Hi all - yes, although it takes forever to load, our online extravaganza is certainly a visual splendour! Congrats to all involved. Jaga - I knew that question was coming -about attaching the larger broms to trees. Friends of mine also use large staples over the stolon to attach, with great success. Older brom growers tell me to use old stockings/pantyhose, but I have found more updated material better. Stockings are generally used very heavy-handedly, wrapped around and around the base of plant and tree branch - and then overtime it bleaches whitish, and to my eye, becomes an eyesore. I prefer to make the attaching material as non-obvious as possible, trying to create a more natural effect. After much trial and error, I have found the use of a stretchy fabric called "ribbing" suits my needs best. It is similar to "lycra", and comes in different colours. I buy mine at an outlet called "Spotlight" - something similar in N.Z.? It comes in a circular metre, and one metre at approx. AU$10 will tie over a hundred broms - certainly cheaper than potting mix. I usually get the dark brown ribbing, as this colour blends best with most of the branches of my trees. Sometimes I use a lighter grey, for paler bark. Over time, the tie either wears away, or becomes covered by brom roots. By then the brom is usually self-supported, and subsequent pups root along the branch by themselves, or the original plant on branch supports the stoloniferous types in mid-air. With good quality dressmakers scissors, I cut long strips of ribbing, about 2 -3 cm wide (1 inch), on the stretch warp. When this is stretched, it becomes narrower. The stretchiness gives a tighter tension for a firm hold. I do not use sphagnum moss, or anything else between the brom and the branch. The reason for this is so that when the roots grow, they attach immediately to the host branch/trunk, securing the brom a.s.a.p. Sometimes, the brom can still fall out of tree in strong wind, and although it may have formed roots, it is not directly attached to the tree, and the whole base comes off. The stoloniferous broms are the easiest to attach, and I simply wind the ribbing around the stolon and branch, usually in a crossed formation, and tie firmly with a simple 'reef' knot (right over left and under, left over right and under). If the tie is too obvious, I disguise it with a bit of 'old man's beard'. Attaching non-stoloniferous broms is harder to describe. Often the brom, when removed from its pot, already has an established root system with chunks of bark still attached. I use this extra matter as a base for tying, attaching and winding the ribbing over all sides of the mix and branch. If the branch/trunk is a vertical one, and the brom has many leaves already - eg. an established vriesea - then I usually need to thread the tie between the lower or middle layer of leaves, easily disguised, and tie to the trunk a bit higher than the base, as well as tied at the base. This keeps the brom more upright and supported, and relieves pressure from the base tie - make sense??? It really depends on what you are attaching, and common sense dictates the best way to do it. Another thing - most people think that the 'branch crotches' are best to use - yes they are good, especially for attaching an established brom - but I like the effect of the brom free-standing along the branch, so the form can be viewed unimpeded. Hanwc - I use both pups and established broms in trees. Broms like Ae. blanchetiana are too big and heavy if over half-grown. Up a ladder with only me, a large brom and my two hands, I usually hold the tie/ties in my teeth (!), and often have to use my head to support the brom while I tie it on! Hope this info is of help/interest. Cheers, Tarzan - oops, I mean Kerry :)

OMG it sounds just like a weed which has invaded my garden! I haven't a clue what it is, but believe me, it's a right pain. It will climb anything, and I've just had to have tons of it removed from my roof, where it reached after almost choking a large grevillea to death! Roundup kills it, and I suspect it's an offering from overhead birds, otherwise it appears from nowhere, but will take hold in the tiniest crevice. It has a small flower which is almost black in colour.

The two most common Allocasurinas in Victoria, or at least around Melbourne, are: Allocasurina vertcillata Allocasurina littoralis The former has very long drooping needles and is aptly named Drooping Sheoak. The latter has shorter needles that generally stick straight up. Black Sheoak. The sheoak in the photo looks like it might be littoralis. The wattle tree will be either Acacia dealbata / Silver Wattle or Acacia mearnsii / Black Wattle. The leaves consist of a main stem with smaller stems branching off, with each smaller stem being lined with leaflets. Look at the top surface of the main stem and you should see raised circular glands. If they are evenly spaced it is Acacia dealbata. If they are scattered haphazardly along the stem then it is Acacia mearnsii. All of the Melbournian Eucalypts have white or creamy flowers and the one in the photo appears to have yellow flowers. So it is not a local if you are in the Melbourne region. It in fact looks like a Western Australian species, whose name escapes me, that is commonly planted in parks and gardens around Melbourne.

Hi Robyn. Could I suggest that an important consideration is to plant species which have the best chances of survival. For this reason, I'd be very much inclined to go for local species which, naturally, have evolved with the local soil & climatic conditions. To get an idea of which species are local you could visit your nearest patch of relatively undisturbed bushland & take notes. Take along someone with plant identification skills if you don't have these skills yourself. You might also want to talk with the environment office at the Toowoomba Regional Council about the local species which would meet your criteria & might be best suited for your property, especially for the boggy area. I note that Forest Red Gum Eucalyptus tereticornis seems to be local to you. Did you plant that one or is it a remnant of the forest which once covered your property? This species would seem to be one that would be suitable for you as it is fast growing. Silky Oak Grevillea robusta is now rather rare in its natural range which is close to Toowoomba. They naturally grow along creek lines so might grow fastest in your seasonally boggy parts. But they do well in dry conditions. I have a couple of healthy but slow growing ones where I live with an average rainfall of only 475 mm. I believe they're used as a street tree in Alice Springs & there are several very tall specimens in Murray Bridge SA with an average rainfall of about 400mm. Are yours in boggy or dry parts? Or both?