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May 2010

Next meeting: Wednesday 12th May at 8.00 pm in the
Galston Community Centre, 37 Arcadia Road, Galston.
The Open Gardens Committee will meet in the front room
at 7.00pm and any member is welcome to attend.

Our speaker is John Teulon, speaking on plant propagation.

Supper Roster. Dawn Best and Judy Vipond.

Mailing List: We would like as many members as possible to receive the Newsletters and other correspondence by email, so if you are not currently on the email list please give your details to Bill Fleming. And do not forget to notify us if you change your email address !!

Glenorie Growers Market: To be held on the fourth Sunday of every month, Cnr. Of Old Northern and Post Office Roads, 8am-1pm. Site fees are $40 for powered site, $25 for unpowered. Contact Vicki Brownless 0423 727 826. Would members please support this local initiative.

Open Gardens Weekend, October 15-17 : In conjunction with the open gardens we would like to have a plant stall to sell material to visitors, so if you are dividing or propagating plants in the coming months please put aside a few specimens for this purpose. And we always need material for our monthly trading table, plants, fruit, veg, books, magazines, etc..

Activities:

Please let me know of any forthcoming events so I can include them here.

May 1,2,8,9,15,16: Mayfield Gardens, Mayfield Road, Oberon
(As described by Elizabeth Swane at the March meeting). Open 9am-4.30pm, $20.

May 15: Sustainable Solutions in Agriculture and Food Production, Drought resistant crops, Dinner and talk by Prof. Richard Trethowan, Galston Uniting Church, 11 School Rd, 7pm, $20. RSVP May 7 to Caryl Turnidge 9653 1492.

May 19: Ikebana school, Wesley Centre, $55. Details www.sogetsu-ikebana.org.au .

May 23: Glenorie Growers Market, 8am-1pm, cnr. Old Northern Rd and Post Office Road. (Details for stall holders from Vicki Brownless 0423 727 826 )

June 26: Car Drive to three gardens in the Northern Suburbs, followed by lunch.

July 10,11: Camellia Show, Ravenswood School.

August 20-22: ABC Gardening Expo, Rosehill Gardens Racecourse, 10am-4.30pm, $17. www.abcgardeningexpo.com.au .

September 7: Garden Clubs of Australia 60th Anniv. Luncheon, Univ. of Technology, Broadway.

September 9-12: Springtime Flora Festival, Mt Penang Parklands, Kariong (near Gosford), 10am-4pm, $14. www.florafestival.com.au

September 19: Fagan Park Festival.

October 2-10: Leura Gardens Festival www.leuragardensfestival.com.au

October 9,10: Bilpin Spring Flower Show, District Hall, Bells Line of Road, 1-5pm, 10am-4pm, $4. Several gardens also to be open, plus Waratah Festival at Mt. Tomah Botanical Gardens.

October 15-17: Galston Garden Club Open Gardens weekend.

October 23,24: Bundanoon Garden Ramble, 10 open gardens, $15.

October 30,31: Proposed bus trip to the Bathurst Spring Spectacular Garden Weekend.
Please reserve this weekend. www.bathurstspringspectacular.com

Trip To Southern Highlands
From Pam Watson

Our trip to the Southern Highlands on 1/2 May was most interesting and enjoyable. Graeme Wisker, President of the Highlands Garden Society had selected five wonderful gardens belong to Society members for us to visit, and traveled with us to guide and inform.

Southern Highlands Trip

The Autumn so far has been dry and mild, and the gardens still had flowers of roses, perennials such as salvias and pentstemons, asters and chrysanthemums, and especially nerines. The glorious colour was from the deciduous trees – every shade from pale lemon to dark burgundy.

“Coombe Wood”, home of Simon and Mariesse Grant looked spectacular from the entrance, looking down over the valley of deciduous trees. They have a huge collection of maples, over 1/3 of the world’s species and hybrids, and it was a delight to wander around the parklike garden and the woodland areas.

“Birchbek” home of Pat and Judy Bowley, was set in 28 acres. The garden has been planted by uncontrollable plant collectors, and there was a woodland walk, hedged vegetable garden, hedged borders, pleached hornbeam hedges, a rill edged with dierama, courtyards, a terrace bordered with daphnes – the list could go on. It was a plant lovers dream.

“Yarrawa”, Bruce Rosenberg’s home, at Burrawang, features in Holly Kerr Forsyth’s recent “Gardens of Eden: 50 of the world’s best gardens”. We strolled amongst sculptured conifers, beautifully carved and curved hedges and bun shaped plants, swathes of silver birch underplanted with hellebores and masses of rare and commonplace hygrangeas. There was an especially rare Eucryphia (Leatherwood) hybrid, and an oak with grevillea like leaves.

“Windrush”, home of Noel and Joan Dubois at Burradoo was a very pretty garden on an acre. There were many roses and perennials as well as conifers and maples. The view from the back of the house and garden was 270º over the Bong Bong common to the mountains beyond.

“St Thomas House”, home of Claire Daggett was ½ acre of delightfully designed and planted garden all around the house. The matching parterres of carved box (B. sempervirens) and grey Teucrium(?) outside the sun room caught all eyes.

The finale was a visit to Mt Murray nursery, and luckily there was plenty of room on the coach for all our purchases.

Our thanks to the Social Committee team of Liz Muller, Trish Piper and Jill Martin for organizing a great weekend and the delicious morning tea. Special thanks to the Chief Organiser, Graham Piper.

APRIL MEETING.

Sue Farley was an entertaining speaker at our April meeting.
Sue brought a list along of plants she had found rabbit and wallaby proof in her garden, interestingly many had silver leaves or were plants known to be poisonous. Then we had lots of discussion and questions on plants and how to protect them.

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