Thanks for the posts, everyone. Bahia, it turns out that I have exactly the location you suggest: coastal influence, and even with the killer freeze (ice in my birdbaths), only a touch of damage hit my bananas, mango, and iochroma. I swear the grevilleas got brighter red, and none of the aussies were damages by mid-20s temps - much to my relief. I'm a big fan of Buena Creek, and was out there last week. They got hit pretty hard, as did their suppliers, and I suspect they'll restock in time for their Spring sale. They've got the best demo gardens around, including the awe-inspiring hillside full of proteas, grass trees, and a 15' pencil cactus - all of which survives on benign neglect. Another location with excellent botanical gardens is the Wild Animal Park, with a section devoted to Aussie natives - protea, leuco* and leuca*, banksias, stenocarpus and some amazing Silver trees (Leucodendron argentum). I swung by Anderson's La Costa yesterday, now that they've recovered from the powerful windstorm that destoyed their greenhouses - I've always admired and appreciated the vast selection they offer, and they've really got a sweet assortment of Aussies (Leuco*, Leuca*, net bush, silver tree, grevilleas). I've got a wide selection of grevilleas already (Gilt Dragon is my fav, and doesn't scratch), and a weakness for Leucospermum, which are curiously ignored by the hummingbirds. Leucadendron 'Jester' is eye-popping, and "more silver' put out yellow cones this spring. Every banksia died on me - maybe too much coastal influence - sigh. I've never seen Hakea, Kunzea, Dryandra or one of the various flame peas growing in this area, and I'm thinking of getting seeds to give it a try. Anyone have luck with that approach? ...diana

Joakim, When you say "bay area", it isn't altogether clear whether you are referring still to San Diego, or will also be visiting the San Francisco Bay Area, or the Monterey Bay Area, which are both rich in plant places to visit. If you are coming to the San Francisco Bay Area, be sure to visit San Francisco's Botanic Garden which is in Golden Gate Park. You should also try to visit the Berkeley Botanic Garden at UC Berkeley, up in the hills above town. They have a nursery at the entrance where you can buy rare plants. Also in Berkeley/Oakland, there is The Dry Garden Nursery on Shattuck Ave, right on the Berkeley/Oakland border, which will have lots of unusual plants, but no daylilies. There are several large daylily growers in San Diego County, and if Buena Creek Gardens Nursery is still open, (I heard rumors they are closing?), this is located in north San Diego County in the town of San Marcos. If Tom Piergrossi's nursery is also still open in November, (can any local San Diegans tell us more?), he has been having a going out of business sale and is also located in north county San Diego. The Santa Cruz Botanic Garden at UC Santa Cruz is also well worth a visit, and is likely to have lots of Australian and South African Proteas, Leucospermums, Leucadendrons, Grevilleas, Hakeas, Callistemons, etc in bloom in November, and will show you lots of possibilities to grow in Portugal, but availability of these types of plants is much more limited over there. If you are also interested in seeds, these may also be an option at any of the botanic gardens, as well you should look up www.seedhunt.com for seed of lots of mediterranean/South African/Californian plants. One last nursery if you are down in the Santa Cruz/Watsonville/Monterey area is Sierra Azul Nursery in Watsonville. They have a great range of less common plants, and would also be likely to stock many of the things you may see at UC Santa Cruz Botanic Garden. If you would like to specifically see our California natives in a garden setting, then also include the native section at UC Berkeley, and the nearby Tilden Park Botanic Garden. If you will be in the Santa Barbara area at all, there is also the great Santa Barbara Botanic Garden which is located up in the hills behind the mission. November is still a little early for most California natives to be blooming, but some of the stars this season would include the early blooming Ribes sanguineum, and the beautiful berries on our California Toyon. A few of the earliest blooming Manzanitas and Ceanothus shrubs are also just starting. If your visit coincides with the Ruth Bancroft Garden being open, it is also well worth a visit to Walnut Creek to see this garden. Their winter hours are abit more restricted, but you can visit their web site to see when they're open. A trip out to Point Reyes National Seashore would also bring the possibilities of seeing some early coastal California wildflowers, or a hike ontop of Mount Tamalpais. Carmel is also well worth a visit, and the drive just down the coast from Carmel to see abit of the Big Sur coast line is always spectacular. To really see California at its most colorful in bloom, it is probably better to visit in mid March to mid May, when our natives are at their peak, but in ornamental gardens and the botanic gardens, there need never be a day without flowers or color here in coastal California. Another great nursery to visit would include Annie's Annuals in Richmond, Ca. This is just 10 minutes north of Berkeley in the East Bay. She also has a great website with lots of pictures of plants for our mediterranean climate, see www.annniesannuals.com to get an idea.

Response provided in Australian Native Plants forum.

I've developed a new kitchen habit - the "slops" jug kept beside the sink. The problem with kitchen greywater seems to be the detergents and the fats, so any water containing neither goes into this. It's interesting much washing-up can really be done with detergent-free water and a good scrub. Detergent is only needed for foods containing fats and oils. A small vege garden plus lots of my precious native plants in pots are easily kept watered a bit at a time with this jug, as they're not far from the kitchen door. The ethics of "water down the drain" vary according to where the water goes. Those of us lucky enough to have septic systems appreciate that it goes back into our own patch. Water that ends up in the inland river systems must only add to the national good (though it's interesting that the Toowoomba citizens who voted "no" don't seem to mind that their wastewater is used by other Australians all the way to Adelaide for drinking water, with no better treatment than systems which are decidedly of lesser quality than the one they so firmly rejected). Where wastewater is pumped out to sea, there is certainly an urgency about recycling, whether it is by use of greywater by individuals, or by government-built systems which recycle it back into the taps of the citizens. To capture freshwater high in the catchment thereby removing it from the river systems, and to send it more or less straight out to sea with none but the human race having got any benefit from it is not fair on all those other organisms, is it? The form our water restrictions take is pretty idiotic, too. Gardening is the only activity where humans use water to benefit the ecology and slow down the transfer of water from upper catchment to the sea.There should be more of it, not less, in a drought. A more ecologically aware (and perhaps more democratic) system of would restrict the amount of water to households on a litres per person basis,and let us decide for ourselves how to use those precious litres. We might prefer to bath less and water our gardens more! At present we allow members of our government to impose their own personal opinions as to which kinds of domestic water use are more wasteful than others. So we can legally fill our spa baths as often as we like. Trish