There are a few places you can try - depends very much on quantity. I would suggest natives if you want something that will live ... try APACE nursery, which is a landcare nursery and not for profit (they are very friendly and one of their landscape designers can also provide services regarding landscaping, plant selection etc) - or Carramar Coastal nursery (closer to you). Here is a site with contact details for native nurseries : http://members.ozemail.com.au/~wildflowers/getting.htm Muchea is north, but will definitely provide you with lots of native tubestock. Hope this helps.

Sarah I'm not actually in Sydney so I hope someone there can help, but if you are interested in Tillandsias you're probably better off getting onto a good mail order grower, or attending one of the Brom Soc events. I see from the link below that there is a show on in Sydney in May. Most clubs have sales days. I've seen a variety of them from time to time at Bunnings nurseries but you are better off contacting the gardening dep'ts there - you will pay more though. I do know some brom growers in Qld though I'm not a club member but if you wanted any contacts for suppliers I might be able to get them Here is a link that might be useful: check for the May NSW show

Hi HJ. I dont know if they are a weed in Brisbane but here in Logan you cannot buy them any where. I tried to when we started on the garden as there were a few on our block and I though them very pretty but were told by Bunnings and others that they are not allowed to sell them. I asked why and the person went away to find out, and she came back and told me that it the seeds there are thousands on every tree and once the seed pod opens up they germinate everywhere as they are those fly away type seeds, do they call them winged, something like that. So after hearing that we make sure that all the seed pods are cut off our trees, actually we did it yesterday trouble is I dont know how we are going to get them off when the trees get taller but if we pick up the pods every season at least we will be doing something, and if there comes a time we cant well we will cut the trees down, as by then all the good trees we have planted will be so much bigger....Cheers..MM.

Kentucky - I have been trying to figure out how to make some raised beds- or raised pots for the front yard landscaping. I don't want the look of basic garden vegetable beds for around the front of the house though. I thought maybe I could dig 2 ft hole and put a 2 ft raised planter on top of it, that night work. I iam also thinking about making very big planters (they are ridiculously expensive to buy. I am not sure about the aestetic for my front landscaping, but after considering many materials and my craftsmanship capabilities I have a plan. I will just have to try it and see how it looks. It could sit above ground, part in ground or in ground. My design is 2"x2" wood frame cube (or taller) dark cedar stained (ECO friendly and plant safe). Side and bottom panels of 1" hardware cloth. Inner lining of natural burlap. It would sit on 8" concrete blocks (in ground) with the hole side up foradditional drainage. Inside bottom filled with river rocks then another lining of burlap to contain the soil and the plant and finally mulch on top, of course. It would have to be big enough to allow 3'x3' space for the roots to grow in the soil area. Again, the aestetic is the probelm (aside form all the hard work and digging). I think it wold look descent but odd. To build a retaining wall for the space under the front window of the house would not look right eiterh at the height I need it to be. I think the real solution is to pay for a backhoe to come in here and excavate the clay and then have new soil put in - way too expensive for me right now. I do have one narrow strip on the west side of the front yard that I am lining with concrete blocks to build up that soil area. I plan on very tall trellises lining that hill (all my land is hilly) and covering them with rose and jasmine vines as a privacy fence. The probelm is the area is part shade - never sunny and that is not goo for any of the plants I like. I bought the Charles Darrow Hybrid Musk for that location as it is reported by others to grow and bloom very well in shade. I also have some varieties of Jasmine that might do in that spot. I am also thinking of Camelias and Sky Pencil Holly. My Hollies are about 1ft tall now. It will be years before they grow big enough.