Grass trials

For anyone who has visited our garden over the years they will know that we have stuggled with grassy path ways.Either it has been drought and too dry to get grass started or it has been wet and muddy. The fact of the matter is that we like trees and like a shady garden and most of the original grass prefers sun. We are also very thrifty and have not wanted to spend money on turf.
But in our usual style we have stumbled upon a solution. Our brother in law Ian who has experience with golf courses suggested we purchase a small amount of turf (Sir Walter)and cut it into squares and plant these so they will eventually send runners out and this worked well. We also were given a few pots of( Sweet smother) by Ron Treloar and this has been successful too.
The main issue has been that when large numbers of visitors walk around the garden areas of grass do get thin.Our solution has been to barrow small sized gravel as paths on the most used patches. Now there is grass growing through and over the gravel and we are back to lawn in most areas that can be mowed.The gravel seems to have enhanced the growth of the grass and it feels firmer under foot. I think that it would be a good idea in any garden to start with a gravel base on the pathways as I think it gives the grass some protection in the early stages and perhaps the texture of the gravel helps to scouer the soil and make it more friable for the young roots. Kyleigh

soft edges

As always I am thinking about gardening and forever evaluating gardens that I see and that includes the public spaces. As we left Brisbane nearly 20 years ago it continues to be a bit of a shock to see how it has changed and how the hard landscaping of parks and walk ways has reduced all the delightful soft edges.The low maintenance landscaping approach to parks where large areas of concrete are strategically laid out, repetitive plantings are in designated areas and teamed with the ubiquitious street art has been taken to the extreme. In fact there now seems to be very few untouched park spaces that haven't had this treatment. Every park seems to have a monumental playground of colourful tubular steel and plastic and these more often than not require a man made shade where a tree has been removed. Do the adults who design these playgrounds assume that children are incapeable of entertaining themselves in a more natural setting?
I recently was lamenting this fact with Maurice Wilson at the Garden History dinner and we identified Moora Park in Shorncliffe as a case in point. It now has a very elaborate and large playground down at the beach and while it is interesting and well used it has significantly blocked access and changed the site.
As a child I played in the sand and swam in the shark proofed enclosure. Hours were spent climbing the cotton trees, playing on the cliffs and walking along the groins and the pier. By always offering up a ready made play environment to children we may just be reducing the opportunities for them to use their imaginations and to be closer to nature.
Up until this "park scaping"you would go to Moora Park ,to be at the beach and it really didn't need anything else.Who thought that it was a good idea to improve on nature?
As for soft edges and soft landings there is nothing like grass to walk,run and play on and I really hope that more grassy areas are saved. The City Hall landscaping proves that you can take a functioning place where people used to sit and turn it into a hostile no mans land where people are effectively discouraged from being there.
In my opinion the city council should go a step further and rip up the Queens Street Mall and put back the road. This would reduce the places for people to linger and free up the flow of traffic too.
The Queens Street Mall and others in capital cities around Australia tend to follow the same formula of paving, small garden features,a few trees and the occassional kiosk. They are not welcoming places,rapidly become run down and degenerate and do not work well.
On the positive side I do like the Roma Street Parklands and the old Botanical Gardens and elements of sub tropical plantings could easily be echoed in the city square. We have an ideal climate in Queensland to introduce a lot of colourful ,hardy plants to the street scapes and with less emphasis on paved walkways could have a softer Brisbane.
Kyleigh

Time to Re-design for 2011

Toward the end of spring and with ongoing cool wet weather and a gentle start to summer some garden changes are in the pipe-line. Already Camellias, Azaleas and our hedges are being trimmed. Loropetalum chinense 'China Pink' which had completely blocked the light from our bedroom window, together with Goldfussia syn Strobilanthes , Azalea 'Exquisite' and Justicia carnea have been cut back severely. When Rhodomyrtus tomentosa, Grewia occidentalis and Tibouchina 'Noelene' stop flowering they will also be severly brought back in size.
These jobs relate to one small area of the garden but the same discipline has to be applied throughout. Mountains of trimmings result, but these 'turkey nests' break down to mulch over a period of time.
Drastic action is required in the north of the garden where one, possible two very large Cupressus are to be brought down to bring more light into the centre of the garden. Most will be mulched but some fire logs are sure to result. At the same time a very tall yellow Grevillea will be reduced by four or five meters and a Buckinghamia celcissima cut in half to reduce shade and reveal a beautiful Magnolia grandiflora which will eventually dominate the space.
We want to be able to have an unimpeded view of this Magnolia so a good few meters length of branches from a large Gordonia axillaris behind the house will be removed. Eventually the view to this Magnolia grandiflora from our back verandah will be framed by the white flowering Gordonia axillaris on one side , and the white flowering Camellia sasanqua 'Setsugekka' on the other.
It's not all subtraction at this time . New rose gardens, with pitching rock edges have been added either side of the front path to take cuttings grown old fashioned roses, 'Alexander Hill Gray', 'Mme Joseph Swartz', 'Etoile de Lyon', 'Perle des Jardins' and 3 specimens of a mysterious rose which resembles 'Homere'. We have also added Cleome including the new cultivar Cleome 'Senorita Rosalita' , Phaseolus giganteus on an arch at the opposite end of a path to an arch of Phaseolus caracalla.
Many other cuttings grown roses wait to be planted.
Flowering now is Galtonia, Zepharanthes rosea, Hellerborus x hybrids, Canna x generalia and Canna indica, Alstroemeria pulcellum and many other herbaceous plant and shrubs such as the Salvias and Budlejas.
We look forward to 2011 and will decide this week whether that means geing part of the 2011-2012 season of the Australian Open garden Scheme
Michael Simpson

meetings and developments

One of the opportunities which we have seized upon in 2010 is to make an effort to meet fellow gardeners through several open garden days, invited garden club visits, book launches, website/blog and welcoming private visitors.
Another side benefit of all this activity is that which flows to local groups, some less interested in Gardening, who have come together to join us at Open garden events. In June members of the Montville Rural Fire Brigade in full kit greeted visitors at the gate. In October members of the Hunchy Community Association not only created the fantastic Heritage Rose nursery (Kate Stock) Camellia 'Takanini' The Shambles
but created a wonderful plant stall, helped an the gate and for the Heritage Roses in Australia tour visit, helped prepare the catering. Thankfully each of these community groups benefitted significantly from funds raised in the garden. Our son John and daughter Eleanor, Margaret and Laurie Jeays, Kay Simpson friends and family also came together to work at these events.
At the invitation from Noel Burdette we were fortunate enough to speak to a large and enthusiastic garden group at the Springfields Nursery run by Ruth and Noel. Our book 'Over the Fence and Overlooked, Traditional Plants in Queensland's Gardening Heritage' and our DVD 'AGarden in the Rain' had opened the door to this opportunity and we hope that there are many more.
There are many ways to share a garden and the enthusiasm of gardening. Writing books, making films, publishing a website/blog, making postcards and opening the garden and sharing it have been enjoyable for us in 2010. Next year something else? The calendar is filling already.
Michael Simpson

Autumn to Summer

With open gardens etc. behind us and with a very good rainfall so far this year the time has come for some subtraction and alteration at 'The Shambles'.
At least 6 different Coleus, some Stenocarpus or nodding Violets, Salvias, Pelargoniums and Buddlejas from cutting have been going in.
Garden beds have been extended either side of a winding asphalt front path by layering cardboard, newspaper, straw and mushroom compost. These beds are waiting for a little more maturity from our cuttings grown roses acquired from Kate Stock. Into this space will be planted Perle des Jardin, Perleno. 2 (?Etoile de Lyon), Mme Joseph Swartz and Alister Stella Gray. We have several pots almost ready with Comptesse de Labarthe, Professeur Ganiviat and Homere.
Also waiting for a climbing space are Alice Garnier, Altissimo and Buff Beauty.
Potted roses who will be kept in large ceramic pots (with an inner plastic pot) for the summer include Harry Wheatcroft, Julias Rose, Camille Pisarro, Graham Thomas and Mr. Lincoln.
That's all process, but to outcome Wendy Lonie has taken away 5 buckets of roses for her daughters wedding tomorrow, all old fashioned roses of many colours.
As summer heat has not affected us at all until so late the gentle flowers of so many perennials and delicate things have had a chance to display without wilting away unlike last year.
Salvias, Salvia macrophyum, S.coccinea, S.guaranitica, S.iodanthe, S.mexicana, S.miniata, S. uliginosa along with shrubs such as Brillantasia, Pentas, and all the species and varieties of Abutilon are flowering in a blaze of colours. Violas, Verbena, Linaria, Dianthus and Golden Rod are in full display as are Plectranthus.
Sadly we have arranged the removal of a large healthy Cupressus leylandii which now (amongst our othe conifers) projects too much shade into the middle of the garden. In the space (still protected) created we already have Hydrangea , Pieris and other such ready to go in.
Also sad, it would appear that our dreams of Clematis are coming to nought, although transplanted Acanthus mollis and Plectranthus ecklonii 'Hawthorne Pink' are powering on.
May it stay cool and even wet this year. Just can't stand the heat.

The Party is Over. Free at Last

During the last week we have had the National Tour of Heritage Roses in Australia visit us on Tuesday, and an Open Garden through the Australian Open Garden Scheme on Saturday and Sunday. Firstly let me say thankyou to Margaret and Laurie Jeays, James Simpson, Martin Leonard, Isobel and Gary Tynan, our son John Simpson and everyone else who helped us with the physical work of preparation for these events.
Picture: Brunfelsia latifolia & wishing well.

Kyleigh and I have worked hard for at least a year introducing new plants, supporting our large inventory of plants with fertilizing , pruning and pest control and building new structures.
The roses were pruned late July and brought forth beautifully for the Tuesday event.
A wonderful range of old fashioned roses, grown from cutting, was available prepared and beautifully labelled by Kate Stock. Apart from helping to prepare the lunch for the Rose conference delegates, members of the Hunchy Community Association prepared a fantastic selection of plants for sale, and of course many were sold
Just as we leave these unseasonally cool,wet spring conditions behind I noted today that flower buds are ready to burst on Tibouchina 'Noelene', Rhodomyrtus tomentosa and on the Amaryllis and Lilium longifolium.
Ornamental Salvias such as S.guaranitica, S.uliginosa, S. megalophyllum and Brillantasia are coming into flower to augment the colourful Salvia miniata, Salvia splendens (many types) and ever present Salvia coccinea.
It's time for us to have a rest and enjoy it
Michael Simpson

A week of Open Garden and Visitors ahead

Image Abutilon hybrid (double pink)
Why does anyone open their garden to friends and strangers? The answer is not that straight forward. In our case it has been; because we were asked to, or because an organization we belonged to was fundraising, or to support other gardeners in a garden festival. This coming week we are open on Tuesday to the National Tour of Heritage Roses in Australia because we were happy to open our garden and especially the rose gardens for people of a similar interest.
They won't be at our garden for very long, and after providing them with lunch, we hope that they remember a favourite rose or at least a well made sandwich.
When we build gardens, we create not a snapshot 'picture' but a whole story written in the form, colour, scale and even scent of an artificial landscape. Most people love to visit other peoples homes and gardens to see how things are and perhaps make comparisons. However, without realising it , while walking around, hands behind the back and a critical eye garden visitors will be reading the story of a garden.
Some of us visit gardens to discover new and interesting species, but we all will leave with a sense of the place and it's story. Larger, established and complicated and even run down gardens will always give the visitor a more interesting story than a newly built , perhaps contrived and overmanaged garden.
Hopefully the story our garden tells to visitors is one of a cherished family space, full of variety and robust colour as a nod to the Victorian era and style. More art than science and more luck than good management.
Michael Simpson