On the Queen's birthday long weekend our garden at 'The Shambles' will be one of half a dozen open for the Maleny garden Club 'Arts and Gardens festival', formerly known as 'Gardening on the Edge'. This weekend event falls just at the start of our real winter and has been very wet in the past.
Picture: Pseudocalymma aliaceum
With the help of family and friends our preparations are nearing completion. This is not an exhibition garden at all but a collectors garden with many different paths, interesting corners and hopefully some interesting plants to see.
The last area completely transformed with the help of Margaret and Laurie Jeays and our friends Isobel, Gary and Martin was a 'rain forest area' deeply shaded by large trees and inaccessible due to debris, mulch-piles and trip hazards.
Now with lovely gravel paths and after much clearing we have planted Bromeliads, Dieffenbachia, Cyathea brownii (Norfolk Island tree Fern) and Licuala grandis (Fan Palm) to add interest in between paths. These will increase the impact of young Livistonas, Parlour Palms and Birds Nest Ferns (asplenium australasicum). No doubt the tall trees, Castanospermum australe (Queensland Bean), Toona ciliata (red Cedar) and others including Black Apple and Schotia brachypetala will be better appreciated by getting closer underneath them.
Hopefully moisture will increase the presence of epiphytic ferns, lichens and bracket fungi in this area.
As a contrast to open sunny areas of lawn and flower beds this newly accessible, dark, cool understory area is one of our new areas of interest.
Michael Simpson
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