By Carol Parkinson and Kath Ives
Saturday at Whistle Stop is always a hive of activity with plant sales. Now the weather is warming up, local gardeners are taking advantage of our stock and buying up big.
It is a real buzz when asked by a customer about a plant – how big will it grow, how much water does it need and where should it be planted in the garden?
My favourite thing to do is to take a customer into the garden to show the plant growing in situ. We are able to offer this service as almost every plant in our sales igloo is lovingly propagated from parent plants in the Whistle Stop Garden. I love that gardeners are able to judge how a plant will fit into their own garden. It means that the purchased plant will have the best start possible and thrive in its new home.
Our second-hand book shop continues to be a hive of activity. It is a delight to see new and familiar faces discussing the pros and cons of many authors and titles.
This week one customer found a real gem amongst the bookshelves – a two volume hard cover copy of Banjo Patterson with the history of each of his poems and his life regarding them, with illustrations. When I congratulated the buyer about finding this gem amongst many other books, she replied “Oh we have found other surprising things here over the weeks”. So many thanks to the generous donors. Keep on visiting the book shop- you never know what you might discover.
Saturdays at Whistle Stop also sees several family groups bringing their children to choose a book from the Kids’ corner. As the weather warms up, more and more families have started having story time in the shady parts of the garden. Some call into Whistle Stop after they have visited the Farmers Market. They bring a picnic, find a seat under a tree or the pergola and enjoy the ambience of the garden. It is a vision to see with Whistle Stop volunteers realising the fruits of their labour.
Another highlight of Whistle Stop Garden is emerging from the soil itself. We have been very busy installing ceramic art works from the Totems of Hope pottery workshops running out of the Goods Shed. Fairies and gnomes are elusive creatures in our garden but now the Totems of Hope are in place, these little critters are starting to come out of hiding. Keep an eye out for the signs of life. The official gala opening of the Totems of Hope is on 12 October at 12.30pm. Everyone is invited.
We have changed our open to the public hours to Thursday, Friday and Saturday mornings from 8am to 12 noon. We are updating our signage, so please be patient with us as we head into this new era. We look forward to seeing you soon.
