Re: Where are you?
- Subject: Re: Where are you?
- From: d* f*
- Date: Thu, 11 Apr 2002 10:52:59 -0700 (PDT)
--- Tony and Moira Ryan <theryans@xtra.co.nz> wrote:
> Would people who write asking for suitable plants,
> or other advice for
> their area please remember always to state where
> they live. Not
> everybody on this list lives on the California
> coast, nor even on the
> shores of the real Mediterannean! :-)
Tony's request makes alot of sense, but I would add a
few more details as well. Not only location affects
assisting with plant selection. It would also be
useful to know soil type, special circumstances such
as extreme seasonal winds or regular wind, etc. For
example, many of the plants suggested to Liz in
Adelaide will not thrive in alkaline soil. As to
winds, here in California we have at least two
different types with greatly different impacts. The
coastal winds off the ocean tend to be regular and
consistent, and impact plants that don't like it cold,
or get wind burn/misshapen in constant wind. The
Santa Ana winds, or our local variation, the Diablo
winds are seasonal and come from the interior and are
hot and dry, and can fry plants that need more
humidity, or have large tender leaves. These are just
two examples of local circumstances which are helpful
to know when making planting recommendations.
I always find it interesting to hear of other's
experiences with the same species in other parts of
the world. As an example, Hymenosporum seems
unnaffected by snails here in the SF Bay Area,
interesting that it is a problem in Perth. Could it
be that the tree is under some kind of stress and is
signalling to the snails? I find this is common with
things like Dahlia imperialis, which in full growth
mode in warmer weather is relatively immune to snails,
but is a snail magnet when the weather cools in late
fall/winter, when it can be covered with snails.
Thrips and scale also seem more attracted to the
plants which are only marginally adapted to our local
conditions, or may be suffering from pH or soil
fertility in my garden.
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