By Beatrice Hawkins
Congratulations to all the entrants, winners and place getters in the Warwick Horticultural Society’s Spring Garden Competition that was judged last week. A big thank you also for taking the time and doing the work to support our long running competition.
I believe Warwick Horticultural Society may be one of the oldest societies in Queensland and possibly in Australia, having been formed in 1908. We have had a garden competition for a very long time in our area and it is great to see the continuing enthusiasm of the entrants.
I was disappointed to be away this year and to relinquish my job as the driver for the judge. It has been a delight in other years, to get to see the gardens before anyone else!
Very early one morning recently while I was admiring the view from where I am at the moment and I saw what looked like dust from a car approaching through some trees. I was intrigued as I realised it was far to wet to be dust! Smoke maybe? Fog??.. None of these seemed quite right.
As the sun rose higher I noticed the cypress trees closer to me seeming to “explode” with something! Problem solved! This is, apparently, the way cypress trees pollinate!
I rang the local forestry office to make sure I was right in my assumption and what my host was telling me. Sure enough we were correct and I was told that many of the forestry workers are suffering badly with hay fever etc. at the moment in this area, because of this phenomenon.
There are 15 varieties of cypress world wide and Australia is home to 13 of these. The other three occur in New Caledonia.
Some varieties provide wonderful building and woodworking timber and I remember a beautiful polished cypress floor in my childhood home and also in a house we built on a property at Narromine.
The framing timber for that home was also cypress, as it is impervious to white ants. The area was notoriously bad for these pests!! All the timber for that house was supplied from a mill at Gulargambone. Closer to home now there are a number of mills in our wider area at Inglewood, Cecil Plains, Miles, Injune, Gympie and Roma, all using timber sustainably sourced from local forests.
Cypress grows over a large area mostly in the eastern states, south from the tropic of Capricorn, with extensive stands in south east Queensland and northern New South Wales. Rottnest Island is home to a small stand and there are some in south west WA.
Unlike some species of our eucalyptus, the trees do not sprout from the trunks and limbs, after a fire. They only grow from seed dropped onto the ground, so regeneration after a fire is a problem.
There are several species of Callitris, all known as “cypress”, and these trees grow from about 18 to 25 metres high with a trunk about 60 cm diameter, so are not a huge tree. White cypress is the main variety milled for timber and is one of the hardest softwoods in the world. Now there is a fun fact for you.. “hard” softwood!!
Another fact I found interesting is that an oil distilled from the timber itself, not the leaves, is used in the perfume industry and aromatherapy.
Being the daughter of a carpenter and wood turner I have always been interested in timber and have loved the native species Dad used, but that may be information for another column!
I know we have had lots of rain in the area while I have been away and while our gardens need the water, heavy rain and hail are not conducive to having a good display for the flower show next week.
However, I am sure the gardeners of Warwick and surrounds will see what they have available and bring it to St Mary’s Hall in Wood Street, between 8 and 10 on Wednesday morning 19 October ready for judging. Even if, like me, you are not a great gardener, still check out what might be in flower and bring it along. Without your support there is no show!!
The doors will open to the public at 12 noon after the judging is complete, and there will be a lovely display on Wednesday 19 and Thursday 20 October for everyone to enjoy.
Come along and enjoy some great freshly made sandwiches for lunch or treat yourself to some great scones, jam, and cream or other sweet treats, for morning and afternoon tea, on either of these days, while you see what is on display.
