Up the Garden Path with Jill Storrie

On the home front – there’s a lot of exciting things to report since my last update in February! My silver, lime green and purple toned front garden is working well, except that my helichrysum became such a huge lump, it required a haircut, and much to my dismay the woody bits underneath were difficult to manage without drastic treatment. .

Macquarie Towns Garden News Newsletter of Macquarie Towns Garden Club Inc.

Celebrating 125 Years: 1894 – 2019 Volume 17 No. 9, November, 2019

McGrath’s Hill Florist Arrangements, Gift baskets, Helium Balloons, Bouquets

Open 364½ Days a Year 8 am to 7 pm Mon - Sat 9 am - 5 pm Sun & Public Hols All major credit cards accepted over the phone Local Deliveries (7 Days) Worldwide Deliveries (Interflora) Paul & Elizabeth Fraser Peppertree Centre 3A/211 Windsor Road, McGraths Hill 2756 Phone (02) 4577 5863 Fax (02) 4587 8663 (www.mcgrathshillflorist.com.au)

I’ll have plenty of cuttings for propagation for our Open Day in April next year!!

I’ve yet to decide whether to keep it on, or resort to the curry plant, which is silver, feathery and not so rambunctious! I’ve added another duranta Sheena’s Gold, so now there are three. I love their lime green colour., and bright blue lobelia adds pops of colour here and there. Extra exciting - I now have some new gorgeous garden edges in my back garden, which previously had unsightly bush rock and broken concrete and some nondescript agapanthus. Susan Fennelly’s son Andrew, a gifted stonemason, has laid sandstone edges to two areas.

(Right) - Along my fence line, I’ve planted out my ‘Garden Club Garden’: iresine from Irene Smith, variegated hippeastrum and a cute variegated lime-green geranium, both from Louise Johnson, Swedish ivy from Val Anderson - all shade lovers and quite happy.

(Left) - The courtyard is my ‘little Italy’ now (not that I’ve been there!) and ivy geranium is spilling over the brick wall and waving hello to passers-by in a chaos of colour.

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Thinking about Allan Seale …… by Jill Storrie Our speaker for the October meeting was Shirley Seale, whose brother-in-law was the late Allan Seale. I looked forward to her talk because Allan Seale was my ‘go-to’ person when I began my first garden 45 years ago! Gardening as such did not run in my family: while my mother was amazing with home-grown vegetables, and poured all her leftover peelings straight into the holes she was preparing for her next plantings, pruning and cutting back shrubs were unheard of, so her plants were interesting sticks in the main. She had no grand plan to encourage a garden that was for sitting in, to enjoy visually. The plants lined the fence like sad children in a school line, about a metre apart, but I suppose it made for an area that was fairly resistant to damage from backyard cricket! My father-in-law was the gardener. He loved roses and camellias, and despite the fact that he felt that the layout of the garden was an unimportant detail, he managed to produce beautiful blooms that my husband took advantage of when we were courting! Unfortunately, beneath his roses and camellias, it was the ‘scorched earth’ look – not an ounce of mulch, and any manure had been dug-in within an inch of its life. Interestingly, he would spectacularly re-lay his beautiful camellia blooms like a carpet when they fell. The home landscaping book gave me a glimpse into a world I wouldn’t see for myself for 30 years, until I travelled: formal gardens, with garden rooms, beautiful paving and wide steps, handsome pots and garden accoutrements that as young marrieds with no money we could only aspire to. The marriage between architecture and good garden design were an eye opener and they still delight me. And now I’m all grown up. I’ve tried to replicate Allan’s large beds of azaleas in all three of my gardens. I had to leave my wisteria gazebo behind, but now I’ve got some garden rooms of my own, and the love of gardening is part of who I am. Gardens are in my line of vision whenever we travel (with camera phone at the ready!) – and the simple beauty of someone’s well-loved suburban garden speaks to me as much as the formal botanic gardens in cities.

When we moved into our brand-new home, with its own version of scorched earth on a bare building block, my father-in-law gave me two books which I still treasure today: one was The Australian Women’s Weekly Gardening Book by Allan Searle, and the other The Reader’s Digest Practical guide to home landscaping. Both these books can be picked up at book sales and op shops, and they are such a practical help, with easy to use indexes and information available in one place -no darting around the internet trying to collate everything!

Allan’s book with its great photos showed me that there was beauty to be had in planning a garden, that you need to pay attention to plant height and soil types, that you could have great swathes of colour and texture, that you need to plan for placement and nurture. Allan helped me diagnose the pests and diseases, and told me what to plant when, and how deep, and how to propagate!

p. 3 Giant Flowers with Louise Johnson

Flowers come in all sizes, from the tiniest (it is said that a bouquet of Wolffia globosa would fit on the head of a pin), to the gigantic, which is the focus of this article. I have selected a few below, with brief descriptions, for your amazement:

Rafflesia arnoldii This plant has the largest single bloom in the world. Native to rainforests in Indonesia and Malaysia, this humongous flower can be up to a metre in diameter. Also known as the “corpse flower”, it emits an odour of rotting meat, which is irresistible to the flies that pollinate it

Amorphophallus titanum

Also known as the “Titan Arum”, this plant is native to western Sumatra and western Java and has the largest unbranched inflorescence (flower structure)in the world. This is another stinky flower, also emitting an odour of rotting meat to attract pollinators. Its massive inflorescence can reach over 3 metres in height, consisting of a fragrant spadix (flower- bearing spike) of flowers wrapped by a spathe (collar-like structure), which looks like a large petal.

Corypha umbraculifera

Is a palm commonly known as the “Talipot Palm”, and has the largest inflorescence of any plant. Its inflorescence consists of a 6 to 8 metre long branched stalk that forms at the top of the trunk, bearing one to several million small flowers. It lives for up to 60 years before flowering and fruiting, then dies shortly after. It is native to eastern and southern India and Sri Lanka.

Victoria amazonica Commonly known as the Giant Waterlily, this plant is native to the shallow waters of the Amazon River basin. The enormous leaves can grow up to 3 metres in diameter, with an upturned edge. The night blooming flowers only last about 48 hours, opening white on the first night, turning to pink on the second, and can be up to 40 cm in diameter. They are pollinated by beetles.

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Giant flowers by Louise (continued)

Photos courtesy of Wikipedia

Bits and Pieces from Jill

Would you prefer to pay for Christmas lunch ($27) - online?

The account name is Macquarie Towns Garden Club. Bendigo Bank BSB no. 633-000, Account no. 146223656.

Please include your name and details so that it can appear on our statement,

and also importantly, email Jill Storrie at ardlui3@bigpond.net.au so that our Treasurer, Helen Potts, can be advised.

Protea cynaroides More familiar to us as the King Protea, it is the national flower of South Africa, and is one of the few giants we can grow in home gardens. The amazing flowers can be from 12cm to 30cm in diameter, with bracts varying from creamy white to deep crimson. It is pollinated by birds.

Val Anderson recently gave me a fascinating succulent with big floppy ‘ears’, almost like a basset hound. I was fascinated to find one of the ‘ears’, which was fading fast and needed pruning, was actually hiding a cute ‘pup’ almost in a little cradle created by its curled up edges. I’ve potted it up and it’s doing well. (Right) - I think it’s a type of kalanchoe…. any other ideas?

(Left) It always amazes me that plants can pop up in totally unexpected places.

This one is my favourite fragrant flower – a freesia grown from seeds I brought

with me when we moved from Cattai Ridge Rd, Glenorie.

I recently had an interesting conversation with a lady at the checkout at Coles,

who also loves freesias, and who commented that she used to pick ‘wild’ ones

along Cattai Ridge Rd – I’m guessing they were mine! I took her a little sachet so

she could have her own.

p. 5 Macquarie Towns Garden Club Minutes of Committee Meeting Held on Thursday 3 October 2019

at the Tebbutt Room, Deerubbin Centre, George St. Windsor Present: Ann Chilman, Louise Johnson, Helen Potts, Jill Storrie, Pat Berry, Kay Brand,

Ruth Knight, Shirley Seale Apologies: Karen England Commenced: 1.10 pm Minutes of the previous meeting accepted; passed Louise Johnson, seconded Ruth Knight Norman Lindsay Gallery and Garden visit Twelve people have booked for the bus trip. Louise will confirm with gallery this week. Ann will remind members at today’s meeting. Some people are using their own transport and will meet us there. Christmas Lunch Seven people have paid. A couple of people have paid over the internet. Ann will encourage members at the meeting to book. Today’s meeting Alexander Greentree is unable to attend to day due to urgent medical treatment required by his father. Shirley Seale is standing in, and will speak about her brother-in-law, well-known gardening expert Allan Seale. Next year’s speakers Ann welcomed Shirley to the meeting and thanked her for all her efforts researching potential speakers for next year. The following are to be confirmed: Green E Roses for February– grower of heritage roses, March – Ken Frazer, Birds of the Hawkesbury. Open Day is set down for April, and Judy Horton is booked for May. Other suggestions: Hawkesbury Beekeepers, native orchids, native orchids, orchids, iris. The Iris Society has offered a speaker. Shirley will follow up on all the options. Outings The meeting discussed issues with numbers being down in meetings that occur straight after our outings. The destination of the autumn bus trip is planned to be Lithgow, which has wonderful autumn colour, the date 31st March. Louise is working through the options for the remaining two dates. There has been some interest in visiting Windyridge at Mt Wilson in spring. The meeting talked about a visit to a National Trust house and garden, and a possible visit to historic Reibycroft at Freemans Reach. Calendars and Our Gardens Magazine Payment for those interested is due at the next meeting so that Helen can send off paperwork next month. April Open Day 2020 Ruth is working on planning for the big day. Jill will email her the wrap up notes from the last 2 years. Members will be asked to start propagating. The meeting finished at 2pm.

A group of 20, including a visitor, Jocelyn Allan, enjoyed Shirley’s PowerPoint presentation on Allan Seale. We learned that one of the Seale brothers developed Thrive, that wonderful gardeners’ helper. Our Tea Co-ordinator Malcolm set up nice and early, and the tea as usual was excellent.

HOME MAINTENANCE AND REPAIRS ABN 62 077 367 205

ALMOST ANYTHING THAT NEEDS DOING AROUND THE HOME

Phil Conn 0408 819 or 4572 1001

Small jobs a specialty

FIX IT PHIL

p. 6 Behind the scenes, our Vice-President Louise Johnson faithfully organises our outings for the year. It’s often a challenging issue when the details on her ‘manifest’ don’t match the list Helen draws up from payments received from members. Louise actually has to hand the manifest in to Peppercorn in advance, BEFORE the outing. The rule is, look for the manifest on the entry table, sign first, and then pay, to make Louise’s job smooth sailing.

IMPORTANT REMINDER RE CLUB OUTINGS from Louise

When the Club organises an outing using a Peppercorn bus for transport, interested members must book their seat in advance. This is a simple two step process:

1. Enter details on the bus manifest 2. Put money in envelope provided, with name and details of payment

It is vitally important that all persons attending any outing where a Peppercorn bus is hired for transport, fill in their details on the manifest document provided at meetings leading up to the event. This is a government regulation for insurance purposes, and is applicable to all group bookings by community groups and agencies. The last meeting before the outing date is the deadline for completing the manifest and payment, as Peppercorn Services requires the manifest to be handed to them a minimum of two weeks before the outing date. As only persons listed on the manifest can board the bus, please ensure that you book your seat by the deadline to avoid disappointment. p. 7

The 2020 Hawkesbury Garden Competition is being resurrected! Many of us were disappointed to hear that the Hawkesbury Garden Competition was no longer to take place. Our member Elizabeth Teo has claimed an award on a number of occasions! The Garden Club has been contacted by Hawkesbury District Agricultural Association, which is planning to take on organisation of the Garden Competition to ensure that it continues to run in 2020. The Hawkesbury Camera Club has been heavily involved in the past and has been asked to assist with the staging of the event. As part of the planning the Association has asked all interested parties to come to a public meeting to discuss the event and how it will best be run. The meeting will be held at the Hawkesbury Showground on Wednesday 6th November at 3pm. (Please enter the showgrounds through Gate 2. The meeting will be in the Committee room in the office.) Alternately, if you are unable to attend, but would like to put forward some suggestions, please email them to Andrea Roth (details below) before the meeting so they can be presented. If you have any further questions, please contact Andrea on 4577 3591 or mobile 0447 860 867. Email: hdaa@hawkesburyshow.com.au

Update on John Max and I recently visited John, who was knee-deep in his comfortable lounge chair with his laptop, doing some family history on his father. John looks very well and when we left, he walked us down to the dining room as it was lunch time. John was quick to say that Chesne is intending to order her Calendar and Our Gardens magazine. That’s a good prompt for those of us who haven’t paid yet!

p. 7 Christmas Lunch – Thursday 5th December The Village Kitchen, Kurrajong

The menu is the same as last year: garlic bread, pork or turkey, roast vegetables, crackling, and plum pudding, for dessert. (Tea and coffee is extra). Hope you can make it! It’s a chance for us to relax, enjoy a great meal and spend some quality time just enjoying each other’s company. What better way to finish another good year with gardening friends?

COMING UP Our November meeting is all about fuchsias. Our speaker Barbara Cooper, will talk about her love of fuchsias and there growing requirements. If you have a plant, bring it along. Barbara will be demonstrating pruning and she will also have plants for sale. Questions welcomed!

NEXT YEAR – 2020 in the pipeline ……. February meeting Green E Roses Galston (tbc) March meeting Ken Frazer – Birds of the Hawkesbury (tbc) April meeting OPEN DAY – 2nd April, 2020 Open Day Ruth Knight and Kay Brand will be forming a Sub-Committee to manage this event. If you enjoyed helping out last year, please talk to Ruth and find out how you can help. We’re hoping for good propagating weather over the summer, so sharpen up those green thumbs!

Don’t miss out on our Christmas Lunch! Keep an eye out for the list and the envelopes on the table at the November meeting, and please make a special effort to bring the right money to make things easier for Helen.

$27 (which is a discount of $3 – the Garden Club is subsidising)

(Above) –2018 Open Day Louise Johnson and Judy Rosier admiring our amazing plants (Left) – Val Anderson giving expert advice to Louise Johnson and Ann Chilman

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Garden Club Calendar for the remainder of 2019

Some speakers, subjects and venues may be changed

November 7 Guest speaker – Barbara Cooper – fuchsias Bring along your fuchsia for a health check and pruning demonstration

December 5 Christmas Party – The Village Kitchen, Kurrajong

HOLIDAYS

We meet at 2.00 p.m. in the Tebbutt Room in the Deerubbin Centre, Windsor Central Library 300 George Street, Windsor, unless otherwise stated

Visit our website http://macquarietownsgardenclub.wordpress.com

Office Bearers & Committee Members for 2019-2020

President Ann Chilman 4588 8651 annchilman@hotmail.com

Vice President Louise Johnson 4588 5717 stephenandlouise@bigpond.com

Secretary Jill Storrie 4575 3858 ardlui3@bigpond.net.au

Treasurer Helen Potts 4577 9950

Members Kay Brand 4572 5787

Pat Berry 4573 1532 patriciaberry1@bigpond.com

Karen England 4576 5368 ruffreds@gmail.com

Ruth Knight 4571 1718 curlyrichmond@bigpond.com

Afternoon Tea Convenor - Malcolm Tidman

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END OF YEAR MATTERS MONIES DUE?

1. Our Christmas Party –$27 (see Page 7). Please put your name on the list and look for the envelopes.

2. Subscription for ‘Our Gardens’ (Garden Club of Australia Magazine) – Great value for 4 issues a year. An article about our Macquarie Towns Garden Club birthday celebration will appear early in 2020. Annual subscription is $15 for 4 issues, payable through our Club, but delivered to your address, and is due no later than November meeting. Please see Helen if you are interested.

3. Orders for Garden Club of Australia Calendars – Cost is $10 and payment due no later than

November meeting. Again, please see Helen.

Does the garden on the cover of next year’s Garden Club of Australia’s Calendar look familiar? It’s Windyridge at Mt Wilson, which featured at our July meeting. The DVD gave us some mesmerising insight into the planning, preparation and planting-out of this amazing garden.