OOps, I overlooked where you said that this was a public garden! I was giving you the credit! Oh well, you can have the credit for the great photo! :) I am planning to go to England someday for the Chelsea Flower Show. In fact, we were supposed to go there for our honeymoon, but we were scared of going overseas right after 9/11, so we went to Hawaii instead. With airfare going up up up, it may be many more years before I can affored to go. I would love to meet someone who has been there!

Bahia, You are right it is a broom, Spartium junceum, a plant that would fit right in with your mediteranean theme. It is an accident where it is, we wanted a fountain there but couldn't find one we liked so we put this in 'temporarily'. I love the upward verticalness of it contrasting with the fountain like flow of the deer and pampas grass behind it and it is there to stay. And of course it has wonderful yellow flowers in the spring. You are right about this winter, anything marginal is gone or severly damaged. The cassias normally overflowing with bloom this time of year look half dead. The myoporium which looks ten times as good as any lawn as a ground cover was killed to the base but the salvias and penstemons are fine. Clevlandii had a little tip dieback but nothing bad and the Parrys Penstemon and P. triflorus are blooming with superbus close behind. I can't feel sorry for what you can't grow in San Fransisco as there is so much you can grow. You have a far broader plant palette to choose from than we do here. I grew up in Santa Rosa and often passed through and sometimes visited S.F. It's a beautiful city with immense character but I sure wouldn't want to have to get around by bicycle in it:) Your retama monosperma sounds wonderful but I'm sure if our furnace of a summer didn't do it in here, our frosty winter would. Maria

You should be able to grow it in So. Cal. I grow it here in the San Jose area. I keep mine in semi-shade...sort of a woodland setting. It gets sun until about 1 and then, dappled sun fading into full shade. I prune it/pinch it back in spring to encourage bushiness. I saw one growing with Salvia "Indigo Spires" in Mendocino Botanical Gardens (a "Kaveh" design) that made a gorgeous combo. wanda

lady of the bats We feel your pain. I am currently facing the three horsemen of the apocalyse: Deer, Wallaby and Yowie. If it wasn't for the kind words of encouragement from the forum-mongers, Uncle Remiggio and I would have long ago surrendered. I won't bore you with the long history or soul-crushing defeats, outright routings and dismal failures we have had to contend with, but believe me, my Ice Berg roses will never be the same again and Uncle Remiggio still has a slight limp and one eye is more askew than socially acceptable. Be advised, don't waste time exploring the various solutions on offer - their is no chemical, device, detector, emmitter or philosophy that has any effect on these creatures (I include possums as a potential fourth horeseman). Their is one and only one solution - extermination. After months of research - literally weeks spent acting and thinking like animals, Uncle Remiggio and I have engaged in a ruthless guerilla war determined to eliminate the foe or die trying. You will be abused. You will be reviled. The percieved cuteness of the possum is seem by many as more than enough reason to allow them to eat your plants and defecate on your Ice-bergs - but be strong - kill - kill - kill. Please note that any comments in defence of "native" animals will be ignored vigorously.