By Beatrice Hawkins
It is a delight to drive around town and the area as everything comes to life with colour and the change of seasons.
Jasmine is blooming beautifully on many fences and pergolas and the perfume in those yards must be heavenly… that’s another climber I must find a place for.
The snail plant, honey suckle, boysenberries and grapevine in my back yard are all coming to life and the clematis on the eastern side is flowering!
I have shifted some garden beds and will be planting my summer veg over the next few days and weeks as the weather continues to warm.
One of the many beauties that I saw in a garden recently was an ornamental flowering quince, chaenomeles speciosa.
It is a thorny multi stemmed, rather messy shrub to grow but at present is covered in the lovely orange red blossoms that I remember from an aunt’s garden.
Kept under control with pruning it makes a great feature shrub or a very effective hedge.
The long thorns will keep most animals contained but also provides wonderful secure habitat for small birds.
At my son’s house it is one of my pleasures to sit on his verandah with a cuppa and watch as many varieties of tiny finches and the blue wrens dart in and out of the large bush in his front yard.
It can become a nuisance if not kept under control as it will spread by suckering.
If you have the need for a really good and effective hedge or a spot for a stand out, winter and into early spring, blooming shrub and are an efficient gardener that will be diligent in pruning and caring for it, this is certainly that plant.
As much as I would like to grow one I will be content to admire them in other peoples gardens as I know I am neither a diligent or efficient gardener!
Poppies, pansies, sweet peas and brilliant orange and yellow calendula look fantastic in gardens around town.
The flowering plums, prunus nigra, in Fitzroy St have been fantastic and now the blossom has gone, the deep burgundy red of the leaves, looks wonderful.
Loropetalum chinense, chinese fringe flowers, at the Court House corners, pruned into round balls look great…bright pink and beautiful.
It really is a happy time of the year with everything coming into flower and the gradually longer warmer days to enjoy.
Grevilleas and bottle brush are flowering well and the range of colours available is amazing.
In the gardens at the front of the Lighthouse there is a display of emu bush in many different colours and some with lovely silver foliage contrasting with deep mauve flowers.
Another sight that gladdens my heart as I drive about outside of town is the many feral flowering peach trees on roadsides…driving north just through Greenmount the gully is full of them.
Contrary to what has been in another local publication the Annual Spring Garden Competition and the following Flower Show, will this year be held during October with the Garden judging commencing on Monday 4th October.
Entries close on Friday 1st at 5.00pm.
The Spring Flower Show will be in St Mary’s Hall on Wednesday, 20th and Thursday, 21st.
Entries will be taken from 8am until 10am on the Wednesday with judging commencing at 10am sharp.
Schedules and entry forms are available from Bryson’s in Palmerin St.
