Sadly this kind of thing is rife in the nursery industry. It's probably a function of the "folk lore" type system of naming plants, ie. word of mouth, chinese whispers type scenario. An example I enountered recently was that of the New Zealand Flax (Phormium sp.) which has become known broadly as just "Flax". Someone I was talking to had been told that the cloth Linen was made from flax, and had drawn the obvious (but incorrect) conclusion that Linen was made from Phormium. Of course it's completely different to Linum and in a completely different family from the other side of the globe, how much more wrong could you be? Trouble is seemingly harmless bits of mis-information infiltrate common knowledge and spread right through the community like a disease! Tony, I love the irony of your example with the common name 'Fool's Watercress' :) Put a smile on my face, thanks for the post.

Hi there, I was able to pick up an unlabeled Panachoi from bunnings but if you're unsure how to identify them your best bet is ebay, there's often lots of cuttings on there which are easy to root (do not water for a year or so). There's a lot of people who claim to sell Peruvianus however it's unlikely that they really are. James.

As we all say, each to their own. I could not live in the tropics/sub tropics in a pink fit - I love changing seasons and would hate not to curl up in front of a log fire in winter and there is nothing better than being under a warm doona on a winter's night. We live in a very beautiful spot - Barrington, NSW with magnificent views and many people would think we are in Utopia. But in August we are going to visit Tassie to see just how bad the winters are - we were there in February and the coolness of the summer was wonderful. The quality of some of the soil is also an attraction. Barrington summers are disgustingly hot & humid (5days over 40degrees last summer) and gardening is impossible between 10.00 am and 16:00 am. All the gardens I fall in love with are always cool climate gardens and I would really like to develop one before my days are up. Richardqld - I'd love to exchange emails once you are settled in Tassie as it would be great to get the reaction of someone who has moved there from a warmer climate!

Hi Mel, I'm new to Northern NSW and new to rose growing here (or anywhere!) as well. I've been growing roses (in pots) here now for about 3 years. Not only do I live just south of the border (Byron area), where it's humid, but i'm also smack-bang on the beach. So have some coastal carry-on to deal with - which is the main reason I grow in pots - wouldnt care to plant my dahhlings in the sand here.. When I first mentioned my plan to grow roses in this area, I got all sorts of well-meaning (but WAY BORING) warnings against trying to grow roses in this area (people didnt think growing in pots would make any difference), but to be honest, I reckon I've done well. I've got 14 roses growing fairly well (some thriving, some just cruising) now and I've never tried to select roses good or not good for humidity/coastal conditions - I just buy them on 'prettiness" and "fragrance strength". Last year, Treloar threw in a few freebies so those ones were a wildcard obviously - and not selected for prettiness or fragrance strenght... Anyway, I'll give you a rundown of what i've got bc i've had mixed results (all are alive and doing well - but some are absolutely thriving and some are just cruising along with their various issues (blackspot wotnot) as i say). Jude The Obscure (fragrance lychee, apricot, lemonade). Adores it here. (good bc i adore it right back!). Barely even gets blackspot can you believe? Me either. no other diseases. I've nicknamed it St Jude bc it really does have saintly behaviour! Sacred Heart (fragrance meringue). same. Spirit of Peace (fragrance not sure yet, can't nail an analogy yet). likes it here also.. Mon Petit Chou (no analogy for fragrance yet). same. Alister Clark Blueboy (fragrance damask with heavy cinnamon - spicy!). same, but a bit more suseptible to blackspot. Duchesse De Brabant (fragrance musky-peppery...). I would marry this rose. it gets some blackspot occasionally but i dont care. it's sooo pretty and such a delightful, strong fragrance that basically it's my favourite-in-the-garden and can behave however it wants. Best Friend. Up and down. who knows what it's problem is (not me YET!) - sometimes it's thriving, sometimes it hates my guts (not your typical best friend, eh?). Neptune. He's newish. I dont think he's loving it up here. he keeps putting out STUNNING sized (and fragrance-strong) blooms, but he seems to be struggling with leaf deformities and stuff. maybe mosaic but i dont see those telltale patterns...so yeh, dunno about him yet. wouldnt give you the nod on this one at this point. Stanwell Perpetual. this rose..oh god, i really love it, but goodlord, what a handful it's been to work out how it likes to be treated! it is THE THIRSTIEST rose known to man... i give it a drink every single day (other roses just every second day) and still it cries (wilts and sags). for a while it was getting leaf tip burn, not sure how i remedied that...and then it got really...