Spring Flowers That Make You Happy - Sep 05, 2025
Dear gardening friends
Claude McLean came in yesterday to buy two Passionfruit vines. Claude is 92. I asked him what facial cream he uses because he doesn't have any wrinkles.
He laughed.
He came in a couple of weeks ago to buy a super advanced Lemon tree. "I want a big one" he said, "I'm 92, I can't wait for a little one to grow".
We happen to have super advanced Lemon trees here. We potted some up into 450mm pots using Tim's Best Potting mix and they have grown so quickly it's crazy.
Claude sat down with me yesterday, I was having a cuppa, I've know Claude a long time. He used to come in with his wife Phyllis, they were the happy couple.
Phyllis loved white, the house was white, the interior was white, the flowers had to be white. They owned The White House.
Phyllis is in care now and Claude's granddaughter rang him up and said "Grandpa you're coming to live with us". Isn't that beautiful.
Claude's repaying her by planting fruit trees. He's got the Lemon tree and an Orange tree. He planted them on a mound of Tim's Best Potting mix, "It was hard work planting those trees mate." Everything's hard work when you're 92.
Claude has amazing health, he doesn't just look young, he feels young. I asked him if he plays Lawn Bowls? "Mate I'm too young to play bowls".
We've just received a delivery of Native tubes from Mole Station Native Nursery, which is just up the road from Tenterfield. The plants were so beautiful I rang Sarah Caldwell to tell her how happy I was, but her husband David answered the phone, so I thanked him.
Sarah and David started a nursery by accident, when wool prices crashed in the late 80s they had no income so Sarah started to grow a few plants that grew on their property. In those days farmers were just waking up to the idea of planting native trees to help stop soil erosion and to provide shade for animals.
35 years later and Sarah's nursery has become a success story employing most of the family and non family staff too. David's father Frank, worked for free for 30 years, he lived until he was 95. Towards the end he sat in a chair and helped label the plants.
Sarah and David now grow a huge selection of native plants in tubes for home gardeners and farmers. Planting trees on farms has now become the smart thing to do. Farmers are planting thousands of trees.
Home gardeners have discovered that native tubes are a cheap way to create a garden on a budget, and because they grow so fast, you are quickly rewarded with privacy, birds and the sounds of nature.
Sarah was very shy to send me a photo, she's a quiet achiever, I like that, but I wanted to share her success story with you.
My mates daughter has just bought a house with her partner on the Central Coast. I got invited up for a house inspection and working bee yesterday.
Of course I took a street tree to plant, they were a bit surprised but very open to the idea of shade, privacy and more bird life.
We planted an Ivory Curl Tree, it's a native rainforest tree that should be planted more often. It gets covered in these huge creamy white flowers that are dripping with nectar. The birds and the bees love them.
Of course you can wait for Council to plant a street tree but you might die waiting. This house is 40 years old and no street tree has been planted.
We planted our tree on a mound of Tim's Best Potting mix. It's perfect for rainforest natives. It's going to grow into a beautiful shade tree about 4-6 ms high and 4 metres wide.
We planted this tree together, it was such a nice thing to do. I can't wait to watch it grow.
African Daisy's are back for spring and we have this newbie called "Sunshine Beauty". These amazing new varieties don't become weeds and that stay more compact.
They flower all spring, have a rest over summer then come back to life in autumn with these spectacular flowers.
They come in colours to suit every garden. They grow in pots or gardens. In full sun they smile the happiest.
To keep them looking great prune them after flowering by just 20%. Feed with Tim's FAST FOOD and they will burst into flower in autumn.
Spring Flower and Vegetable seedlings have arrived. Come and see us for Petunias, Marigolds and all your Tomato seedlings. Grab a bag of Tim's Cow manure to make them grow.
Don't forget it's Father's Day on Sunday. We have $50.00 Father's Day Gift Cards for $40.00. Buy one for yourself. They can't be redeemed until after Father's Day.
Zoom zoom.
Happy gardening
Tim