Ahh…. It’s Autumn and the pounding our gardens have taken over Summer with the 40 degree days and damaging hail is hopefully over. Lots of rain now though, so hopefully we will soon be able to get out and do those jobs that need to be done in the garden. Our March meeting saw a great turn out with quite a few new faces; it is always a pleasure to welcome new members, along with quite a few visitors.
Our guest speaker for this month was Bill Fleming, garden owner of “Elegans” in Galston. This beautiful garden, filled with an array of plants, wandering pathways and dams has been a labour of love since 1976. Bill’s talk was on the History and Development of “Elegans”. “Elegans” started as a blank canvas, a bare paddock, no plants, no paths, no dams and no house. Like any true gardener, Bill started on building the dams for irrigation and fire protection, as well as planting out the garden; the house was to come 10 years later! This lovely garden evolved and we were encouraged that sometimes even some of Bill’s plants died, he was very practical about this. Bill also gave us some valuable tips and things he had learned from experimenting with plants in the garden. So from Bill – don’t be afraid to experiment, it’s your garden, no matter how large or small, so it should express you, obtain inspiration and ideas from books and other gardeners, water, feed and look at your soil and plant accordingly, use coloured foliage for year round colour, disasters happen and effort is rewarded. “Elegans” is open several times a year, it continues to change and evolve as all gardens should and if you have never been, you should try to visit when it is open – you are in for a treat.
Next month our speaker is Tony Matson from Cut Above on How to Care for Pruning Tools. This is not one to miss as we often overlook the maintenance of our tools, which kept in good condition make gardening jobs easier. In coming months our social secretary has lined up a panel of garden experts to answer club members gardening questions, as a question and answer night, a speaker on the Nursery Industry, a night on Hellebores and that is just in the next few months. Come along, visit us and maybe stay and become a member.
Save the date for the Galston Open Gardens Weekend Fri 20th, Sat 21st and Sun 22nd October 2017. Garden Club meets on the 2nd Weds of the month at the Galston Community Centre 37 Arcadia Rd, Galston 8pm, new members are warmly welcomed. For other information, visit our website: www.galstongardenclub.com.au
