The Armidale Gardener
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Newsletter of the Armidale Garden Club Issue # 590 May 2021 The Armidale Gardener Our MAY meeting will be held on Thursday 27th May at the Uniting Church Hall in Rusden Street. The meeting will start at 7 .00pm please remember the TRADING TABLE - and encourage your fellow gardeners by bringing your surplus to share!! Are you ready? -FROST is forecast! We do love to complain about the winter frosts in Armidale, mainly while we’re huddled over a blazing wood fire, but the reality is that those heavy frosts can work wonders in our gardens!! Far from being our enemy, frost often works wonders in our vegie patch, making those winter vegetable taste that much sweeter! Brussel sprouts are far more palatable after they have been frosted! What happens is that with the onset of frosts, plants produce a sugary starch which is like a sort of natural antifreeze - which just happens to make them sweeter! Potatoes are an exception - frost just makes them mushier, so get them into storage as soon as you can! Frost also breaks up heavy soil, and kills off ‘nasties’ in it! If you have frost tender plants in your garden, either protect them where they are with hessian, shade cloth or bubblewrap, or if they are in pots, move them to a more sheltered position for the winter. You can even manage subtropical trees like avocado and macadamia as long as they are protected like this for the first few years of growth. A thick blanket of mulch will help protect the plants roots from the extremes of cold. Of course, there are plants that tolerate the cold well - most camellias do, especially the winter-flowering japonicas - their glossy leaves make them very suitable for frosty conditions! Rhodies and azealas are another species that thrive in cooler climates, as do Hebes, which can tolerate dry and windy conditions as well, as long as they are in sunny spot! Many grevilleas and callistemons are frost tolerant, as are correas which flower over winter. Then, of course, there are lavenders, and rosemary, which will tolerate many conditions, as long as they can have sunshine! Nor must we forget the ‘winter rose’ - Hellebores - which flowers prolifically during winter, loving the winter sun as long as they are in a place where they are subject to too much humidity. One of the ‘pluses’ of a frosty New England are the lovely sunny days which follow a frosty night - just great for getting out in the garden and getting ready for spring!!
Transcript of The Armidale Gardener
Newsletter of the Armidale Garden Club Issue # 590 May 2021
The Armidale Gardener
Our MAY meeting will be held on Thursday 27th May at the Uniting Church Hall in Rusden Street. The meeting will start at 7.00pm
please remember the TRADING TABLE - and encourage your fellow gardeners by bringing your surplus to share!!
Are you ready? -FROST is forecast! We do love to complain about the winter frosts in Armidale, mainly while we’re huddled over a blazing wood fire, but the reality is that those heavy frosts can work wonders in our gardens!! Far from being our enemy, frost often works wonders in our vegie patch, making those winter
vegetable taste that much sweeter! Brussel sprouts are far more palatable after they have been frosted! What happens is that with the
onset of frosts, plants produce a sugary starch which is like a sort of natural antifreeze - which just happens to make them sweeter! Potatoes are an exception - frost just makes them mushier, so get them into storage as soon as you can! Frost also breaks up heavy soil, and kills off ‘nasties’ in it! If you have frost tender plants in your garden, either protect them where they are with hessian, shade cloth or bubblewrap, or if they are in pots, move them to a more sheltered position for the winter. You can even manage subtropical trees like avocado and macadamia as long as they are protected like this for the first few years of growth. A thick blanket of mulch will help protect the plants roots from the extremes of cold. Of course, there are plants that tolerate the cold well - most camellias do, especially the winter-flowering japonicas - their glossy leaves make them very suitable for frosty conditions! Rhodies and azealas are another species that thrive in cooler climates, as do Hebes, which can tolerate dry and windy conditions as well, as long as they are in sunny spot! Many grevilleas and callistemons are frost tolerant, as are correas which flower over winter. Then, of course, there are lavenders, and rosemary, which will tolerate many conditions, as long as they can have sunshine! Nor must we forget the ‘winter rose’ - Hellebores - which flowers prolifically during winter, loving the winter sun as long as they are in a place where they are subject to too much humidity. One of the ‘pluses’ of a frosty New England are the lovely sunny days which follow a frosty night - just great for getting out in the garden and getting ready for spring!!
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If you think that there isn’t a lot to do in the garden during winter - don’t forget that there is a tool shed to sort out!! Those tools that you have been busy with all year need to be serviced, and winter is a good time to do it! Spades, forks & hoes etc need to be cleaned, de-rusted, sharpened and oiled to maintain their longevity ( there’s nothing worse than trying to dig a garden with a rusty spade - the soil sticks to it terribly, and makes the work twice as hard!). Wooden handles should be lightly sanded and oiled with boiled linseed oil, or some other preservative. pruners, loppers, secateurs etc, should all be cleaned with meths to remove residual bacteria, sharpened and oiled, ready for the next pruning season.
And then, of course, there’s the shed itself - often just a hasty dumping-ground. Get in, and get it sorted and cleaned out - there are old chemicals that need to be disposed of appropriately, and you’ll be surprised how much easier it is to find stuff afterwards! Then of course, there are your trusty lawnmowers and other power tools - now is a good time to get them cleaned and ready for service in the coming year - don’t leave them until spring, when they are often neglected and hard to start … and the service guys are booked up and so busy that you have to wait months! Do it now!!
************************** Buy the way … A 100mm Josco Strip-it Wheel (available at Bunnings) is a great rust removing attachment for your electric drill.
Before!
After!
A Word In Edgeways …. Our trusty treasurer, Rod Aitken, is offering a cleaning/sharpening service for garden implements. His offer is that you can have a tool sharpened to a professional standard for a fee of $20 each item. This offer is a fund-raiser for the Club. Tools such as secateurs, loppers and shears are included.Some questions have been asked including:
1. can you re-profile a shovel or spade. Generally yes.2. Can a garden fork's tynes be resharpened. Generally yes.3. Kitchen knives - regrind and hone (note that for knives with chipped blades bring them in and consult with Rod).
Generally each tool will be inspected, cleaned, surface rust removed, a surface coating applied and then lubricated after the tool is sharpened and re assembled where applicable. The supply of spare parts is in addition to the servicing fee and you will be contacted before any further work is done.Each item needs to include your name and your contact details: mobile phone, email etc. Just write your name and contact details on a sheet of paper and wrap that sheet around the tool(s). Please identify every item submitted. A form will be available at the meeting.Return of tools to you - at this time it is planned to return the tools by the next Club meeting. If you need them sooner please make arrangements at the time of submitting the tool(s).
Rod can be contacted on his mobile - 0487 147 673
In the Shed …
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Display & Competition Table for May …
You’ve got to love Lobelia!That pretty little edging plant with it’s multitude of colours is a lovely sight in many gardens throughout spring and summer, and lots of gardeners love its many shades of blue in particular.
But did you know there are other varieties too, and one of the more outstanding ones is its cousin, Lobelia Cardinalis, which is strikingly different - a tall spike of green or burgundy leaves with cardinal red flowers, which leave a lasting impression in any garden! It is impressive as a border flower, either on its own, or in a mixed border planting. It is a perennial, and will grow in sunny or shady spot over long periods in spring and summer. It does prefer a cooler climate, fertile soil and needs to be kept moist during summer. It can be purchased readily either as seed, or tube stock ready for planting.
FROM THE EDITOR ….!!!As I attempt to take up the ropes again as newsletter editor, I would like to pay tribute to the past editors, Ray & Susan Cantrell, and the valiant work that they have done for a number of years - ‘THANK YOU’, Ray & Susan - we wish you well in your move back to Queensland, BUT we will miss you!! With this issue, more longstanding members will recognise the previous format of the newsletter! I have reverted to this simply out of convenience for me, since I had the old templates still on my computer - my apologies for the déja vue it may convey! This issue has been produced ‘on the fly’ as I get up to speed again with what is required - my apologies if it is a little ‘thin’ this time! Peter T
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In your MAY Garden …..
“Autumn - the year’s last,loveliest smile!” WILLIAM CULLEN BRYANT
MAY - Plan your needs and order roses, shrubs and fruit trees as required. - Early May is ideal for all situations to plant out spring- and early-flowering plants: violas, poppies, pansies, bellis perennis, pinks, carnations, sweet william, etc. … and don’t forget forget-me-not, lobelia and gypsophila! - Finish planting those spring bulbs you’ve bought - they ought to be in by now, but there is still time! - Divide old clumps of day lilies, iris, shasta daisies, phlox and other clumping perennials – watch for snails and slugs, etc. Cut down old raspberry canes and asparagus fronds that have died back - Lift dahlias, label named varieties and store in moist sand or sawdust. Once lifted, allow stalks to dry upside down, to avoid fungal infection of the tubers, then store carefully in a dry environment … where the mice can’t find them! - Plant out azaleas, camellias, rhododendrons, lily of the valley and summer-flowering liliums. Potted plants such as camellias may be planted out in September-October. - Apply well rotted manure and dig in around shrub and perennial borders. - Lift and store gladiolii if desired. - Start sowing peas and winter lettuce varieties. - Potatoes can be dug up and stored now or left in good soil with drainage until September-October. - Don’t waste all those autumn leaves blowing around Armidale! They’re great for compost, so set up your compost heap with autumn leaves and lawn clippings; sprinkle layers with blood and bone and soil. - move your frost tender plants to a sheltered spot, or possibly even indoors. If they can’t be easily moved, then cover them with a protective covering … even good old bubble wrap can be useful for this, but don’t be tempted to pop all those bubbles! - dry or freeze freshly harvested herbs so that you will have a supply to cook with over winter
So much to do …… so little time!!!
Dar’s Delight!
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It seems that our resident ‘Garden Guru’, Dar Brookes might just have developed a new GIANT variety of Hydrangea! If this humungous specimen is anything to go by, Dar is set to make her fortune! Apparently this specimen has been growing quietly on her property for a number of years, and has consistently produced blooms that are twice the size of a large dinner plate - they really are huge!!We asked Dar if she could give a reason for the enormous blooms, since the others alongside are just the ordinary size. The only reason Dar could find was that this was the favourite hiding place for her dogs - they spend a lot of time under this
particular bush with their bones, and other activities! Perhaps the buried bones and other scraps provide additional nutrients for the bush …. but it’s
only a guess! Whatever the reason, this bush simply thrives - and is a wonderful specimen!!
COWPOW is a business now owned and operated locally by Richard Doyle … and it’s great stuff for your garden and vegie patch! The 15kg bags are easily managed, and Richard gives a friendly service and is very prompt in his deliveries. CowPow comes highly recommended!!
POMEGRANATES!!In gardens all over Armidale, there are pomegranate shrubs bearing their luscious fruit … and there are gardeners wondering what on earth to do with them!!Well … why not grow some more from those lovely juicy red pearls inside? They sprout readily - just remove the juicy flesh from around the seed, plant in a seed raising mix, covering the seed with about 1.5cms of soil, and placing in a warm sunny spot. They should germinate in about a month or so. What you get may not be true to the parent cultivar, but it will still produce nice, tasty fruit, usually in 1-3 years.The pomegranate is an ancient fruit that the Romans thought was an apple - it’s actually a berry! It belongs to an ancient family of plants that has only one genus, and just two species - one from old Persia (Iran), the other from Socotra, an island in the Indian Ocean.
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‘The Armidale Gardener’ is published monthly by the Armidale Garden Club, an affiliated group of the Garden Clubs of Australia Inc.
President: David Trenerry 67712919 Minutes Secretary: Briony Freeman 0410 104021Vice President: (vacant) Correspondence Secretary: Dar Brookes 0412 589414Treasurer: Rod Aitken 0487 147 673 Newsletter: Peter Thorneycroft 0438 315419
Trade Table: Declan McGrath Publicity: Dar Brookes 0412 589414
Email: [email protected]
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April Monthly Competition Results: Month - April 2021
1Chrysanthemum,anytype1cut NumberofEntries 41st M CherrySpecimenUn-named2nd M CherrySpecimenUn-named3rd M CherrySpecimenUn-named
2Floweringbulbous1cut NumberofEntries 31st M Cherry SpecimenPink Dahlia2nd M Cherry SpecimenNerine3rd B Freeman SpecimenPink Dahlia
3Rose,anytype1cut NumberofEntries 31st M Cherry SpecimenRed/scented2nd M Cherry SpecimenDouble Delight3rd M Cherry SpecimenBuff colour
4FloweringAnnualorPerennial1cut NumberofEntries 71st D Brookes S SpecimenHydrangea2nd B Freeman SpecimenCalendula3rd M Cherry SpecimenGeranium3rd M Cherry SpecimenUnknown3rd M Cherry SpecimenEchinacea
5DecoraDveAutumnArrangement–yourchoice NumberofEntries 21st M Cherry SpecimenNuts/leaves1st D McGrath SpecimenMixed autumn leaves
6Threenamedautumnleavesofdifferentvariety,gluedonpaper NumberofEntries 21st B Freeman SpecimenPear/Pistachio/Liquid amber2nd D McGrath SpecimenTulip tree/Pistachio/Pin oak
7Rootvegetable–3ofanyonevariety,eg,carrots NumberofEntries 11st D Brookes SpecimenBeetroot
8Threeleavesofaleafedvegetable–nonbrassicaeg,spinach NumberofEntries 31st B Freeman SpecimenSpinach2nd B Freeman SpecimenLettuce3rd D Brookes SpecimenSpinach
9Threeculinaryherbslabelled NumberofEntries 21st B Freeman SpecimenParsley/sage/thyme
10Anyotherfruitorvegetable NumberofEntries 111st MCherry Specimen Turbanheadcapsicum1st JMonty Specimen Rhubarb3rd BFreeman Specimen Snowpeas
11MassedDisplay NumberofEntries 0
