My interest in native plants stems back some 40 years. Since retiring from my work as a history teacher and selective high school principal, we have moved to the NSW South Coast where I am establishing my new 2 acre garden and I have already planted about 1000 plants. About half of these are grevilleas but there are also many other native species. I am particularly interested in Western Australian natives most of which need to be grafted to survive the humidity of the east coast. My volunteer work at the Illawarra Grevillea Park over the past year fits nicely with my interests and continues to teach me a great deal about the art of growing Australian natives.