August Monthly Meeting 2012

You could almost been forgiven for thinking spring had sprung early upon arriving at Irene and Lloyds peaceful Oallen property. Daffodil’s danced in the light breeze and the warm sun beat down on our backs allowing the sweet aroma of morning dew to rise from the grass beneath our feet.

As you begin to stroll around the grounds, the sound of gentle bleats, baa’s and chatter of budgies emerge and it becomes obvious the pair are animal lovers. They have created a haven for small farm creatures complete with baby lambs trotting around their mothers’ feet, a cheeky goat who likens himself to Houdini and resident kangaroo willing to take the grass from your hand.

The gardens have been developed over a number of years to meet with the climatic conditions, favourites such as a magnificent 'Magnolia grandiflora' are getting ready to burst into flower, and we take turns to breathe in the sweet perfume of the honeysuckle.

Lloyd and Irenes collection of quirky ornaments draw the eye and inject a spark of personality into several areas of the property with fun signage such as "Weed free garden, take as many as you want. For free." delighting visitors to their home. 

We admired Irene’s thriving vegetable patch which consisted of a number of well netted raised beds spilling over with broad beans, bok choy and other winter fare and then it was time for our 24 strong crowd to go inside and talk about our gardens over a delicious feast of homemade cakes.

During our meeting we were informed that the time to prune back roses is now, fertilising and spraying to prevent common problems such black spot is also recommended. Apart from the never ending fight with weeds, the cold has kept us mostly inside this month and there were thankfully very few problems to report in members’ gardens.

In September we will be venturing over to Marjories’ place for our next discovery tour!

Community Notice - Mining and The Law Workshop

As announced at our August monthly meeting there is a free workshop being held about Mining and the Law which may be of great interest to people in our local area.

The following information was taken from a brochure from the NSW EDO:

EDO NSW will hold a FREE workshop to explain how mining is regulated in NSW, with a focus on landholder rights and advocacy strategies, environment and planning law, and tips on how to write an effective submission.
Thhe workshop will address current mining titles and applications in the region.


WHEN: Friday the 17th of August between 10am-1pm
WHERE: The function room at Goulburn Workers Club, 1 McKell Pl Goulburn

RSVPs are ESSENTIAL, visit http://edonswgoulburn.eventbrite.com.au/
For furthur information contact EDO NSW on ph 02 9262 6989
or email education@edonsw.org.au

July Monthly Meeting

It was a very frosty start to the July morning for our get together at Shirley K’s in Paddys Close. We were definitely all rugged up from top to toe as it took a while for the day to thaw from a minus start.

The water feature remained iced until after 11am! We were all greeted by a chirpy “hello” from Shirley’s pet parrot.

After Shirley’s house was built she was left with a large barren area, devoid of any topsoil and on a steep slope. To counteract this Shirley has used rocks for stepping and garden bed building. She has fenced her “backyard” area not only for her dogs but for fauna control.

Shirley has an array of local and exotic species growing, with a large amount of succulents enjoying the situation both in front and behind the house.

Our meeting was held inside Shirley’s warm home with about 21 gardeners attending, discussing various topics from compost making, tea making from the recent workshop at Windellama Landcare; storing of dahlias; pruning regimen of roses in our area; to name a few.

We then walked around Shirley’s garden in the wonderful sunshine impressed by Shirley’s prowess in succeeding to grow plants of any sort on a virtual moonscape.

by Denise

Our next discovery tour get together will be at Irene & Lloyd Turner’s home on Tuesday 7^th August.

The Willow Glen Gardeners are proud to announce that one of our members  (John E) was recognised on the Queen's birthday honours list and recieved a medal (OAM in the general division)for his service to the print media industry and to the community of Bankstown.

Well done John!

June Monthly Meeting 2012

It was raining cats and dogs outside as we pulled into the eucalypt and agapanthus lined driveway but this wasn’t enough to deter many of our willow glen gardeners from the monthly meeting.

Alan and Ni’s wonderful sense of humour is instantly apparent as we are greeted by a forlorn looking fellow upside down in a garbage bin advising visitors that “Trespassers will be composted”!

Enticed inside by a warm fire we gathered in a huddle in the lounge room sipping hot tea while we discussed our gardens and waited for the worst of the deluge to pass.

There were few problems reported this month, other than the never ending battle of the weeds of course and with winter now upon us, many have taken to viewing their dandelions and sorrel from the comfort of the kitchen window hoping to reclaim their little patch of Australia when the weather warms up a bit.

We collected our umbrellas and headed out for a wander around the property despite the unfavourable weather. You see, us garden folk are a brave bunch and aren’t afraid to don gumboots and raincoats for the chance of a free lavender cutting!

Around every corner lies a new vista, vegetable gardens overflowing with strawberries, celery and beetroot. Salvias bursting with pink and French lavender blooming in beautiful blue guide you past bay trees and sculptures towards the circular rose garden.

 

Over the last 12 years Ni and Alan have used a wide variety of different plants and trees including jacarandas, lavender, daisies and rosemary combined with a range of perennials and carefully placed garden artistry to create a series of beautiful gardens with a very welcoming feel.