Hi Elizabeth, If you are new to succulents and from Beaufort could I suggest you try Roraima Nursey 20 Swan St Lara ph5282 8704, its just out of Geelong on the way to Melbourne Lyle is very helpful and the prices are very good Im sure he would put you on the right track

I moved this year also. We inherited a Japanese garden with maple and mondo. However, it has snowdrop bulbs planted in it that is driving my husband crazy. Are they definitely not suitable? We have an azalea, small amount of white ivy, bush ferns, sacred bamboo, rocks and pebbles, smaller maples, the odd violet and seaside daisy, advice about which to remove would be appreciated. A fairly recent Home Beautiful pictured a Japanese garden and it included a sasanqua and we planted that nearby. Thanks for the info about Iris Japonica as I moved a piece from my old house. I have seen in the magazine Juniper, I know nothing about this plant except it is grey and low growing.

My experience with L. candidum falls in with the above comments. As a 12 yo I was fascinated by this lily with its rosette during winter which suddenly burst forth in spring. Unfortunately the plants I watched belonged to an old lady across the street. Eventually I asked her for one and she gave me a bulb. In my ignorance I rushed home and planted it - just under the soil level. It grew very well for years. I was also lucky as the part of country Victoria I lived in was heavy clay soil with a high pH. I too never heard of this lily for many years. I discovered a source of seed at chilternseeds.co.uk They were happy to sell me some and they arrived safely through the legitimate channel. They are quite easy to manage. They are immediate epigeal and these seed I obtained had a high rate of success. They can be sown at any time of the year theoretically though don't try in summer. If sown in August they will put up a flower a bit over 2 years later. Better the following year. Mine have finished this year and all have many fat pods. I took no care with them when in flower. So do I have new seed 100% L. candidum? Or is it likely to be contaminated? Some lilium species breed true.... not sure about this one though.

chadec thanks for the pictures. I really like your idea of using plastic totes. If I decide to "sacrifice" a victoria-reginae I would plant it on a well-drained sandy slope near my house. I planted Bulbine frutescens 'Hallmark' (supposedly root hardy to Zone 8, but this has not been my experience) here, too in the hopes it will return. Spring will tell. If the Bulbine returns, I will give the VR a go. Lazygardens, the reason I don't "plunge" my tender Agaves is that they put out roots several feet into the soil which I have to prune before bringing them in to the greenhouse. Having previously gardened in Zone 7b I agree with your assessment that plants have a better chance at hardiness when dry. I wonder if PDN's declaration of Zone 8 VR hardiness just means return from the roots at the expense of the mother plant?