Unless there are specific questions or something needs further explaining, I think most of what you need to know about the practical side of what drives cold-hardiness is in my longer post upthread. Mike - it doesn't matter if roots freeze/thaw a hundred times over the winter, It's not the freeze/thaw cycle that kills roots, it's that single trip to temperatures below those the plant is genetically programmed to tolerate that kills the plant (or tissues). IOW, it's killing lows, not freeze/thaws. As long as water inside of cells does not freeze, the rest of the water in the plant (water between cells and in the soil) can freeze solid with no ill effects. During the winter I used to cut all the firewood to heat my home. I usually picked the coldest days, so the wood would be frozen so solid it split with remarkable ease. It would be full of ice you could see, and the ice crystals would just glisten in the cold sun, but all the trees left standing just picked up in spring where they left off in fall ...... Roots aren't as cold-tolerant as shoots, but you get the picture. Freeze thaw cycles CAN heave newly transplanted plants out of the ground before roots are well-established where they can be damaged or killed by the effects of dessication, but that is much more common in in-ground plantings. Al

Hi Jo, Welcome, I too am new to the hoya forum. There's a lot of great members here that are very helpful. 60 Hoyas! Wow!!I just recently purchased my very first one, so I guess I will be asking you for help, LOL. Can't wait to see some of your pictures. I love succulents also, especially Jades and the different varieties.

If you are buying a lot of furniture, you really should go to North Carolina (Hickory and High Point especially). The furniture stores are vast, and the prices much better than most places you will see in the US. If you time a trip for after market, many of the stores will be having sales. If there are particular lines you like, you should get on the mailing list--they'll let you know when they are having specials. I lived in NC for several years and I ended up furnishing about 8 homes (mine, family members, and friends) exclusively from deals picked up in the clearance centers. And of course, don't forget your local 'Craig's List' for used furniture--that can be the best deal of all. It helps if you've looked at tons of furniture, because then you can spot quality, you know makers you like, and you know not to believe everything the previous owner tells you. Virtually everything advertised on Craig's List is called 'solid wood' and about 10% of it is. I love a beautiful veneer, but that's more rare than the solid wood. I have some wonderful second-hand furniture, and you might want to consider going that route too. Good luck, and happy shopping. And when you do, make sure you check out your shipper--movingscam.com is a good forum to find out companies to use and avoid. (Yes, I have been through the nightmare international move--it turned a $15,000 move into a $50,000, be sure to start researching that NOW. But double verify everything, before they start loading, licenses, permits, etc.) What was a good company, can turn into something awful very quickly.

I don't really have time to expound on length about growing a wildflower grassland, but it is something I've been working on in melbourne for many years. I'll try and come back and talk in depth, but at this stage I suggest you have a look at a few species which I think makes for an interesting look and should deal well with salt: Leucophyta brownii Any of the Frankenias Wahlenbergia stricta Apium insularae Tetragonia tetragonioides Ammobium calxifolium(not sure this is the right name, it's a common dune plant with interesting, though prickly, flowers) Go and talk to Plants of Tasmania nursery on mt wellington - they should have a range of interesting species.