Easter Open garden Preparations

Cooper the Wonderdog wonders what all this Open garden fuss is about.

Following on from the heavy rain of previous weeks there has been a lot to do to sharpen the old place up for our Open garden. For the first time with our connection with Open gardens Australia we got a mention in the April "Gardening Australia" Magazine and have had good support from the local paper and local regional papers . We even scored a mention in the "ten best things to do" over Easter in the Saturday Courier mail Newspaper (24/3/2012).
Last time the sun came out I managed to spray all the roses with triforine which is probably necessary given the ceaseless wet and humid conditions. The garden throughout has had a liberal treatment with mushroom compost and a supplement of "Nitrophoska" and Sulphate of Potash.
Kyleigh and done all the edges by hand and we have been judiciously pruning and deadheading as we go.
Camellias are starting to flower all about with the earliest being Camellia sasanqua "Hiryu", "Beatrice Emily", "Edna Butler" and "Mignonne". If we are lucky the big Gordonia axillaris will be in flower showering the ground with big white flowers with yellow stamens like fried eggs.
There are many perennials flowering. plectranthus ecklonnii is just about finishing but Strobilanthes cusia (darwin Bells) in pink and Plectranthus saccatus in blue are just about to colour up the shade.
The old fashioned roses have been flowering all along. I hope at easter "White Pet", "Perl des Jardins", "Proffesseur Graniviat", "Beauty of Glenhurst", "Comptesse de labarthe", "Rosette delizy" and "Mutabilis" will have plenty left over for display.
We are still planting. We were lucky enough to replace our lost Clitoria ternatea with both vines of blue and white flowers at the Glasshouse Nursery on Steve Irwin Way. This was a real find.
Our friend Martin Leonard helped put the final Giant Clam Shell touches on our rustic fountain of coral, shell and ferns, which is a celebration of 19th century gardening fashion.
I've just come in from paintning some "Open Garden Easter" signs for the front hedge.
Hope to see you there
Michael Simpson