongoing care : even the toughest species will find it hard going if exposed to 12 hours of sun and the prevailing winds. The old mantra is, as it always was:

1. Mulch, mulch and more mulch
2. Use soil-wetting agents (and water crystals if applicable)
3. Plenty of organic matter in the mulch layer
4. Periodically clear the mulch away from the plants stem to ensure that the water is penetrating
5. Drip irrigation beats most forms of overhead watering (I prefer the latter for my tree ferns and broms).

Enjoy,

Artie

Lets just get something straight here! I have 2.5 acres of property which I spend about 3 solid days on a week. I am excrutiatingly thorough and diligent in mulching and fertilising. I even own a tree muncher/mulcher to produce my own mountains of mulch for my own use. The parcel of land that I was looking for information on is already intensely mulched. I HAVE already been improving the soil on that embankment for 2-3 yrs. I ALREADY have over 100MgL of water tanks installed, as well as a dam. I would say it was impertinent of aroideana to scornfully admonish my request for tough tropical suggestions. I also find it incredibly insulting that plantsplus would 'send me to a fake foliage retailer'. No wonder he USED to be a nurseryman - he would go broke if he treated customers like me - who spends a fortune on nurseries each yr - the way he suggest he would. As for natives being more drought tolerant - I am also and keenly interested in native tropicals. I have had a lot of success with native cordylines.

Thanks to those of you though who have actually given me the time to make useful suggestions.

Disgusted with rude and insulting reply from this ignorant troll , get real darling .

Fortunately as I was not dependant on income from my nursery I did not have to tolerate rude deaf customers who didnt want honest professional advice so I could pick and choose who I sold to and I did. With all that water and all that preparation Laura I cant see why you would have any trouble growing anything on your block. 2.5 acres is not a very large area if you have 100mgL Plus of water at your disposal. You seem to have all the bases well and truly covered. I dont understand why you would want advice from anyone. Try a book!! never know you might learn something you dont know!!!!!!

Dear Happy Housewife, if another happy housewife came to you house and told you that they wanted to have top of the line happy successfull, children. But.. they didn't want to spend much time with them, feed them or do the basic work required when nuturing anything. Most likely you would think she needed a reality check. And that is sadly what you are lacking. Where in god's green earth did you get the idea that you could plant anything besides broms under established golden canes and that you would get a fabulous yuppie garden without doing any work? You need to go back and reread your original post. I think that aroid man was quite restrained, it certaintly gave us something to chuckle about!! p.s. I'm in the trade also and would never let my babies go to someone like you

That's another happy customer left shrieking at her monitor :)

Have to admit that I do miss the odd stoush now that I spend the majority of my time on the other forum. Its all so polite over there and we dont seem to get any posts like this.

Laura, if you are still perservering with the forum, honey will get you a lot more flies than vinegar.

Laura,
You're not really in the tropics are you? If you have done so much work to your "clayey and rocky" patch you should have said so in your original post. My advice would be to go see a bloke who goes by the name aroideana. He will have the best of the tropicals and can provide you with the best and most reliable advice, oh wait, you already p#$$*d him off along with most of the others who could have given you the advice you so obviously need.
Good luck,
PKH-4

AROIDeana might have a painful HaemorROID!Tut tut, there is always gonna be the know alls in life.