What a busy month we have had. Our last meeting we learnt
so much about Daffodils from Col Drewitt. Then there was our
bus trip. Another wonderful trip thanks to the planning of Geoff
Crowhurst. The weather was not too kind but luckily we were on
the bus each time it rained. Then to top it all a very successful
Autumn Flower show. There were so many good exhibits that it
would be hard to choose a favourite, however the rose and dahlia
displays were outstanding. Congratulations to the winners. Results
on last page.
This meeting we will be treated to a talk by Diana and Graham
Sargeant from Silky Garden Rose Nursery at Kilmore. This family
business has been operating for 21 years. Graham recalls that
both his father and grandfather were keen rose growers. His grandfather
was brought up on one of the original John Pascoe Fawkner allotments
in Glenroy. His father had a farm in the Warragul area. At various
times all four of Graham and Diana's children have been involved
in the nursery. Son Eric completed an apprenticeship with them
but now runs his own business, while another son Ben is chef in
their café. The emphasis at the nursery is growing roses
organically: without harmful chemicals or pesticides. They are
both knowledgeable and entertaining people, and we should gain
a lot of information on roses from their talk. Not to be missed.
BUS TRIP:
NORGATES
On our bus trip if you saw something at Norgates' nursery
or in their catalogue, don't forget that the Club will be placing
a bulk order for items on behalf of members. Just bring a list
of the items to the next meeting and pass onto Geoff Crowhurst.
Norgates also have a web site where you can check out the various
plants for description and advice. www.norgates.com.au
APHIDS can be spread around your garden by ants. Ants go for
the sweet honeydew secreted by aphids, and will look after their
supply by carrying aphids from plant to plant. As well as removing
the aphids you should also get rid of ant colonies.
BANANA skins contain large amounts of calcium, sodium, sulphur,
magnesium, and phosphates. All of which are valuable plant foods.
Always put your banana skins in the compost or bury them beneath
roses or pelargonium. Staghorn ferns also benefit from a skin
tucked into the back of the fern.
LAWNS are gradually reviving now that the weather has turned cooler.
Remove flat weeds by hand or with a selective spray. When rain
is forecast it is a good time to fertilize, as this washes the
fertilizer into the soil.
PERENNIALS that were in flower over summer and early autumn such
as Shasta daisies, phlox, alstromeria, evening primrose, foxgloves,
and lupins can be cut back. In winter if the clumps of these
perennials have become too large, they can be lifted and divided.
Do not cut back autumn perennials that are still in flower, they
will continue to flower until winter.
ROSES are at their peak. By regular dead-heading you will encourage
more flowers. Or pick the flowers for inside. A small amount
of sugar in the water and recutting the stems as you arrange them
will make the blooms last longer.
VEGETABLES for winter can be started. Sow seeds of broad beans,
peas, carrots, and parsnips. Plant seedlings of cabbages, cauliflower,
spinach, leeks, and lettuce.
SNAILS AND SLUGS make their unwanted appearance when the weather
cools and the rains arrive. Look for silvery trails or plants
being eaten. If you do not have pets then the best time to scatter
pellets is immediately after rain at dusk. With pets you will
have to devise covered pockets for the baits. Something heavy
like a paver propped up on stones to give a gap underneath is
a good location for pellets. A saucer of beer supposedly lets
them drown happily.
FRUIT TREES should have all unwanted or rotten fruit removed from
the tree and on the ground, as they may carry diseases through
to the next season. Place rotten fruit in the rubbish, never
into the compost.
NATIVE PLANTS. Now is the ideal time to plant native trees, shrubs,
or ground cover. They will be established before the cold weather
sets in. Native plants attract wildlife and birds to your garden.
RAMPANT creepers and climbers should be cut back before they get
out of control.
MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL
Membership to I.G.C. expired on 30th June. A renewal form
was included in the May magazine. This form had details of your
current address. Please check details before returning your subscription.
If you happen to move during the year, please remember to notify
us of your new address, so that we can continue to send your magazine.
The inclusion of your current phone number is a great help.
Feed spring flowering bulbs with liquid fertilizer for better
flower quality.
ONIONS
Research has shown that people who eat onions regularly are
20% less likely to suffer from heart disease, compared with those
who seldom eat them.
SLUGS AND SNAILS
Attract slugs and snails by leaving fresh orange peel lying
in affected areas.
Both are attracted to the white side where they will gather
and make collecting easy.
ROSES
When planting a standard or weeping rose, always hammer the
stake into the ground first before planting the rose so that you
do not damage the roots.
On completion of the winter pruning, spray the roses with Lime
Sulphur. Spray the plant and the ground around the rose to kill
spores that remain dormant in the soil. Also clear away any fallen
leaves.
Do not put rose pruned rose pieces into the compost bin. They
take a long time to rot down and in the meantime provide a hazard
to unsuspecting hands.
Secateurs should be disinfected with a solution of Detol or Pinoclean
between plants when pruning, as this prevents diseases being spread
from one rose to another.
Always remove the pictorial tags attached with plastic coated
wire from a new plant. The branch will die back if the wire is
not removed.
DAPHNE
Pick daphne flowers for inside the house. It is a good way
to prune the plant and to enjoy the fragrance.
OXALIS
Another unwanted weed originally imported as an ornamental
plant in the 1800s. It grows from a tuber-like root and has heart
shaped leaves with brown spots in the centre of the leaves. It
has a very attractive yellow trumpet shaped flower. It grows vigorously
from winter to spring and is very difficult to eradicate. If dug
out it can leave small bulbs that are loosely attached to the
roots. These are left behind to renew the plant the next year.
It can be controlled by spraying with RoundUp or Zero or other
sprays containing glyphosate, or even painting the leaves with
this chemical. It will kill the main plant but may not always
kill the small bulbs. These should be sprayed when first seen
the next year. Spraying is best done while the flowers are in
bud.
AUTUMN is a good time to choose
and plant deciduous trees and shrubs as you can select the foliage
colour you want. Keep in mind the mature size of the tree or
shrub. Many elms, oaks, liquidambars and poplars have brilliant
coloured leaves, but their root system and height can be unsuitable
for the average garden.
SMALL TREES
A favourite tree all year for a small garden is the crepe myrtle.
A small tree that flowers profusely in late summer with clusters
of either white, pink, red, or mauve flowers. The flowers look
like bunches of crinkled crepe paper, hence their name. The flowering
period is not the only attraction. In autumn the leaves turn
a yellow and amber colour, and form a carpet on the ground beneath.
Then in winter it reveals another beautiful aspect in its bare
framework. The smooth bark on twisted branches shines with shades
of brown, pink and grey; especially when wet. Then in spring,
a display of bright green leaves which gradually turns to a darker
colour.
They are easy to grow in a well-drained soil. They are best
left unpruned for the natural shape of the branches, and if pruned
a denser tree will occur. If unpruned they can reach to about
6 metres high and a diameter of about 5 metres. Some varieties
suffer from mildew in humid weather, but new cultivars available
in nurseries are more resistant. There is also a new range of
miniature crepe myrtles that only grow to about half of a metre.
December - January
Water normally
Plants growing new leaves
Can use liquid feed now
Stake and tie taller plants
Watch for caterpillars
February - May
Water normally
Buds and flowers develop
Continue tying
Watch for caterpillars
Watch for mildew
Early June
Place pot out of rain
Stop watering completely
Leaves and stems yellow
July
Cut off yellowed leaves and stems to 10 -1 5cm
Place pot on it's side out of rain - mix is completely dry
August - September
Pot on its side
Potting mix completely dry
All stems fallen off
Tuber is dormant, usually not visible above mix
Mid to Late September
Shake old potting mix off tuber.
Pot tuber right way up 1 cm deep in new potting mix with slow
release fertilizer.
Very important - keep mix just moist (not normal watering)
October - November
Keep potting mix just moist (not normal watering)
Tuber sprouts new stems and roots
Water normally only when leaves are 8-10cm high
Note: normal watering for tuberous begonias means to water
thoroughly directly onto the potting mix (not the foliage). It's
time to water your plant when the top of the potting mix is thoroughly
dry. The time between watering varies according to plant size
and weather conditions. If the expected temp exceeds about 30
deg C you should water your plant.
Delicious with cheese, poultry, and cured meats.
120gm salt 4 bay leaves
1 litre water 10 cloves
2 sticks cinnamon
1.5kg figs 10 black peppercorns
1 litre white wine vinegar
2kg sugar
Mix salt and water together and soak figs overnight.
Mix the spices, vinegar, and sugar and boil for 10 minutes.
Drain figs and add to spice syrup and simmer for 1 hour.
Remove from heat and let stand for 2 - 3 hours.
Bring back to boil, then lift out figs and place in sterilized
jars.
Continue boiling the syrup for 30 minutes.
Remove and pour syrup over figs in jars.
Seal jars, cool and store in a dark place.
We are fortunate in having great support from sponsors such
as "The Greenery Heidelberg" and "Bulleen Art and
Garden".
In return we should support them.
Another small business that has looked after the needs of
our Club is "Ambassador Flowers" shop 14 - 149 Upper
Heidelberg Rd Ivanhoe. (Small car park on corner near Coles).
Koi, the proprietor will supply you with flowers for any occasion.
Many thanks to all Ivanhoe Garden Club members who saved corks
for me in 2004. Along with my neighbours we saved 35_ kg last
year, a great effort.
New members [not already saving corks for another cause] might
be interested in helping with this effort. All natural corks
saved are sold for industrial purposes and the money earned is
used by the Motor Neurone Society to buy equipment eg. lifting
frames, wheel chairs etc to lend to families of a person stricken
with MN.
Friends and family can be roped in to help with the effort
and when you have a bag full, small or large, bring it along to
a monthly meeting of the club. If I am not there they can be
given to Julie or Kerry Brown.
ROSE GARDEN
Ivanhoe Park, Lower Heidelberg Road, 10.00a.m. Saturday 7th
May or whatever date suits you.
Weeding, dead-heading, light pruning, remove litter, layout
of new garden. Bring your own gloves, secateurs, saws, loppers,
kneeling pad etc.
It is a good way to learn about roses and practise on someone
else's plants.
In 2006 we celebrate our 100th birthday. The sub-committee
of Kerry Brown, Geoff Crowhurst, Julie Stafford, and Margaret
Heathorn is still collecting ideas, so please pass on any ideas
to these people.
At each meeting we have several activities to raise funds
for the Club.
There is the nightly Raffle where your $1.00 or $2.00 dollars
will enter you in the draw for an unusual pot-plant. Then there
is the Trading Table where each month there is usually a selection
of plants, books and other gardening items for sale. These are
donated to the Club by members, and the money raised helps run
the Club's activities. You can help by not only purchasing the
plants etc., but by donating plants. Whenever you are thinning
out a plant, think of the Club and put usable items in a plastic
bag and bring them to the meeting. Or you may look to the future.
Why not, in those excess pots that we gather, place a few cuttings
of your favourite plants. When established, bring them to the
Club. What you can donate is surprising. It is a help if you write
the name and colour on the item.
MANY HANDS MAKE LIGHT WORK:
Each meeting tables and chairs etc. have to be set out and
at the end of the meeting put away.
Also it is fun to enter the competitions, but please at the
end of the meeting, return and empty the vases and tubes and return
them to the storage containers.
Any contribution to set up and clean up is welcome.
The library is operating and there is a large range of books
available.
Thank you to those members who have been donating books. If
you have any gardening books that you have finished with, please
donate them to our library.
Come early to the meeting and browse through the books available.
Borrowing is free and we would like the book returned at the
following meeting so that others may borrow the book.
