Well, not exactly Kiwi, I'm Yorkshire born and bred, but have lived in South Island, New Zealand for the last 11 years. My name's Doreen Mear (a.k.a. Hinchliffe in a previous avatar) and I garden on the proverbial Kiwi quarter acre surrounded by lake and mountains in the rain shadow of the Southern Alps. Don't have a greenhouse so everything has to take its chance outside. Summer's hot and dry, winter's cold and dry, and the soil pure glacial moraine which alpines love but meconopsis and primulas hate.
Love travelling to see alpines in the wild, trying to photograph them, then trying to grow them from seed. My neighbours think I'm nuts - probably right!
Sorry, Jandals, still can't stand Vegemite, give me Marmite any day!
P.S. Hi Toolie!