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.

Hi Verandah, Greathawks and brissi555......I just happened to check the Australian Forum for tropical plants, is anyone still cultivate Plumerias/Frangipani ? I was actually in Brisbane for a month, visiting one of my sister and her families, she lives in the area of Chermside! Did any of you buy Plumerias at one of your local nurseries or from a website ? I'll be curious to know because I have 10 of them, here in the San Francisco peninsula. Well...good to know you....maybe you can check the GardenWeb Forums/Plumeria !! Hopefully I will find you in the near future, Annamaria

I have been a very disheartened gardener since moving to Brisbane 2 years ago form New Zealand. The pests are enough to make you tear your hair out and every thing is so extreme. I don't get a little tomato blight, but complete wipe out in three days. I don't get a few caterpillars I can pick by hand, but a plague of biblical proportions. And if any thing is left the birds finish it off!! Although I love the winters here the summer can be a bit of a trial, especially like it was this year with high temperatures and humidity for weeks on end. The water situation is a real worry and there doesn't seem to be any political will to change things. We get the odd polli ranting about new dams, or pipelines or other grandiose schemes but it strikes me that an easier solution would be to think small, and legislate that every new house must be built with rainwater tanks to at least service the garden and bathroom use. The houses going up here are huge and have enourmous cachment possibilities from the roof, even with light rain. owners of existing houses could be given grants to add water tanks. There is a grant in some areas but its not consistent across Brisbane and only funds a small tank. As for a serious gardener, you could do no better than the north of NZ - plenty of rain, mild winters, warm summers, and daylight saving. (Shame about the hard clay soil, the possums, rabbits and hares, the kikuyu.......) Whoops, bit of a rant there. I maust lie down and think about the mangoes. Anakei

Hi! We live in Brisbane, and I would like to plant something all the way along our western fence, which is in shade most of the day. I am looking for advice for what to plant that will provide some privacy. The morning shade is fairly light (with some patchy bits of direct sunlight) due to nearby taller trees. It is in heavier shade all of the afternoon. We have a 3 story block of units on our western boundary, and so the sun disappears behind this building. The soil is well drained, and deeper down has some clay. But the plants will most likely be in a raised bed in fresh soil, as we are going to build a retaining wall. We have planted Lilly pilly resilience along the back fence and about 3 metres down the western side, but then it starts to get shadey and I have noticed these few trees are already slower to grow so was contemplating a different variety of plant for the rest of the wall. Something fast growing would be ideal. Photo taken was at 12.30pm April 19. Do you think I should persist will Lilly Pilly? What about Camellias? What about Summerscent? Im not really a big fan of bamboo. Thanks!!! Lou