Ian, I don't mean to take over your thread, it's just that when you all post your non-natives, I get home sick!
My folks back in Melb. have Callistemon, Grevillias, Gum trees (and even a protea!) in their yard and while I lived there, I never gave these magnificent specimen a second glance. "Just bush", I figured. It is now that I am away from them, I appreciate these so much more.

-Shilpa

Hi Ian. Great pictures. I love seeing pictures of beautiful, but hard to come by and under utilized plants. I really like the picture of the Eucalyptus parvula; what nice specimen! By the way, what is the growth habit of your Callistemon 'Violaceous'? If it is upright for the most part, I would be interested in getting cuttings if that would be possible.

-Brian

Shilpa, I love Australian plants! Such an amazing variety of textures and colors; I don't see why any gardener would not want to use them. Especially Eucalyptus and Grevillea. I'm glad your folks have kept the Aussie natives in their yard. Even though I like rare plants from other parts of the world, I have kept quite a few northwest native plants in my garden as well (though I don't bother to take photos of them much).

Brian, I planted the E. parvula in summer 1997; it was a little 6" tall plant in a tiny pot. I like it a lot too, but I think its growth form is better when it approaches maturity and starts getting rounded off at the top. That Callistemon is very upright, but I can never get a good pic of the flowers because it is in too much shade and I have to use the flash (with my camera anyways).

Ian, great pics as usual! I'm about to plant out E. microtheca from your seed source. The Callistemon (3 types) I got from you are still too small to plant just yet. Everything else is humming along nicely.

Cheers, Barrie (Vancouver Island)

A callista question...I have one planted in a whisky half barrel and it is looking great. I just bought it a couple of months ago. Is this a good place for it to grow or will it get winter killed? After seeing the pics of it in bloom I want to encourage it! Btw, there are some of these in big planters outside the convention centre in Victoria and they look wonderful. They are really going tropical there with brugmansias, callas, etc.

A grouping of Fuchsia excortica was planted along the sidewalk north of the Center for Urban Horticulture, grew maybe 3 feet tall before dying out.

Ron, mine is up to about 8' but it is not as vigorous as most of my other Fuchsias. In New Zealand, the most montane/hardiest provenances of this plant are deciduous - I wonder if those would actually grow here.

Dotty... if you can bring the plant in when it gets cold, then keeping it in the whiskey barrel is fine. Otherwise, it would be better to plant it in the ground. As for what I would do, well it depends on what species or cultivar you have. Some are very hardy and others really are not.

CUH planting was almost certainly their own wild collection. Don't know how high they went, but I do know they have collected in mountainous areas because there was mention of having gotten hebes from montane locations.

They might've held up better in different spot, this was in the open, with no shelter to the north, near the Hebe salicifolia hedge. Soil was probably heavy, although they did grow for some years a cold, claylike soil might make them less successful during a frigid period.

Hi Guys
I live in Tasmania in Australia where we have a climate similar to yours in the NW (USA)
I am happy to send native plant seeds to you
I have a few that you may be interested in...

Dianella Tasmannia...
a small flax like plant with beautiful flowers (delicate) and purple berries

Acacia dealbata....silver wattle

Acacia melanoxlin...Blackwood

Tasmanian Native Pepper Bush...Tasmanica lanceolata
use the berries like blackpepper...wonderful cooked with rice...a gourmet ingredient

etc
email me via my home page
cheers
Peter

Dear Peter: I have been looking for seeds of Tasmannia lanceolata(Mountain Pepperberries) for some time. My experience,in Southern Florida,has been that Australian plants do beautifully here. A Hymenosporum flavum sown from seed now towers over our patio; the perfume of its flowers are like the breath of heaven. Seed-sown Pittosporum undulatum,P.tobira,P.rhombifolium, &P.phillyraeoides- grow radiantly healthy.Melia(Chinaberry)trees dot my yard. I seek Pittosporums,Araujia sericifera, Backhousia myrtifolia,& any other native plants that are fragrant (or of medicinal value) to grow here.My trade list for seeds & bulbs/tubers is listed;if you want a specific unlisted plant,ask;I may have it(or a friend who does.)Many Thanks, Carol

Here is a link that might be useful: GardenWeb