my vague sense is that grafted roses may lose their graft, but selfrooted cv can't. I've seen roses grown dry. they flower in spring, then dry back. drip. streamside/watercourse plants should like drip. (grapes, brambles, bermuda grass, aesculus c., iirc oleander. poplar would like drip so much, it would soon clog your water meter :-) ) ca natives have brief history of cultivation (nursery, hort abuse and hybridization, selection), so non-watercourse natives (diplacus?) likely lack hort-flexibility of non-watercourse ancient hort plants (perhaps olive is good example?). soil. suburbs are usually clay. most aesthetically popular dry plants are native to coarser soils (or are large) Reading years ago, I decided that all major Mediterranean climates differ significantly from each other. We grow plants without their native fauna and flora. so much is different... so, nothing beats (somebody's) hands-on research :-)

"6 to 8 feet" isn't really a tree. Here's a few medium to large shrubs that you can "limb up" to create a multi-trunked tree look; although they'll want to get taller than 8 feet, you can keep them at 8 with creative pruning: Acca (Feijoa) sellowiana PINEAPPLE GUAVA Arbutus unedo 'Compacta' STRAWBERRY TREE Arctostaphylos ÂAustin Griffiths AUSTIN GRIFFITHS MANZANITA Arctostaphylos densiflora ÂHarmony HARMONY MANZANITA Arctostaphylos manzanita ÂDr. Hurd DR. HURD MANZANITA Arctostaphylos pajaroensis ÂParadise PAJARO MANZANITA Banksia ashbyi ASHBYÂS BANKSIA Banksia brownii FEATHER-LEAD BANKSIA Banksia coccinea SCARLET BANKSIA Banksia menziesii RASPBERRY FROST Callistemon citrinus ÂMauve Mist M. M. BOTTLEBRUSH Callistemon citrinus LEMON BOTTLEBRUSH Callistemon phoeniceus LESSER BOTTLEBRUSH Callistemon rigidus STIFF BOTTLEBRUSH Callistemon salignus WHITE BOTTLEBRUSH Cercis occidentalis WESTERN REDBUD Comarostaphylis diversifolia SUMMER HOLLY Cotinus coggygria SMOKETREE Escallonia laevis PINK ESCALLONIA Escallonia x exoniensis ÂBalfouriÂ, ÂFrades HYBRID ESCALLONIA Grevillea asplenifolia FERN-LEAF GREVILLEA Grevillea ÂHoneygemÂ, ÂIvanhoeÂ, ÂLong JohnÂ, ÂPoorinda BlondieÂ, ÂRed HooksÂ, HYBRID GREVILLEA Grevillea hookeriana TOOTHBRUSH GREVILLEA Grevillea olivacea OLIVE-LEAF GREVILLEA Grevillea victoriae ÂMurray Valley Queen M. V. Q. GREVILLEA Hakea arachaeoides SPIDER HAKEA Hakea bucculenta HOT POKERS Hakea francisiana PINK SPIKE HAKEA Hakea laurina SEA URCHIN, PINCUSHION TREE Leptospermum lanigerum WOOLY TEA TREE Leptospermum polygalifolium ÂYarra River RED SPIRE TEA TREE Leptospermum scoparium ÂHelene StrybingÂ, ÂKeatleyiÂ, ÂPink DamaskÂ, ÂPink PearlÂ, NEW ZEALAND TEA TREE Leucospermum reflexum RED ROCKET Melaleuca armillaris FEATHERY MELALEUCA Melaleuca bracteata WHITE CLOUD TREE Melaleuca decussata LILAC MELALEUCA Melaleuca elliptica GRANITE BOTTLEBRUSH Melaleuca ericifolia HEATH BOTTLEBRUSH Melaleuca hypericifolia HILLOCK BUSH Melaleuca nesophila PINK MELALEUCA Pinus contorta contorta SHORE PINE Pittosporum crassifolium KARO Pittosporum eugenioides TARATA Pittosporum tenuifolium KOHUHU, TAWHIWI Prunus illicifolia HOLLYLEAF CHERRY Psidium cattleianum STRAWBERRY GUAVA Regelia velutina BARRENS REGELIA Rhaphiolepis ÂMajestic Beauty (multi) M. B. INDIAN HAWTHORNE Viburnum suspensum SANDANKWA Xylosma congestum SHINY XYLOSMA Joe

LOL Gee, I never thought of myself as a 'Japie' before! In fact now that you ask, I never really knew the meaning of the word! We used to call people from the farms 'Plaas Japies' so I suppose it means people who are from a certain place ie farms. Would this mean that people from the city wondering around in the rural communities are 'Dorp Japies'? There must be a place to get earthworms in SA without having to import them from North America. We used to sink a fork into damp ground just about anywhere but especially along river banks and wiggle the fork. The worms would come up to the surface on their own. - I miss fishing for mud tasting fish on the Vaal..... If there are no worms there naturally, then introducing them might not be a good idea because they might die in that soil type. Perhaps amending the soil, by adding organic matter might be the key. Chris - in beautiful but cold Canada. ps Japie is pronounced sort of 'yaapie'

OK, wattleblossom - your garden sounds absolutely spectacular, but there are several points I'd like to make: 1. 'Your mileage may vary' : many of the species you have successfully grown, be they from Oz or wherever, simply wont do well in large parts of Queensland/Northern NSW/NT. Thats commonsense, but its easy for new gardeners to get drawn into the images presented by the (south-dominated) gardening media. Its a tribute to you that you have found the plants that thrive in your area. 2. Both sets of plants will be as 'low maintenance' as you want them to be, and that comes down to your preferred presentation. For example, pruning is a must for many shrubs, but how many need to be topiarised ? We can create hedges with exotic conifers or a species such as Melaleuca, but how can we prevent dieback in the centre of our new hedge ? This is one area where an informal planting scheme wins hands down, at least IMO. 3. From your description, it seems that you have two clearly delineated areas, and plants belong in one or the other by courtesy of their origin. I accept that this works for you, but have to ask if we need to build such arbitrary boundaries. I've made the point several times that I believe many of our rainforest plants are good companion plants for Vireya Rhododendrons, Gardenias and similar glossy-leaved exotics, and mixing dry climate plants from similar latitudes is already a well-worn path. Proteas are a slightly different story, although my 'high NPK' experiment still hasnt killed my tropical grevilleas :) 4. I also struggle with the insect-attack issue : none of us likes to see their evil handiwork, but I've been very lucky to date. Grasshoppers and caterpillars currently seem to be be enjoying exotics and natives alike in my garden, but its also rewarding to watch a magpie flying off with one of the marauding bugs protruding from its beak. Its currently very dry in CQ, and I suspect that this has pushed the insects into our gardens in larger numbers - they werent a problem in Summer. None of this makes my opinions any more valid than the next persons, but I do think that tight integration between Australian and imported plants is the key for the future of our native plants in commercial horticulture (as opposed to conservation). It will be a sad day when city kids can only see native plants in a botanical garden or arboretum. You or I could build an incredible garden using only plants from Madagascar, but would we be willing to limit ourselves to that one (admittedly sensational ..) island ? Who knows - Bunnings might start shipping truckloads of Madagascan plants after our gradens make the glossies :)