South Africa is my most productive rose out of the 140 in my garden! Covered with buttery yummy full bodied blooms almost continuously. No black spot or other issues. I often cut these blooms and they last three to four days.They last on the bush for a long time. In the spring when Garden Clubs come to visit, it is always asked about, guests want this rose. I do not notice any fragrance, tho.I live in zone 6, Louisville, KY. I do no winter protection and I got this rose from Palatine. Hope this helps.... Lesley

Point taken about how not all of California is a Mediterranean climate, certainly there are deserts and high elevation mountains as well, which are not classic Mediterranean climates, but are still influenced by one. As you noted, the OP is located in a part of southern California that is squarely within a year round growing climate, so I was directing my comments to her situation. On the other hand, even interior southern California mountains and the Sierras are more similar in rainfall patterns to coastal Mediterranean conditions; we don't get the bone chilling winter cold nor do we get the summer rainfall, but instead just less frequent and less intense thundershowers. So the point I am making with regards to plants selected for New Mexico conditions, is that they won't always be the best fit. As to the need to cultivate soil to an 18 inch depth, I still think it is an outmoded approach, and would only advise a client to even consider it if they knew they had caliche or heavily compacted subsoil due to home construction, and would then suggest they do some deep drilling to break through the caliche,(for deep rooted trees only), or have the soil ripped if this is feasible to improve the drainage and they can afford it. Otherwise I think it would be much more efficient to mound the topography to get the required drainage and soil depth, and use the top dressing method of organic mulches and soil amendments to be renewed every few years, and let the soil bacteria and earthworms do the work of creating a better soil profile. As Al also alludes, it is much easier to plant smaller plants at the right time of year to work with the soil conditions, rather than force the issue and try to establish new plants in bone dry clay soils in the middle of summer; in my opinion it is just foolish to think they will get off to as good a start as anything planted to work with our rainy season and cooler weather. Not to mention that it will take a lot more water and regular attention to establish a new native plant planted outside the rainy season window of planting opportunity. If you want to till the soil to an 18 inch depth, and have the energy to take this on, feel free to continue with your approach. My take is that there are easier ways to landscape that work just as well, and take less resources of personal manual energy or mechanical energy to accomplish. I don't think there is any question that late fall into winter planting, no soil amendment or cultivation, planting out from smallest size possible and mulching heavily and supplemental watering as required the first several years can accomplish the miracle of catching up to larger sizes,(0ften as quickly as 3 years), with more intensive manipulation of the soils and more water for things planted outside the winter rainy season, and this process more closely replicates how nature actually does it in California situations. Now if you are talking about plants that require more water retentive yet also well drained soils, additional depth of soil amending may make sense, but to generalize and say that it is always better or required is not necessarily true. It is often illuminating to find that plants from one part of the world where they are subjected to seasonal flooding may in fact prove to be fairly good candidates for rather drought tolerant plantings here in California. A couple of examples from South Afica come to mind; such as various species of Kniphofia/Poker Plants, or Restios such as Chondropetalum tectorum. Plants are often more adaptable to situations outside the norm of their actual habitat than we would expect, but it also happens that there are others which are not...

Thank you for offering to share your knowledge, bobbejaantjie. I bought some seeds from Silverhill without knowing the climates those plants grow under. I planted them about a month ago, and a few have germinated. I live in Honolulu, where the climate is subtropical, with a low temperature of about 58 degrees F. and a high of about 92 degrees F. Another member of the forum already told me that only a couple of my seeds will grow here. I wonder if you could provide information about the climates in South Africa where the following plants are found so that I can improve my chances on growing them: Dombeya cacuminum Geum capense Geissorhiza inflexa Geissorhiza radians Geissorhiza splendidissima Moraea polystachya Moraea ramossisima Romulea amoena Romulea diversiformis Romulea komsbergensis Romulea rosea Also, I wonder if you could inform me about which areas of South Africa are tropical or subtropical so that next time I get seeds I'll limit my selection to plants that grow in these areas. Thank you.

Robert, here are Heliconias that we are growing at Leu Gardens in Orlando. Below is a link to some photos of them. Eric Orlando,FL z9b/10a angusta 'Holiday' collinsiana densiflora 'Fireflash' dieselana episcopalis hirsuta 'Peru' latispatha 'Distans' latispatha 'Orange Gyro' lingulata 'Fan' lingulata ÂSouthern Cross lingulata 'Spiral Fan' orthotricha 'Edge of Night' orthotricha 'Eden Pink' pendula 'Frosty' pendula 'Red Waxy' psittacorum ÂAndromeda psittacorum ÂLady Di psittacorum ÂStrawberries and Cream rostrata schiedeana schiedeana ÂFire and Ice spissa stricta 'Dwarf Jamaican' stricta 'Dwarf Wag' stricta 'Firebird' stricta 'Iris' stricta 'Tagami' vaginalis 'Africa' vellerigera 'She Kong' velloziana (red-yellow form) x 'Fire Opal' x 'Golden Torch' x nickeriensis x pabstii 'Brazilian Bomber' (aka ÂHot Rio NightsÂ, ÂDmitri x 'Pedro Ortiz' x rauliniana x 'Richmond Red' Here is a link that might be useful: Heliconia photos at Leu Gardens