What a great turn out we had for the March meeting! The hall was almost at capacity and there were lots of bargains to be had on our plant stall. Members were brought up to date about a proposal that is being sent to Hornsby Council by a committee of residents, to beautify the town centre of Galston and improve the parking.
Our Open Gardens Committee is already on the lookout for new gardens for this years Open Gardens Weekend. So if you are a garden owner who would like to be a part of the Open Gardens weekend or if you know someone who has a garden and might be interested in being part of our Open Gardens weekend, the Committee is always looking for new gardens to maintain the variety of differently styled gardens on the weekend. All money raised on the day goes towards a number of charities and in 2018 we were able to assist 31 charities with donations. Please contact Bill Fleming our Open Gardens Convenor on 96532394 or email: [email protected] if you would like to be a part of this wonderful event.
If you have ever wondered why your native plants seem to die when you plant them in your garden, despite your best efforts and reading the instruction card, well our guest speaker Brian Roach gave us some insight as to why this happens. He was funny, entertaining and even started with a song but he quickly turned serious about his passion and love for native plants, as well as his desire for us to all plant our gardens with natives that will thrive in your garden. He explained that natives growing in the bush grow from seed, the seed germinates and puts down a tap root to seek the water, and this doesn’t happen with potted native plants. He gave Waratahs as an example, we all assume that they don’t need much water but because they are grown in pots and have not put down their tap root, they actually need to be kept well-watered. He also explained why WA natives don’t do as well on the Eastern side and the strides that have been made with grafting and other experiments to change this. However it was not all bad news Brian gave us an extensive list of plants that would thrive as well as produce pretty flowers and fruit as well; he answered a number of member’s questions. For every plant he spoke about its care as well as position. He had brought as tube stock to sell to members as a special price. As usual there was quite a crowd around the table and around Brian at the end of the night. The most interesting plant he spoke about was the development of a Dwarf Christmas Bush “Johanna’s Christmas” (named after Brian’s daughter) that he has been involved in cultivating and while there are not many yet available, look out for this magnificent coloured bush in the future.
The Galston Garden Club meets on the 2nd Weds of the month at the Galston Community Centre 37 Arcadia Rd., Galston 8.00pm, new members and visitors are warmly welcomed, as well there is a lovely supper provided. For more information, visit our website: www.galstongardenclub.com.au
