To me, 100 to 120 degress -- as in our interior valleys an desert -- is "roasting hot sun". The reason that your corn marigolds and poppies started looking ratty come summer is that they are cool season annuals (the poppies are almost perennial when they get summer water). Here's quite a few plants that are drought-tolerant and will take the roasting heat of Potrero Hill: Aeonium AEONIUM Agave parryi, A. shawii SMALL AGAVES Aloe saponaria SOAP ALOE Aloe striata CORAL ALOE Anigozanthos flavidus YELLOW KANGAROO PAW Beschorneria yuccoides AMOLE Calandrinia grandiflora ROCK PURSLANE Carex buchananii CURLY TOP SEDGE Carex testacea ORANGE SEDGE Centaurea cineraria DUSTY MILLER Centaurea gymnocarpa DUSTY MILLER Chondropetalum elephantinum GIANT CAPE RUSH Chondropetalum tectorum SMALL CAPE RUSH Convolvulus sabatius GROUND MORNING GLORY Cotyledon orbiculata PIGÂS-EARS Dasylirion longissimum MEXICAN GRASS TREE Dasylirion wheeleri DESERT SPOON Doryanthes palmeri SPEAR LILY Echeveria HENS-AND-CHICKS Elegia equisetacea RESTIO Eriogonum umbellatum SULPHUR FLOWER Euphorbia myrsinites MYRTLE SPURGE Furcraea FALSE AGAVE Gazania hybrids GAZANIA Helianthemum nummularium SUNROSE Hemerocallis DAYLILIES Hesperoyucca whipplei CHAPARRAL YUCCA Kniphofia TORCH LILY, RED HOT POKER Lomandra confertifolia SMALL MAT RUSH Melica imperfecta COAST RANGE MELIC Muhlenbergia pubescens SOFT BLUE MEXICAN MUHLY Nolina parryi SPOON GRASS Opuntia PRICKLY-PEAR, BEAVERTAIL, CHOLLA Origanum ÂBetty RollinsÂ, ÂHopleyÂs ORNAMENTAL OREGANO Penstemon heterophyllus ÂMargarita BOP SKY BLUE PENSTEMON Penstemon centranthifolius SCARLET BUGLER Penstemon spectabilis SHOWY PENSTEMON Perityle incana GUADALUPE ISLAND ROCK DAISY Phlomis JERUSALEM-SAGE Puya alpestris PUYA Puya berteroniana GIANT PUYA Salvia chamaedryoides GERMANDER SAGE Sedum dendroideum TREE SEDUM Senecio cineraria DUSTY MILLER Senecio mandraliscae KLEINIA Senecio vira-vira DUSTY MILLER Sisyrinchium californicum YELLOW-EYED GRASS Stipa gigantea GIANT FEATHER GRASS Trichostema lanatum WOOLY BLUE-CURLS Yucca filamentosa ADAMÂS NEEDLE Yucca rostrata SILVER YUCCA Zauschneria californica CALIFORNIA FUCHSIA And so many more. Joe

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.

I bought a confertifolia yesterday so if you can wait a year I might be able to send you some seed!. However suggest you contact Aust. Plant Society. The longifolia grows extensively here in East Gippsland. I will keep my eye open for the confertifolia, but all these reedy things look pretty much the same unless you are doing scientific studies.

Most of the new forms of Lomandra being used in landscaping etc. have come from Abulk as a result of persistant and careful selection. They actually employ folk to be vigilant in detecting any genetic variation in their seed grown plants. If anything interesting comes along it is immediately separated and if it shows promise it is grown on to see how it turns out. All of the Lomandras are looked at for potential and as a result they are selling variations of L. longifolia, L. filiformis, L. confertifolia and lots of Dianellas. It is obvious there is more out there. Victoria must have considerable genetic variation in Lomandra to surprise a few gardeners in the future.