Thanks everyone, and a Merry Christmas to you and your families and loved ones, and all the best for the New Year.
Sandi, I like this time of year because for us it's the wet season and gardens look their best. Last wet season I published those 2 articles on my garden in Cubits. This time I'm putting together an article on the Flecker Botanic Gardens in Cairns. Carol Noel (AlohaHoya) would know they're great, I'm sure she would have visited them when she was over here.
Lin, I saw on some other web forums the prediction for Florida was above average winter temperatures. Give you a bit of respite after the past 2 winters. That's the thing with averages, when you get some below there must be some above to compensate.
Caroline, I'm sure at Calgary there's quite a lot of plants you grow that won't grow here. That's what makes it all the more interesting, the variations we have and can enjoy for what they are.
Carol, it's still Magnolia (to my knowledge) but I put in both names because there's still a lot of references around under the name Michelia. It comes from South East Asia and is used extensively as a perfume. Often it's used as floating flowers in a bowl. They even use the flowers to make a tea. The name Pak Lan is apparently from a Chinese dialect meaning white orchid.
From afar (via internet) I've been watching the weather up my way and there's been a reasonable amount of rain. So I'm confident my new plantings will be going well. Before I left the Sterculia (Peanut Tree) and the Buchanania had already put on a big burst of growth.
