Shell pink Electric Flash? - Apr 25, 2013
Dear Gardening Friends,
Bit of a late start today being ANZAC day but we are here wearing our sprigs of rosemary the fragrance is great it is all I can smell at the moment. Just a short newsletter this time the nursery is rather full of customers at the moment and I am feeling they need a Grevillea or three :-)
Tim is still away he will be back on Monday we are bracing ourselves for the "slide night" of pictures we will all be subjected to but on the up side it means we wont see any more pictures of vintage chairs..oh wait a minute, vintage Italian chairs oh nooooooooo! Anyway this week was Tivoli water
gardens and he sent some photos of water features some are beautiful and some are just what the?? He also sent us a photo of every wisteria in Italy I think! I have put in the best one I must admit they do look wow.
Hellebores are back in the centre, also known as the 'Winter Rose'. If you are not familiar with these little beauties they are a small plant growing to around 45cm with flowers appearing in autumn through to early spring. They are uber tough as well really only needing brown dirt and the green
side up but obviously improve the soil with planting compost for the best results. Hellebores like a shaded spot somewhere under a tree or patio. The new colours for this season are a primrose yellow and shell pink both are very eye catching
Something wow is just about to also hit the nursery it is called Electric Flash it is a clumping Cordyline growing with the same habit as Electric Pink (1.5m x 1.5m) but has lime green and brown striped leaves very different looking. Check out the picture to see what I mean. These Cordylines are tough running on the smell of an empty fertiliser bag and very little water. Electric flash with be in stock for mothers day if you would like one we are taking orders give the nursery a call if you would
like to reserve one
Mother's day is approaching and the nursery is full of flowers. Beautiful Cyclamen, Daises, Lavenders and everything a Mum could Dream of. Chrysanthemums will be arriving soon I get one of these for my Nana every mothers day, she was telling me the other day that last years is about 3ft high and absolutely loaded with buds! Certainly better than a bunch of flowers I reckon. We have gift vouchers for those of you who think they may not be able to keep something alive till then $40.00 will get mum a $50.00 voucher or yourself grab a whole bunch and take advantage of the special if you have a garden reno coming up
Did you join our facebook page? Ryan's funny story he found or should I say his wife found ended up being viewed 53,000 times a record for our page. Whilst on the subject of facebook Ryan uploaded a photo of aphids on a camellia. The story goes he saw the aphids and was going to spray them (we
usually use Eco Oil) he looked a little closer and noticed the aphids were "mummified" It turns out that a tiny wasp had stung the aphids and laid it eggs in them they larvae then hatched eating the aphid from the inside out. Nature is some times just amazing! We are also noticing Lady bird larvae
also munching those pesky little aphids as well so next time you see some pests on your plants don't just reach for the sprays, take a closer look they may already be controlled. http://www.facebook.com/TimsGardenCentre
Karyn planted salvias in our car park garden the other day. We have got a sunny hot dry spot with a lot of root competition from trees and nothing grew. Salvias love it hot and dry so these should be a winner they are called Heat wave Salvias and there is about 6 colours in the range form pure white to reds, pinks and purples in the past these have not been a huge seller for us but I want to change that as I think salvia is a great plant for colour especially in our hot summers. All they want is a bit of a hair cut every now and then, a feed in spring and a splash of water for months and months of colour
I made it to Mayfield Gardens last Sunday the weather was perfect and the garden blew me away the work put into it was astonishing. I kind of went a little bit Japanese tourist on the place taking over 100 photos and running my phone out of battery! The garden is owned by an investment banker and is situated on 55 acres on the outskirts of Oberon it reputedly employs 42 full time gardeners. The scale of the place is huge and as far as the eye can see every thing is manicured, there are water features and stone walls everywhere. The hedge trimming is amazing check out the columns of Conifers in the pictures. By the amount of cars in the parking area I estimated over 2000 people there but because of its size the place still looked empty. It is only 3 hours to get there I think well worth it all gate takings were donated to charity.
I am off to another garden this week and this time right up my alley it is called 'Silky Oaks' and is the garden of Peter and Margaret Olde. Peter is the Grevillea Guru and he has literally written the book on growing Grevillea. His garden boasts one of the best collections I have ever seen. I might see you there 'Silky Oaks' is open this Saturday and Sunday from 10am-4.30pm and is located at 140 Russell Lane Oakdale
No crazy antics from pig this week he was busy letting every know our opening hours for ANZAC day but rest assured normal programming will return next week and I got a feeling it will have an Italian flavour. See you in the nursery
Happy Gardening
Simon