golden, I moved back to the Nsw/Vic border 18 months ago and growing anything has been a challenge for the past 5 months up until to 2010, when the drought finally broke, we had a 15-20 year drought here then almost perfect conditions until mid April 2012... not too hot, nor too cold, gorgeous rain, and fascinating to watch the emergence of native wildlife, and flora and fauna, after so long
the past 6 months has been the coldest I can recall in my entire life frosts commenced mid April 2012, and there has been only 7 days or so without a frost...monotonous day after day of almost no sun, and rarely have we had a full day of sunshine it has been surreal to say the least
the mass of hybrid plants that the nursery's now stock is akin to taking your money and throwing it out the window
only the old original plants that your will find in your neighbour hood, ie non hybrids, are worth growing
ask your neighbours for the cuttings, or the seeds or look for the specialists that offer same online
I am of the opinion, it is a waste of time and money, attempting to grow anything different, or new, unless and until, the weather returns to normal.
Hopefully the next 6 months will return to normal, although they are predicting El Nino is on its way.
I am guessing most gardeners will find the current climate a challenge. gheers
Most of the plants in this area, need full sun, and to be frost hardy, which has been a huge challenge given the weather, with little or no sun, and a heavy frost everyday.
