I've been on a tear lately, getting all sorts of plants I've wanted: neon pothos variegated philodendron chordatum 'black gold' sansevieria a lithops wandering jew- i didn't know how 'retro' these plants look. these and the sans make me feel i'm back in the forties. i have to start getting selective, because i'm running out of room. if i had all the space in the world, I'd get: monstera delisiosa african mask plant- i find these guys stunning, but just no room! I would like to get a fern of some type, but i don't know which would do best in my office.

Ricky, I use huge leather welding gloves and the same tool as you. How about after they fall and need to be picked up and hauled to the curb? How about while carrying them, dont you get punctures in your hips and arms from the branches sticking out over the top of the can? And then when walking out to the curb (barefooted) to get the empty cans and stepping onto small chunks of these poison tipped organic hypodermic needles that missed the truck? The answer sounds like 'book' material to me! I am waiting to hear 'Karen does THAT part'

Hi Popi, From the GA site: 'She has also planted Bursaria spinosa the food plant for the Eltham Copper, which is a very rare and endangered species of butterfly, which is found in Castlemaine. Jenny says: "My husband discovered it Ânow I'm getting all my friends to plant the Bursaria through to Castlemaine, to form a corridor for the butterfly."' For mine, a dinkum Aussie gardener is one who is willing to work with what they have been given. I'm not immune to the temptation to replace my topsoil etc, but I still see it as contradictory to try to grow roses in humid northern Australia (just one example). Whether its a native or exotic species, the plants in my garden are there because they work, and I dont particularly care what the Joneses have planted up the road. I guess it came home to me at the Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers - the showcase gardens just dont ring 'true' for mine. Toowoomba gardeners would probably regale me with tales of water restrictions and icy winter winds, but bulbs are just too ephemeral for mine. The Morton garden wouldnt attract the same crowds, but its an achievement that stands the test of time, IMO - thats the work of dinkum Aussie gardeners.

Hi, Y'all. Yucky heat. I didn't spend much time in the garden today. I did water a few things and harvested some bell peppers, jalapenos, onions to make chow chow. I already had cabbage and green tomatoes in the house. I had forgotten about my grandpa's chow chow until I was reminded today while visiting my uncle and aunt. So, I made it and it is good. And it's fun that it all came from the garden except the red bell pepper that I purchased. None of my peppers are red yet. We probably should give people a break when it comes to being native purists. It's good to put out the word and spread it as much as possible....but people want something to make their properties look nice....but are often working outside the home, caring for stuff inside the home (like shopping, laundry, cleaning), caring for children and all the things that children are involved with, helping with grandchildren. They're not spending hours studying plants and native plants because they simply don't have time. They'll have a few hours on the weekend, drive to their local nursery and purchase something that looks pretty, and plant it. I guess in some ways I don't understand why my chaste tree is so harmful to the environment. It seems like the pollinators love it...and it's not spreading. It's just a little chaste tree in the middle of my backyard that is covered with bees and butterflies. I guess I should study more on why it's harmful. Maybe I will when I retire in 20 years. Maybe I'll decide to pull it out then. But for now I'll spend my extra time in the garden and dealing with garden produce. I SO enjoy skipping the produce section at the grocery store. Sometimes I'll buy blueberries or citrus. Oh, and the red pepper today. Oh..and ugh. Lettuce if I want to eat lettuce. Too hot for it now. I just remember a few short years ago when I would load up on the fresh and frozen veggies/fruit at the grocery store. Nancy, the peppers you gave to me at SF are so awesome. The paprika grows "upside down"....and the 5 color jalapeno is SO pretty! Thank you for sharing those with me. I'm going to come back with a pic of the Survivalist Garden. It's all food. No flowers. We seem to be in a flower phase here. Love my flowers.