By Beatrice Hawkins
As I’ve been driving around town I’ve been admiring some of the gardens and especially the loropetalums at the court house corner. They are in full flower at the moment and look spectacular. I have had no luck in growing these in various situations, even though they are supposed to be “idiot” proof, so I really admire these each time I go past.
The council parks and gardens employees have been busy pruning all the roses around town with the exception of the beautiful pink ones on the Palmerin and Fitzroy St corner. I believe the variety is ‘Jane McGrath’ but am open to correction on that as I am no rose expert. They are one I would grow though, as they look wonderful and seem to bloom all year.
I am not a rose grower but do love them and this year Annette and Mark Russell will have their lovely garden with hundreds of roses, annuals and perennials, open to the public. This beautiful garden is, appropriately, in Rose Street, Killarney and will be open each day from October 10th to Nov 14th. Due to the current restrictions it would be wise to ring ahead and book a time especially if you are travelling any distance. Annette always enters many roses in the Spring Flower Show, but as this has had to be cancelled, take the time and a trip to Killarney and see them all growing in situ. The perfume is unbelievable and the kaleidoscope of colour amazing. It is truly is a delight for the senses and guaranteed to lift your spirits.
Most mornings lately I like to sit on my sunny north facing front patio with a “cuppa” and watch the bees busy in my lavender. There at least 3 varieties of bees that visit each day. I have an ornament in this area that says ‘time in my garden starts the day off right’ and this is so right.
Today I have fertilised my many pots – most are dormant at present and some I can’t remember what they hold, but I like surprises and the coming weeks will hold many! I have a dwarf lemon tree in a pot that is covered in blossom at present and is about to be relocated to my front patio so I can enjoy the beautiful perfume and attract more bees.
Yesterday I planted up two small above ground beds with herbs and included some dwarf marigolds for colour. I have found a spot where I can put a mint and it can go wild and spread and not cause any problems. Previously, with limited success, I have planted mint in a container as it can become very invasive. With such things you always have to be mindful of your neighbours and make sure you are not causing them problems. Likewise with hedges and trees you plant along fence lines, it is important to be considerate of what is on the other side!
Some years ago during the carnival of flowers I saw a creeper that had the most spectacular flowers, I hunted it down and found it was called “parrots beak” or “lotus vine” or, if we are going to get really precise, “lotus berthelotii”, a perennial plant from the Canary Islands. I purchased one and it is thriving with little care and has surprised me with a lovely show of flowers in the last week.
I have had a problem recently with neighbourhood cats digging in my garden. Now, even though I am not a cat lover, I realise this is something that is going to happen now that I live in town. However I do object to them digging in the garden right near my front door! I bought some repellent that worked for a while but then I got the idea of blending some orange skins as I had reason to juice a quantity and know that they do not go in the compost. So the skins were blended and poured on the garden – success at last! The citronella contained in the skins seems to be very effective.
Apparently if I do the same with banana skins and put the resulting slurry around my tomatoes they will love it! I’ll have to give it a try. I’ve also read that watering indoor plants with sparkling water will give them a boost as it contains many beneficial nutrients as will using the water from cooking your vegetables. Epsom salts has long been known for sweetening citrus…. sprinkle around the drip line and water in. Coffee grounds or sawdust are great barriers for snails and slugs.
As alluded to earlier, due to the current government restrictions the Warwick Horticultural Society has made the difficult decision to cancel the annual Spring Flower Show that is always held in October in St Mary’s Hall.
The Garden Competition will still be held so keep working on having your garden in shape for judging on Monday October 5th.
The rodeo weekend Floral Window Competition will still be held despite the fact that the Rodeo will not be happening.
Many business in town would be open to having their windows decorated so maybe you should put your thinking caps on, get the creative juices going and design a display to advertise your business, club, school or just because you’d like to be creative!
*This is an old article that has been digitised so our readers have access to our full catalogue.
