Bloomin' Beautiful
AN exciting new addition to the gardening calendar, Australia’s inaugural National Gardening Week will be held from October 8-14.
It has been launched by the Gardens Club of Australia and president George Hoad encourages all gardeners to be involved – whether it’s throwing a party, visiting a flower show, joining a garden club or planting a tree.
October is a great time to be in the garden and you can be busy planting, visiting open gardens, preparing your vegetable beds and tidying up from winter.
The late daffodils might still be in flower and those who planted anemones, ranunculus, tulips and bearded iris will now be enjoying them.
The first roses will be in bud and some will have started to flower. Of course, this depends on your local microclimate but, nevertheless, there will be something to enjoy.
Look out for baby birds in nests or learning to fly, as well as baby possums on their mothers’ backs. It’s so exciting to see wildlife in the garden.
We enjoy picnicking in our garden when the weather gets warmer. Having a number of tables and chairs scattered throughout, we sit at a different one each time.
I love making sandwiches – these, with a glass of wine or a nice cuppa, make for a great lunch.
Of course, you can also head to the local park for an inexpensive and enjoyable outing, or you might invite friends over for a barbecue and to see the garden.
Imagine your garden as a tourist destination and photograph it with this in mind. You may not have a whizz-bang camera but mobile phones do a very acceptable job, particularly if you’re a creative person and can compose the photo well.
Of course, if you do have a better camera you can do some nice close-ups and more creative work. You may think of making a scrapbooking album of your garden photos and this will keep it in your memory forever. Enjoy!
- GETTING YOUR hands dirty is good for your mental and physically well-being. Just ask passionate gardener and Gardens Club of Australia president George Hoad, the driving force behind National Gardening Week. People are urged to celebrate gardening in any way – from visiting a park and joining a garden club to planting a tree or throwing a garden party.
