What better way to spend time on a brisk winter’s morning, than to ramble around fellow garden club members gardens. This is precisely what we did twice in the last month. Our first ramble was to two very different gardens, the first garden, which included a much needed and warming morning tea saw us ramble through Pam and Alan’s garden, that allowed us to see so many different varieties of camellias. Pam has been a collector of camellias and member of the Camellia Society for many many years even sourcing camellias from far off Asian countries. As well as camellias the grounds were awash with early flowering bulbs in bright yellow and cream. Then on to Pamela’s garden that has been lovingly created in only a few years, with its park like acres and lovely plantings with formal and informal areas it was a treat and pretty as a picture. As always there were plenty of ideas here to take back to our own gardens and create a very peaceful and serene garden. Then as all good rambles should it was off to warm up with lunch at the Galston Club.
Our second ramble a couple of weeks later saw us on another cold but sunny day heading off to Maurice and Sharyn’s garden. This garden is set in the bush with a very steep aspect; however the careful planting with wandering paths gave us lots to look at, good ideas and a good work out! There was quite a lot of winter colour to show that gardens do not have to dull at this time of the year. We were quite ready for our very sumptuous morning tea and enjoyed the lovely view from the balcony in the warm sun. Then it was onto Liz’s garden where her artists’ eye could be seen here, coloured foliage as well as flowering plants and fruit trees made for a lovely display. Incredibly Liz does all the work herself, the amount of hedging and clipping done I think made us all go home and bring our own shrubs under control. This time we finished at Allegro for our Yuletide in July, with a champagne starter, everyone was in high spirits and thoroughly enjoyed each other’s company.
Our social secretary has also planned other events in the coming months, if you love gardens, shopping and music then the upcoming trip to Morpeth may spark your interest. Have you heard of the country town of Rydal? It is a mass of daffodils in the spring and as far as you can see are daffodils as this country town celebrates the Rydal Daffodil Festival. If you would like to join us, come along to garden club, become a member and you to will enjoy these trips and events in the company of a very friendly group of people.
Galston Open Gardens Weekend: Fri 20th, Sat 21st and Sun 22nd October 2017. Save the date as Galston Garden Club presents eight beautiful gardens. To whet your anticipation, three of the gardens have either not been open before or have not been open for many years. More information will be available about all the gardens over the coming months.
It was great to see such a good number turn out not only on a cold night, but also the State of Origin decider, given the score I think listening to our guest speaker this month Ingrid Nemetz from Helleboreusdownunder was the better decision! As a specialist of these lovely plants that often flower in winter, Ingrid introduced us to different species, colours and common misconceptions. We came away with a better understanding of how to grow Hellebores, divide them and how to prune and fertilize them for a good flower show. Our Guest Speaker for August will be Ross Campbell from Camellia Grove Nursery, Glenorie.
Garden Club meets on the 2nd Weds of the month at the Galston Community Centre 37 Arcadia Rd., Galston 8.00pm. New members welcomed. www.galstongardenclub.com.au
