Garden Party Launch of "An Open Garden"

 Rhodomytus tomentosa at "The Shambles"

It is less than a month until our garden party to launch our book "An Open Garden, and Visiting Gardens by Motor Car". The Plough Inn is nearly ready for the grand reopening and it promises to be  great day.

At the launch of the "Open Gardens Australia" season at Nindooinbah last weekend, and while writing invitations to our own garden party I couldn't help but marvel at the extraordinary range of different types and themes of gardens which are open for the public through the scheme. I hope our book can convey something of the experience of opening to the public and illustrates the beauty of some of the laces which we have visited.

Locally, not a drop of rain for more than a month unfortunately. Two out of three tanks just about empty but thankfully the mature shrubs, trees and perennials at "The Shambles " show little sign of drying out.

New spring foliage is appearing on deciduous trees and shrubs such as Red cedar (Toona ciliata), Japanese Maple (Acer spp) ,Weigela florida, Persimmons (Diospiyros kaki), Hibiscus syriacus, Hihiscus mutabilis and on our flowering deciduous Magnolias. Our young Pomegranates "alba flore pleno" and "Andre le Roi"(Punica granatum) have lovely golden red new foliage.
August flowers are welcome on Magnolia soulangeana "Nigra", Kerria japonica flore pleno, Michelias, Abutilons, Salvias and Pentas, Solanum jasminoides, Jasminium polyanthum and the lovely Buddleja salvifolia and Osmanthus fragrans et al.
Spring buds and spot flowers are everywhere, for example Buddleja "Wattlebird", Eranthemum pulchelum, Erysum bicolor, Scuttelaria ventenatii, Rhododendron indica (Azalea), Pieris japonica, Spiraea cantoniensis, Eupatorium megalophyllum, Viburnum megalocephalum and many of our terrestrial orchids. The king orchid (Thelychiton speciosus) has several yellow sprays already.
Quite a few of our old roses have fat buds and foliage has remained healthy because of the dry weather. 
Everything is set for a great spring, the grass is still green and all of the spring budding promises a lovely display for our garden party on 22nd september. Just a little rain would really help. 

Michael Simpson