I would remommend placing a 'real' roof under anything like cans. It wouldn't cost much to roof it with paper and shingles, which don't cost much. Shingles show up on the side of the road often for free. Check constructions sites. They throw lots of them away. Don't be afraid to ask. Once it's roofed, there will be no leaking problem, period. I like to paint metal with alkyd paint. It's oil based industrial paint, and can be found at all the big paint and hardware stores, and also at Habitat Restores and other stores like them. If you find it at Habitat, it will be far less expensive. Even if you don't paint or seal it, the roof underneath will take care of any problems and won't show under the cans. If the cans start to deteriorate beyond what you like, just replace them. Just a note. If the roof is rusting, the rust will stain materials around it as water drips from it. Linda

Dellis, I missed your last post, we posted almost simultaneously. They're not native to the Northern Territory where I live. Our dry season is too hot and dry. So wet season they're okay because of the heat and humidity, but dry season they need artificial irrigation. In north east Queensland there's a lot of rainforest because of year round rainfall, even during their "dry season". That's where they're native. Although some people say they're just an escape from introductions long ago. Dohadizzy, after having lived in Qatar you'll probably be more attuned to lush rainforest plants, having been deprived of them so much. Long time since I've been to the Gold Coast, when I'm down that way it's more the Sunshine Coast. There's plenty there, and giant Monsteras right up in trees, Elkhorns and Staghorns all over the place. I would have assumed it would have been much the same further south, even down into northern NSW. I think the furthest south growing coconut is near Port Macquarie. To move plants internationally you should get a Phytosanitary Certificate. Then you can take plants, provided there's no soil. An ordinary nursery wouldn't get involved with those but some of the internet sellers do. That other plant mixed in with the E. aureum in the photo with your husband is a Syngonium. They take over trees but their leaves get no bigger than what's in the photo. To the left of the tree looks like a Colocasia, and just back from that a Costus ginger. A lot of those smaller leaved vines are E. aureum runners coming down from high up and getting ready to take off for other trees once they hit the ground. E. aureum don't put out aerial roots as such (not like the Philodendrons do). Those on your stems just attach and hold the stem to the tree surface. Roots are also attached to the surface and run down to the ground. They don't dangle freely in the air, only the runners do.

As soon as possible. Aroid seeds do not stay viable for a long time. if you wait for a certain time of year they will die. You can start them in a slightly damp folded paper towel in a zipper bag and when it has roots about a half inch long transfer them to soil. keep them away from cold and in bright indirect light. No direct sun!

What would he have installed other than asphalt shingles if the weather was warmer? You may be thinking of organic (cellulose/wood fiber) vs fiberglass base mats. The asphalt fiberglass shingles are thinner, lighter weight, and have a Class A fire classification, but the asphalt organic shingles are supposedly more tear resistant, more flexible in cold weather and have a Class C fire classification. The manufacturing process required for fiberglass shingles is simpler than for organic shingles since the fiberglass mat doesn't need to be saturated with asphalt before going on to be coated with a more viscose asphalt common to both types. It is the absence of the highly flammable asphalt saturant that gives the fiberglass singles it's better fire classification. The warranty periods have less to do with the quality of the shingle and more to do with marketing. If someone is willing to pay more for a shingle the manufacturer wants to be able to offer some feature in order to raise the price. Before fiberglass shingles, the weight per 100 s.f. for each shingle model was what they used to indicate quality and raise the price. Now for lightweight fiberglass shingles it's the warranty period. The company is counting on the fact that most homeowners will not be in the house for 50 years but just in case you do they pro-rate the warranty and don't include labor. In reality it's the first 5 or so years of the warranty that counts. The purpose of a warranty should not be to force the manufacturer to give you 10% of purchase price in the 45th year but to replace them in the first 5 years if they came from a bad batch. All a coating machine has to do is run at the wrong speed or the asphalt be at the wrong temperature or the filler be of a low grade for the shingles to be of poor quality in a 1/2 mile long fully automated plant. If you get past the first 5 years the shingles will probably last until you move. It is important to get a good installation warranty from the roofing contractor. The longest lasting shingles are the "architectural" or "laminated" ones. In a hot sunny climate or high altitudes, a lighter color will extend the life of an asphalt shingle longer than any other feature.