Thank you Dee and everyone. Isn't it nice to be missed? Just had a little spell in hospital but OK now. Paradisi: The snail plant is a prolific creeper, we have four grown from seed, and they cover the side of the garage. The seeds are in a pod which looks like a bean pod, but black. I believe its proper name is Vigna Caracalla - Phaseolus gigantica family: Fabaceae. That is what some members on the GW told me. It is highly perfumed, something like a gardenia and the shape of the flower is gorgeous. Doesn't last long in water but good on the vine. Thanks Goldhills, Pete has grown plenty of veg this year, tomatoes slow due to weather, silver beet, lettuce, carrots & beans- super, but our first pumpkin. Maria, our Shariffa Asma took a while to take off, as did the English Garden, but the wait is worth while. Heather, my friend, how's everything with you and your family? How different to have gladdies growing on the traffic islands, very colourful. Don't they get stolen?

deejaus - - after the kerfuffle with the copyright thing I moved the photos into another album "paradisi's paradise" - link below if there's anthing in particular you want to look at email me and again I remind iVillage that my photos are covered by copyright because they are housed on photobucket - all I supply in this forum is a link Here is a link that might be useful: my album

paradisi, I grew midyim berry a few years ago but didn't live at that house for long but it was easy to grow and I can't remember it having any problems. Jaboticaba likes similar conditions to lilipillies. Slow to fruit at first but when it does start it has several crops of sweet fruit a year. Below is an article about the midyim I found when researching bush foods. Midyim Berry (Austromyrtus dulcis) This would have to be one of the most delicious of all the Australian bushfoods. They can vary in flavour from extremely sweet to a rather aromatic almost methol flavour. Midyim berries naturally occur on the coast, from Northern NSW, up to Fraser Island, in Queensland, and were a favourite food among the local Aboriginals. They do best in a shady, sheltered place, with well -drained soil but are very adaptable to most sites if water is available. They make a great ground cover, tube specimen or garden plant. Midyim berries are very attractive, growing to a maximum height of 1m and width of about 80cm. They have narrow pointed leaves, 1-3 cm long, which are silky and red/pink when young, giving them a lovely flush of colour. They have a delicate mass of white fluffy flowers, which occur in spring and summer. Although only a small, bush they can produce a large number of small, round, white speckled berries twice a year (January and April). They can be slow growing to start but with ample water they should fruit well by there third year. The fruit is best, eaten fresh, seeds and all, but can be added to fruit salads, into a pie or made into a fabulous native jam.

I guess My wife qualifies as an enabler. I had decided to let all my citrus trees die when both my kumquat trees died in a 3F windstorm that blew my cover off the trees. I had decided to dump the 3 Sweetlee tangerine trees (for rootstock). Jean talked me out of it. 3 month later I was offend 2 rescue Meyers that I accepted and nursed back to health. Later a friend, ,Cory, sent me 2 seed grown Fukushu Kumquat trees and a Meiwa kumquat tree. Fukushu #1 ( Fortunella Obovata ) Fukushu #2 ( Fortunella Obovata ) Meiwa #1 ( Fortunella Crassifolia )Meiwa #2 and Meiwa #3 just grafted 7-19-16 on US897 rootstock. My wife even held the light on the plant.