Gardening

Memories of my youth way back in time in the Riverina. Riding my pony bareback round the roads, one of my favourite things to do was to reach out from his back and raid a neighbour’s loquat tree. Loquats are a small fruit, golden in colour, and have a sweet tangy taste, a large seed and are delicious.

From blank canvas in unforgiving dirt to a garden haven for all the family. A blank canvas for your new garden, boasting two lone mature trees (a Cedar in the vegetable garden and further away, a Peppercorn) and a few gums along the perimeter, red soil and the prospect of less than 300mm rainfall for the whole year.

February depresses me. So many things have gone wrong in Februarys past - apart from many other minor things it is always fire month and it was this coming week 11 years ago that we lost our home, many precious animals, my garden and after 20 years in a place I loved so much, we had to move.

The Giant Russian Sunflowers at Donald’s Red Gate Community Garden are in the final days of their spectacular bloom. Measuring some four metres in height (that’s around 14ft in Red Gate parlance) with seedhead/flowers weighing in at around 2 kgs (4lbs?), they have been photographed many times by visitors passing through town and locals alike.

As you approach the home of potter/photographer Ellen Hansa- Stanyer you cannot avoid the feeling of being watched ... Firstly, you’re greeted at the gate by a white rabbit with table and teapot, ceramic figures from ‘Alice in Wonderland’; it’s a Mad Hatter’s Tea Party on the fence!

It isn’t just the trees, blossoming shrubs, and well tendered to veggie patches which are growing in the Yamba Community Garden. After applying for and subsequently receiving a grant of close to $14000 through the Northern Rivers Community Foundation (NRCF) last month, the popular recreational area in Wattle Park is set to expand by 200m2, creating additional space for more Clarence Valley residents to enjoy outdoor activities while fostering an inclusive environment and promoting sustainability within the Lower Clarence.

At Mickleham you were one of my first Favourite roses, tough, free flowering, not much scent but so worthwhile, with your fabulous colours. You flowered constantly for more than 20 years, with not much attention and even managed to survive the bushfire not eight foot from you ...

I have a confession to make, especially today when many of you think of me as kind, loving and a good friend. In truth, I am a mass murderer - a cold-blooded killer ... It must have been last night’s thunderstorm which took my reason...

The tree was beautiful and we loved it. It was a maple that was young and growing when we moved here after the fires, and was part of many different trees on the property, all quite immature ... Boy did it grow.

Barham High School and Tulla Natives are two of 17 winners in the 2024 Campaspe Murray Business Awards ... Owners of Tulla Natives, Marc and Stacey Brooke were awarded the Best Agri Business sponsored by Greenham ... diversified their traditional farming pursuits ...

I have come to the decision I am not perhaps avant garde. Looking up Webster, it says: "adjective - favouring or introducing new and experimental ideas and methods ... But I AM an Avant Gardener.

Shades of Gray is a magical, metal garden wonderland that is only open for a few weeks each year ... at the intersection of Farnsworth and Brown Streets in Castlemaine … a detailed and quirky ‘Chook House’ filled to the rafters (literally) with metal chickens. “This will break the internet!” he laughed, posing beside Romeo the rooster.

Catherine and Neil Tait are opening their gates to the public and all the proceeds will be donated to Regional Community Vet Clinic (RCVC). The gorgeous garden at ‘Stringy Bark Hill’ in McKenzie Hill (between Castlemaine and Muckleford) is offered as part of the Castlemaine and District Festival of Gardens ...

Nancy Whittaker. Liadaan has created a magical garden just down the road from the Maldon CBD ... Within the garden there is an outdoor gallery full of trailing plants in hanging baskets, ceramics and mixed media sculptures, together with oil on linen paintings of flowers and fruit. Just in time to complement the Festival of Gardens.

The Corryong Neighbourhood Centre (CNC) is very excited with the return of the Upper Murray Garden Getabout which is only one week away. After a five-year break - there will be nine gardens in and around Corryong opening for visitors...

Six beautiful gardens were generously opened for viewing for the Narrandera Town and Country Open Garden Day event ... A variety of gardens were on offer for visitors to explore - from large farm, and semi-rural, to small suburban gardens.

Serena Kirby. Garden lovers can wander through two of Denmark’s biggest private gardens ... one of the garden owners, Geoff Osborne, said he was opening his garden to raise funds for the Albany Community Hospice. Geoff’s garden spans 4ha and was the creation of him and his wife of 50 years Ruby. She died in June 2021 after spending her final days in the Albany Hospice.

Jenny Pollard. “Life is better in the garden”. How many gardeners would agree with that?! From the attendance at last Sunday’s North Central Garden Club’s (NCGC) Charlton Open Gardens Day, the lure of that precious space you call your own resonates with a lot of people!

To take a walk through the magnificent and wellkept garden of Gary and Dale Gwynne it is easy to see why they regularly pick up awards in the Warwick Horticultural Society’s Spring Garden Competition. This year their garden at 269 Hendon/ Goomburra Road Allora was awarded the Warwick Horticultural Society’s Shield for the best Large Home Garden…

Madison Eastmond. Riverlanders, rosarians, and visitors can now ‘stop and smell the roses’ for the month of October, with celebrations for the 30th Rose and Garden Festival beginning this week. With the region now in bloom, the 2024 program will kick off on Friday with a number of popular returning components ... including the Renmark Institute floral display, the Festival Fair...

I see it every day and think of the woman who loved it. This poor little house is in our main street, it's been for sale for two years ... I see it and think how much the original person must have loved it.

Kerry Cain. The new Indigenous Interpretive garden space, garingilang gatjin wii, at the Central Goldfields Art Gallery in Maryborough, was the setting for an arts and cultural talks afternoon last Sunday. Djaara Elders Aunty Marilyne Nicholls and Uncle Rick Nelson co-shared cultural talks about Country and explained the use of chosen stones, plants and rock wells.