Did You Like The Cutting I Gave You?

Dear Gardening
Sometimes you meet someone who demands your attention, they are a bit louder than everyone else, they make you smile straight away.

“Did you like my cutting?” was Sandra Hardy’s opening banter. What cutting was my reply. “Well I gave a cutting to Ross Miller last Easter, not last Easter, the one before. He was suppose to give it to you, it was a thornless Euphorbia, he told me you collect them”

It was a lot to process, turns out Sandra is a Citrus expert, she used to work at The Department of Agriculture in Narara. Now she’s a retired horticulturist with a backyard full of plants growing in pots, in Annandale.

She’s not happy with Ross, she was expecting me to be saying thankyou for the beautiful plants she had given Ross, to give to me, she decides to wind up Ross and sends him a text. Ross replies straight away, he’s managed to grow 3/5 cuttings, he’s got my name on one.

I show Sandra my collection and she falls in love with the prickliest plant on the planet with red flowers, you could hold up a Bank with this plant, she laughs.

I also give her a cutting from a Variegated Euphorbia that’s become a collector plant. I know my cuttings coming, it’s only a matter of time.

Sandra shows me photos of her inner city backyard, it looks like a nursery. Do you sell plants? “I don’t bloody sell them, I collect them.”

She judges the Fruit section of The Easter Show she tells me, that’s when she handed over the cuttings to Ross. These plants have done the rounds, it’s only a matter of time before Ross comes for a visit. This story might give him a hurry up.

Sandra loads up her car with plants she’s bought, she doesn’t get potting mix, “I make it myself” she tells me.

You can’t come all this way and not take home a bag of Tim’s Best Potting mix, I’m giving you a bag. She’s puffing on a cigarette, she’s comes out of a cloud of smoke, with a look on her face, that I will remember.
We have a laugh, I meet the most amazing people.

Have you ever seen an Avocado this big??????
We’ve been selling this new Giant Fruiting Avocado tree in the nursery but I had no idea the fruit grew this big, it’s almost the size of my head!!!

It’s a new Australian bred variety called “JALA”. I happened to find a “JALA” Avocado in a fruit shop this week. It cost me $9.95. When you buy a tree from us, you’ll get a hundred fruit this size, when it reaches maturity.

This Giant fruiting Avocado tree grows into a beautiful glossy green shade tree. It’s self pollinating so you only need one tree. It gets coppery coloured new growth, it’s a beautiful looking evergreen shade tree.

The fruit is huge, it weighs over a kilo. Apparently it doesn’t turn brown like other Avos, when you cut them.

Plant your tree on a mound of Tim’s Best Potting mix improved soil. Yes dig a bag into your existing soil.
This improves drainage and gets the roots growing.

We have limited supply of Avocado JALA. Trees cost $95.00. When you get 10 fruit you’ve paid for the tree.
Zoom zoom.

Last November I called into a secret cafe/winery on my way to Khancoban. My mate Jimmy had taken me to this cafe for breakfast and since then I’ve been claiming it as my own.

It’s on the side of the highway in Sutton Forest. They have a small sign on the side of the road, Eling Forest Winery.

I’ve never drunk the wine, I’m a $10 a bottle man, but this place has the most amazing cafe with clean toilets, and the food is incredible. It’s so secret there’s nearly nobody there, I’m wondering how the staff even find it.

When I parked my Campervan I noticed a rose bush flowering in a large pot. The shrub was covered in these beautiful pink flowers and they had the most amazing fragrance.

It’s a David Austin Rose called Sophy’s Rose. It was named after the daughter of the founder of the Dyslexia Institute. It has beautiful green foliage with elongated leaves, it’s very different. I love this rose, we have them in stock, $39.99.

Cooked something so delicious last night with fresh ingredients that really popped. Chicken thighs without the bones made it cook faster. The sauce it made was so delicious.

It’s so easy to make, cut up 2x Onions, 2 x Capsicum, Cherry Tomatoes and Fetta cheese. Put the Chicken thighs in a bowl, add the juice of 2x Lemons, salt, pepper and lots of home grown Rosemary. A dash of Olive oil.

Mix by hand and tip it over the vegetables. Arrange the Chicken and then add Black Olives.

Cook for 25 minutes on 250 degrees in the oven on grill setting if you have it. Then add sliced Zucchini. I hate soft soggy Zucchini, it’s better firm. Cook for another 20 minutes or until chicken goes brown.

Serve with Greek yogurt or Hummus or both. This tastes so delicious, I’ve got it for lunch today. It’s pretty healthy too.

You must have fresh Lemons from your own tree. If you don’t own one come and get one, it’s time to plant. You need fresh Rosemary too, it’s easy to grow in a big pot in a sunny spot. Use Tim’s Best Potting mix.

Luculia are hardy shrubs that grow about 2ms high. You can prune them to any size. They flower in winter like Daphne and the flowers are incredibly fragrant. You’ll close your eyes and dream about warm places when you smell these flowers.

We have plants covered in flowers here now for $39.99. You can grow them in big pots with Tim’s Best Potting mix. They prefer protection from the late afternoon sun.

These make amazing floral gifts, they are cheaper than a bunch of flowers. Zoom, zoom garden lovers.

Happy gardening
Tim