Applenut, IMHO I would not use seedling rootstocks. They are unpredictable and don't have the drought tolerance and climate adaptability that MM-111 provides. In Santa Cruz county, MM111 is the preferred rootstock because under dry conditions, growth won't shut down. With other rootstocks, adverse weather conditions can shut down growth and it's much harder to get the tree going again. I have had very poor luck with seedling rootstocks in my poor soil and southwest facing hillside that cooks up to 100F in the Summertime. MM111 will generally overtake a seedling in no time. Antonovka seedlings have been especially terrible for me, they don't take well to dry sandy soil. Also, a number of local growers have noticed that MM111 seems to lower overall chill requirements for many cultivars. I don't know how this works, and why it does, suffice to say MM111 has proven itself in our milder climate. If you really need a low chill vigorous rootstock, then you might want to root Northern Spy, this is one of the parents of MM111, and it's quite vigorous, and cuttings will actually root. It should have some similar traits to MM111 except be much more vigorous. Variety wise, I think Anna and Dorsett Golden are good choices, but I've always been curious about the "truly tropical" apples, e.g. those that require a super long growing season to ripen, and will not ripen well in shorter season climates. The varieties that come to mind are all from the Southern hemisphere, and include Granny Smith, Lady Williams, Sundowner, and perhaps even pink lady, one of the only apples in my backyard that doesn't get sunburned. These varieties seem to not be very sensitive to lack of chill accumulation. I believe Granny Smith even came from Sydney surroundings, where the climate is as mild as coastal Southern California, but with humid Summers. Around here, Granny Smith ripens as yellow table apples in mid January along with Pink lady, followed by Lady Williams in early Febuary, and then Sundowner a bit later. The trees defoliate here just as the apples ripen. The only drawback of the longer season varieties when grown in the tropics is that you have to get them through the rainy season with fruits on them, not a good prospect when it comes to disease, but maybe some of them are disease resistant. The trouble with Anna and Dorsett golden is that they are disease prone in humid climates, so one would need to breed in resistance into low chill cultivars. You may want to post to the Cloudforest at www.cloudforest.com/cafe/, there are a bunch of tropical fruit growers there that also grow apples in some of the mildest parts of California, Australia and New Zealand. There are lots of discussions there about low chill apple cultivars.

@ tcstoehr searching seaweed pneumatocyst came up with 453 results and although would seem to be the only logical explanation I really doubt this is one of them, pneumatocysts contain carbon dioxide, surprisingly to help them float lol the concept of a pneumatocyst that's fruit like wouldn't really be efficient as a flotation device I doubt. @ peanuttree Even so I've not seen a fruit like this and It wasn't in the water, it was on the beach attached to the seaweed, I know for sure because I picked it up by the "fruit" I'm also sure it was seaweed not a branch. @ jellyman I'm in Australia till the 27th I think but, although a marine biologist would be useful, this would baffle them either that or they wouldn't believe me seeing as I technically have no other proof then the fruit itself which, as time goes by, is getting dryer an dryer and will eventually rot, shamefully I didn't have the sense to take it with the seaweed or even attached which would of definitely helped me. Thanks everyone for replying.

The trouble with lists of frost hrady and dry hardy plants, is that they vary so much from area to area. Where my parents-in-law live in the wimmera, their sandy soil and lower rainfall means plants like lavender and rosemary will die if they aren't watered, whereas mine are never watered and do extremely well here on my heavier soils, colder climate and higher rainfall. My echiums, which are listed as 'frost sensitive' have been frosted many, many times and are growing like crazy things. I love them. As for trees - the five acre front of my block is planted out to about 1000 decidious trees. I love them at any time of the year. The silver birches look great in any season, as do the ornamental pears, with their shiny red bark. How would you ever enjoy the twisted limbs of the Scotch elm if the leaves didn't drop off once a year? We mulch with straw and manure. The large groves of birch trees were not watered through the drought and did very well. We are slowly manuring and mulching every tree. The ones we have done are growing like crazy and need very little attention. As for water - we don't get town water, so supply our own. I use it however I want to at whatever time of the day I want to. If anyone doesn't like it, come here and tell me face to face. (...and I will squirt you with the hose ;-) You want to save some of the planet's resources? Stop buying pre-prepared food in multiple packaging. Buy 'whole' food only and make your own. My absolute top plant for dry, un-mulched, un-manured sandy, clay soil? Ornamental grapes. They look good in winter too. Finally, I have lived, worked and gardened in every outback, stinking hot, dry and impoverished place in Australia. We moved here because of the climate and rainfall and I intend to plant, water, manure and mulch whatever I damn well please. If that offends anyone, as my nephew would say - talk to the eyeballs. Or try gardening in Paraburdoo without watering, mulching or manuring anything and see how much fun gardening can really be! Robyn

Took me a while to find this posting as well as bneing able to log in. Now almost 12 months later and I am in the suburbs of Far East Gippsland. Gradually making progress in what was a non gaRDEN. been here two years. Love those natives,but will take a few years to build up the stock. Always sticking cuttings in, some successes. Errinunda Rain forest = ferns, waratahs, not far away. Marvellous coastal heathland, lots of flowers in bloom and ground orchids in surrounding forests. LOve it.