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Thanks, Mike. Just the sort of feedback that helps extend our knowledge. I'll certainly be interested in hearing about future results and I encourage others to send any interesting results as well.

It's bit of a challenge but there should be some suitable species. The selection will depend on your geographical location but, in eastern temperate areas of Australia, the following would be worth a try.

• Most melaleucas (paperbarks) and callistemons (bottlebrushes) will grow in shade and will not be worried by the summer sun. Flowering may be reduced, however, and they would appreciate some water. Tea trees (Leptospermum), such as the lemon-scented tea tree, should also be suitable (avoid the small New Zealand hybrids - many suffer from webbing caterpillar).

• Others worth considering are Bauera rubioides (Dog Rose), Correa baeuerlenii (Chef's Cap Correa), Boronia pinnata or Boronia thujona (these are a bit touchy but worth trying if the drainage is good), Mint bushes (eg Prostanthera ovalifolia or P.rotundifolia) Hibbertia scandens, Hibbertia dentatum, Hardenbergia violacea.

  Correa baeuerlenii is a rare plant in nature. It is attractive in both foliage and flower. Select the thumbnail image or plant name for a higher resolution image (27k).

  
  

• The Bird's Nest Fern might also be worth considering if water is available in summer.

There must be many more....can anyone else help Audrey?

"Your plant has a fasciated branch. It will not affect the health of the plant but for appearances sake it is best to cut it off.

Fasciation often occurs on young growth of plants that are growing quickly. The cause is not known for certain and it has been suggested that it may be a mutation, but it may also occur after insect damage or mite attack.

It is very common over a wide range of species not only native plants. In some cases, for instance cacti and Celosia, it is highly prized by collectors - not my cup of tea!

John Wrigley

As one who has Dichondra appearing unwanted in many parts of the garden, I'd be more than happy to have it "sparse" (it's not called 'kidney weed' for nothing!). For those who don't know the plant, it's not a grass but a trailing plant with kidney-shaped leaves. It forms roots along its stems and it is often suggested as a lawn substitute.

I passed this one on to John Wrigley, who replied.....

"You are right when you say that Dichondra needs plenty of light. Perhaps your pruning will improve the situation.

I would fork the area well to break the soil surface and ensuring that the soil is moist, sprinkle a high nitrogen lawn fertiliser over it and water it in. You could also take some runners from the existing plants and plant them in the areas that are the sparsest.

I think this treatment should improve things. This is a good time (spring) to do it also.

John Wrigley"

It's difficult to say as the photo isn't really clear.

It appears to consist of flowers on long stems, possibly with grass-like leaves at ground level. If that's correct, my guess is Haemodorum coccineum, a plant which is related to the Kangaroo Paws.

However, I can't be certain and maybe others might like to have a go!

As a first step, take a look at the Pea Page and the Propagation Pages.

The Pea Page covers (briefly) cultivation and propagation of pea flowers generally. Generally, most of the pea flowered plants can be propagated from seed using boiling water pre-treatment and cuttings are also successful for many of them.

Oxylobium has flowers typical of the "bush peas". This is Podolobium scandens (formerly Oxylobium scandens) Select the thumbnail image or plant name for a higher resolution image (25k).

As far as identification is concerned, you should probably enquire via the Queensland Region of SGAP...there may be a local SGAP Group in your area who could help or they could probably suggest some other reference.

Without seeing the plant it's difficult to be definitive. Some kangaroo paws (mainly the smaller growing types) are susceptible to "Ink Disease" which is caused by a fungus. This spreads from small patches and eventually covers and kills the leaves. It's difficult to cure but you could try drenching the leaves and soil with a strong fungicide and cut back watering drastically. In particular, keep the foliage as dry as possible.

Ink Disease is a debilitating problem with some kangaroo paws. Select the thumbnail image or plant name for a higher resolution image (31k).

I don't think that the plant (even when healthy) needs anything like the amount of fertilizer that has been applied. A dose of slow release fertilizer annually after flowering should be sufficient.

By the way, not all black marks on kangaroo paw foliage is ink disease. Some leaves do get dark streaks naturally without affecting the health of the plant.

I'm not sure if ink disease has crossed the Pacific - perhaps an enquiry at the Santa Cruz Arboretum would be useful or perhaps some of our US readers might know.

I can try!

There are 7 species of Geijera but I suspect that the one you have is G.parviflora. According to "The Encyclopaedia of Australian Plants" by Rodger Elliot and David Jones, this species "is highly regarded in California, USA, for its willow-like appearance and non-aggressive root system." The form grown in the USA was apparently selected by the Saratoga Horticultural Research Foundation, California.

G.parviflora is known as "Wilga" here....the name "Australian willow" seems to be only used in the USA. It grows naturally in semi-arid areas of Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria. It's a tall shrub to small tree, often with dense foliage to near ground level. It can reach 5-8 metres high by a similar spread. It has clusters of small white flowers in winter/spring. The flowers are said to have a strong odour.

It requires well drained soils and will tolerate alkaline soils. It does best in full sun to part shade.

I hope this helps. Let me know if there is anything else you would like to know.

I don't know of any internet site that covers this specifically.

Generally Xanthorrhoea seed is slow to germinate and can take 12 months or more but is sometimes quicker. Some people suggest rubbing the seed between sheets of sandpaper prior to sowing to help water penetration to the embryo. Apart from that there are no other treatments or special "tricks" that I'm aware of.

Thanks for the kind words. It's always helpful to get feedback (good or bad)....but I prefer "good"!

The firewheel tree is not difficult to grow from seed using normal methods. You don't need any pretreatment for the seed. General guidelines on propagation from seed can be found on our Plant Propagation pages.

The only problem is that the seedlings can take many years to flower (7 or more) and can be slow growing for the first few years.