Garden Club

GEORGE’S GARDENING SUGGESTIONS FOR MAY 2018

• Continue to harvest Autumn leaves for a valuable resource later in the year - just pile them up and let them rot.
• Any continuous cropping vegetables should be harvested twice a week to encourage them to keep producing.
• Strawberry runners can be planted out now, make rows about 60cm apart.
• Spray Peaches and Nectarines with a copper based spray when they have lost nearly all of their leaves.
• Now is a good time to establish a herb garden, it should be sited in a sunny position. If you enjoy the Autumn colours of deciduous trees, search out Crab Apple, Crepe Myrtle, Golden Rain Tree, or Chinese Pistachio.
• Plant Asparagus crowns, Broccoli, Cabbage, Garlic, Peas and Rhubarb crowns.
• For some Spring colour try some Cineraria, Marigold, Snapdragon, and Wallflower.

Cherry Gardens Garden Club - March 2018 meeting

Few of us have not experienced the pleasure of having regular visits in our hills gardens of our favourite “little birds”. It will be a challenge to do justice in this article to the impassioned and challenging presentation, which our March speaker Professor Paton of Adelaide University, brought us highlighting the plight of the birds of Mount Lofty Region. It was also alarming to all of us, as one rarely has the opportunity to hear in detail, statistics showing the disappearance of species such as robins, beautiful fire finches, tree creepers, tree martins, beautiful flycatchers, etc due to the loss of habitat in the region over the past 30 years. We have been warned - these birds are truly the canaries in OUR mine shaft. At least a dozen birds which were often seen are now never seen in the region. After years of research it transpires that the only appropriate, useful response to the rapidly decreasing numbers of our favourite little birds, would be to purchase a few very fertile farms in the area and revegetate them very carefully with the plants which bear the flowers fruit and seeds necessary to support our beautiful birds in all seasons. Everyone's help is needed. Time is of the essence because it could take up to 30 years to replace the destroyed habitat completely. If you would like to know simple ways to help address the problem please go to www.bior.org.au. Upcoming garden club visits to Mandalay at Callington, Jurlique working farm, Pondalowie Bay and Kangaroo Island, as well as the next Saturday morning tea in a garden club member’s garden in May. As usual some interesting plants were yet again auctioned at bargain prices, amidst hilarity which continued on during the delicious supper.
 

Next Meetings

Monday 14th May - Getting dirty with Milton Vadoulis presenter of Ch 44 gardening program

Monday 18th June - Kevin Bowden from the Camelia Society of SA, Stangate House and its history.