Looking for Australians but anybody can come

[Lionseeker]

Hi everyone, I'm new here and don't know anybody, sorry. I'm from the alpine regions of the Blue Mountains of N.S.W. Australia. I live in Oberon 1,113 m from the sea level,population 3256 more or less a few heads. It's quiet up here and I like it that way. I'm retired now and I want to just enjoy my dogs and my garden which I'm building now. There was nothing here when I bought the house 6 years ago, so I'm starting from Scratch again. I've left behind a 38 years old garden when I've sold up in Sydney. I miss my trees. I started collecting snowdrops. Probably because of my childhood and teenage years in Hungary where I've been born and educated. Snowdrops were the first flowers we could give to the girls. I think that is a good enough reason to start a collection and bring back memories, don't you? Anyway, my question is to the other Australian gardeners here in this club (unfortunately we cannot import plants or bulbs from anywhere else in the world), that is there a possibility to buy Galanthus species or named varieties from you guys and girls? If yes, where is that forum or place where this can happen? Is there a possibility that we can email each other? I already have some 33 different species and varieties and an unknown one which I would like to discuss here in this club. So, this is for starters and I hope to hear from some other Aussies and I hope that all these experienced gardeners won't give me a hard time or trick me in some way. I've never thought I'll be a beginner at 70 years of age . I also have a lot of daffodils and tulips too. And trees of course. My favourite things in the garden. I like to play with the different foliage (shape and texture and size) and autumn colours in the garden. The garden I'm building I call it a four layer foliage garden. The tall trees (scarlet oaks and different Canadian maples, tupelo and a cut leaf birch grove) under this small trees, (Japanese maples and red dogwood and some flowering trees) then the bushes (mainly lilacs) and the ground level with many foliage plants and flowers and bulbs. (The bulbs should make the fifth level because they are under the ground! So, I hope to hear from you. Thanks.
Some old photos (3 years old) from previous years.   

[Maggi Young]

Welcome  Lionseeker!  You'll find  quite  a number  of  Australian plant  lovers  here  -and  I hope  they'll be  an  inspiration to you as  you  work on your  new  garden.
 
  What has the  impact  been on your  region of the  wildfires? It  has  been frightening  seeing the  damage  being  done  on our  news reports.

[Lionseeker]

Hi Maggi,

There was no bush-fire where I live even though it was frightening in many places in the Blue Mountains.
We were lucky I suppose or to far from idiots who started many fires all over Australia.
We don't have a train-line up here and many idiots from Sydney cannot come up here because they usually don't have cars. I'm happy that we have escaped the fires because there are pine forestry all around us and the town live of the harvesting of the trees and making many things out of it.
I like these forests as these are the only supply chain of edible wild mushrooms around here and for a long way. I collect and love the Saffron Milk Caps. I make a lot of different dishes out of it and freeze it too and it is good for three months to eat. There aren't many edible wild mushroom in Australia unfortunately. I miss the Boletus edilus (Cep, Penny Bun, Porcini) but buy it in dried form which is not as good as the fresh one.
I love mushrooms any which way can be made. Probable you have tons in Scotland. Do you like them?

[Maggi Young]

Quite  a  number  of  tasty  wild  mushrooms  in Scotland  and the  UK - in some  areas there  are  people  who collect them to sell.   About the  only  ones  I'm interested  in  collecting are  chanterelles - and  I don't  get  out to do that  much these  days. They are  my  favourites  though!

[Lionseeker]

Yes they are very tasty indeed. What Saffron Milk Caps lack in taste compere to Chanterelles, they make it up in meatiness. We have tons of it here. Many times I can collect enough for myself (about 2-3 kg) in a 20 m. square area. I live more behind usually, than I take home. I'm not surprised that people collect them for sale as wild mushrooms are hard to come by. Over here there aren't any anywhere in the shops or the markets. It's a shame really.
 

[Maggi Young]

Now I'm hungry!!

[P. Kohn]

Have you come across the Australasian Plant Society yet?

[Lionseeker]

Now I'm hungry!!

When I'm hungry I'm a hungry Hungarian from Hungary, but I'm an Aussie for 45 years now.

[Lionseeker]

Have you come across the Australasian Plant Society yet?

Thanks for the info, but I haven't heard about it yet. Have you got any links to it? Thanks.
I'll try to Google it anyway. That is the done thing this days isn't it?