Montville Open garden "Wongawilli" 14th 15th May 2016

We are assisting Rowena Cavanagh to open her garden and would highly recommend a visit .

"Wongawilli"  beautiful Montville Garden opens for the first time to raise money for the Fijian villages of Ovalau in the wake of Cyclone Winston (February16).

“Wongawilli ”

19 Manley Drive, Montville.

14^th &15^th May   from 9.30 am -4.00pm

Entry is $6.00, children free

All money raised will go directly to this area to purchase building materials in order for people to start again.

 Levuka in the wake of Cyclone Oswald

Levuka in the wake of Cyclone Oswald

This garden is now close to maturity since its beginning 16 years’ ago when it was a steep slope covered in lantana. It is inspirational to see the photos taken at  the beginning and compare them with how it is today  with it’s well constructed terraces . A generous mix of sub-tropical and temperate plants gives it year round colour and interest.

 "Wongawilli" Pool garden

"Wongawilli" Courtyard garden

Rowena is the owner and creator of the garden and felt drawn to help the Fijians after the Cyclone as she has travelled and lived in Levuka on  the Island of Ovalau over several years.

You are welcome to come to the Open garden to help support this cause and ,of course, get loads of garden ideas.

"The Shambles" rose R.O.R. at "The Shambles"

For years we have grown a very happy successful rose with unknown parentage at "The Shambles"
an entry from our website (page on our Heritage Roses) www.montvillegarden.com
We have decided to adopt this rose, becuase of its qualities and will attempt to propagate and distribute cuttings grown specimens when we can

THE SHAMBLES ROSE (r.o.r) acquired as incorrectly named (and labelled) PINK CASCADE 

Our rose resembles a China- Tea rose is robust, disease resistance and has beautiful short lasting deep pink single to semi-double flowers in clusters of 3 to 5. This rose flowers freely year around. 

The bush , to about 1 meter height has few thorns. Flower stems are weak. It seems disease free and Low maintenance and very willing to propagate from cutting. 

Original specimen from Mapleton Hardware nursery, stated that "Weeping Pink" was bred at a nursery on Mt Tambourine, parentage unknown,.

The rose grows in our Front Path Garden, South Rose garden, North Rose Garden, and Central Shrub garden.

The only candidates for the name "Pink Cascade" in the literature do not describe roses resembling "The Shambles" rose.

"The Shambles Rose" at "The Shambles" garden 2016

"The Shambles Rose" at "The Shambles" South rose garden 2016

Pink Cascade (polyantha, Lammerts, 1945)

Please help: We need your photo of this rose.

Polyantha.  Light pink.  Mild fragrance.  Blooms in flushes throughout the season. Dr. Walter E. Lammerts (1945).
.  

Pink Cascade (cl. miniature, Moore, 1981)

Please help: We need your photo of this rose.

Climber, Miniature, Cl..  Pink.  Mild fragrance.  Blooms in flushes throughout the season.  Height of 1' to 18" (30 to 45 cm).  Width of 4" to 6" (10 to 15 cm). Ralph S. Moore (1981).

refs www.helpmefindme.com

Michael Simpson

Many Changes at "The Shambles" before Easter 2016

It seemed the right time.
A big Cocos Palm near the house and 3 large Privets (Ligustrum ovale) and a very large Ice Cream Bean tree (Inga edulis)  were removed from our North West Rainforest corner.  The palm was a big bloody nuisance and the sky has opened up in the North west corner bringing on a new project.

4 meters of large large pitching stone was brought into the NorthWest corner to compose a circle of stone and a central circle of stone reflecting somewhat the more formal rock work in the opposite corner (SE) of "The Shambles".  The paths will be gravelled and the rest of the understory areas of ferns, bromeliads, Deiffenbachia and other subtropical foliage plants are now rock edged. Going from the shade of the rainforest into the sun is quite successfully achieved. A borrowed background of a large variegated fig ? Ficus benjamina? lies to the west of this new area.
We mean to keep this area from being shaded by new trees. We ave already added Lomandra hystrix and intend to transplant Red Hot Poker Knifophia aloides for interest and Graptophyllum ilicifolim (Holly Fuchsia) for Hedging behind.

Assembling rocks and gravel at North West Corner "The Shambles"

Our once fowl house and then mower shed was moved after 20 years and now sits close to the north boundary behind the "Plough Inn". Old wire was taken away with posts etc. This gives a lovely open aspect which takes in the trunks (and in season) the autumn foliage of our old Persimmon trees.
The former crossing paths of our "Criss Cross"  garden is now a five ways also connecting to the western side of "Fenced Rose garden"
Kyleigh found an interesting plant , a variegated Stobilanthes anisophyllus var 'Chameleon' to add to he "Criss Cross Fiveways.

Strobilanthes anisophyllus "Chameleon"

The site where the Cocos Palm was removed is right outside a large picture window in our main room. Thinking and planning is required here.

Just the beginning of these projects which should start to reach a final form before Easter2016

No excuse

For my birthday Michael gave me the Clive Blazey book, 'There is no excuse for ugliness".I think I feel much the same as the author and really can't understand why most Australian gardens can be so ugly.Councils too have dropped the ball with the rigid landscaping of public spaces and the unexciting planting. Sure there is always a place for a few natives but many places could be improved with a sassy colourful exotic plant - preferably one that provides shade here in Queensland.
There was a time when people were  house proud and maintained the outside of their properties mainly with that shorn piece of lawn and perhaps a flower bed or two.Yet lately I have noticed a distinct lack of care for both domestic spaces and roadside and public areas.

There is a particular spot in Montville on the southern side /coming from Maleny which illustrates this point. It is at the end of Western Avenue so I see it everyday. One side has the Entry statement  on a terraced garden and despite the weeds looks half cared for but the southern side is completely neglected. I used to take a bottle of round up with me when I went walking and attempt to cull some weeds but before long the whole thing is looking shabby again. Is it that people simply do not see it? Is it that we no longer have a "tidy towns' project and people can't be bothered ?
I am sort of convinced that people don't see it as they speed towards the shops.
I am sometimes tempted to take over some public space and plant it up with the  hardy colourful plants I have at hand but it is sure to incite aback lash from people who can't see any plant but natives being used anywhere and would prefer to have weeds.
It is great to see some of the Montville businesses doing up the gardens in town  as it all contributes to making the place look cared for. This morning I worked at the Church garden and it has changed a bit since this photo was taken. I have added a couple of plants from our place  including a Tagetes  which I love for it's sunny yellow flowers and the smell of the foliage  and it is so nice to have people stop to talk or ask about the plants or maybe

they just want to pat the dog!






"I just don't get it,first we have to do the garden at home and next thing she's gardening again"
Shadow

Things great and small at 'The Shambles' January 2016

Magnolia grandiflora, Grevillea baileyana, Taxodium disticum and Castanospermum (Queensland Bean) form a skyline.

There is a great deal of colour and life at ground level at 'The Shambles' garden, but looking up there is also a lot to see in the skyline with our collection of trees. This is our 24th year here at Montville and some of the young trees we planted in the past are growing to a substantial size. 

Rampant growth has it's drawbacks however. One of them is in the maintenance of our Duranta and Privet hedges , which require truckloads of material be removed each year. The South frontage hedge has taken 2 days to civilize, with 3 guys involved.

Young Araucaria bidwillii, Araucaria cunninghamii and Grevillea robusta North East Corner.

Then with the collection of trees including the Red Cedars, Flame Trees, Bollygums, Exotic pines and Macadamias, to name a few. There are remarkable sights on the small scale. 

             The Grewia occidentalis on the driveway attracts up to 5 different species of native bee at once and solitary Blue banded bees love Salvia guaranitica near my seat on the back verandah. Spiders criss cross our garden paths with webs s soon as we walk past and Kyleigh spotted an interesting leaf insect by chance this morning

Lead insect, or Phasmid (Phylliidae) on Lepachinia salviae in South Rose Garden at 'The Shambles'.

Our Roses and ornamentals and the garden in geberal attracts a great variety of insect and bird life. Lately we have spotted the elusive Richmond Birdwing Butterfly. With birdlife , however there is a dominance of the Noisy Miner, o the detriment of other small birds

Shadow the Border Collie guarding our Roses? Not really.

Over the fence at the Shambles

A lovely welcome at our front gate is the Delbard rose ,Maurice Utrillo. Some love these painterly roses and some people just hate them. I don't hate any plant and these just amaze me for the  mish mash colour and consistent flowering throughout the year.They are super thorny but that's life with roses. I like these roses with the feathery maiden hair fern in a vase and even when they start dropping petals they still look lovely .
Have you ever wondered if you can have too many agapanthus in a garden. At this time of the year they are just everywhere and usually make their way into tall jugs as decoration for the Christmas table. The thing about agapanthus is that they are really hardy plants barely touched by drought and can be dug up and replanted without missing a beat. I have been known to do this while they are in full flower so talk about instant gardening! Around Montville you can see white and blue/mauve agapanthus up and down the main street as well as along the streets in domestic gardens. Once you have them they will multiply which is never a bad thing.
Another favourite flower is the Shasta Daisy which with a bit of dead heading of spent flowers is putting on a great show. The white flowers with yellow centres remind me of the drawings that I would do as a child. Bold shaped flowers crisp and clean.
Our garden is rangy and colourful today and a short shower of rain has given everything a welcome wash even if it wasn't enough to drain into the soil. A cool breeze has come up and it's time to head out and enjoy it. Kyleigh

Snakes on the move

This week we had a visit from the Ferny Hills Garden Club and it was lovely to share the garden with other keen gardeners.Michael and I gave a short talk about the progress of the garden and no one seemed to drop off to sleep.
It is almost rose cutting time and I have lots of pots ready to go. I find November is the best time to take rose cuttings. Some of the cuttings roses from last year are already in the garden and putting on new growth. It is also the time for snakes and I have my trusty snake bandage  at hand mind you I do wonder what the reality of getting a snake bite would be and hope not to find out.Here is our gorgeous carpet python  a delightful creature who gets around popping up in the shed on the roof or out in the sun on the path.