other gardens and responsibilities

Dendrobium speciousum, 'The Shambles'.
As well as our own garden and the ongoing preparations we are making for our October 9th open garden, we have a responsibility for 3 other gardens. If you start something off you may as well expect to carry on unassisted, so these other places seem largely to have become our sole responsibility.
Firstly, here at home in Montville, a large amount of tropical chick weed, Tradescantia and clutter has been removed yet again by Kyleigh. Our Galtonia, Spanish Bluebells, Clematis and others are emerging but with the Buddleja salvifolia and Buddleja 'Wattlebird' in full flower I fear that spring will be too early for our open garden display. All the roses are coming back strongly with new growth after their late july pruning.
In Brisbane the garden at our daughter and son in laws house is establishing well. As the house is white with blue trim (with a lovely sharp black powder coated wire fence in contrast) we established a garden with lots of blue and grey accents. Plumbago 'Royal Cape', Brunfelsia latifolia, Lavandula stoechas, Agapanthus praecox, Helichrysum italicum, Lantana montevidensis, Clerodendrum ugandens have been augmented with Osteospermum and Argyranthemum daisies on our last visit. Shrubs also include Loropetalum 'China pink' and the showy twining plants Hardenbergia violacea, Bauhinia corymbosa and Solanum jasminoides.
On our last visit the very healthy weeping melaleuca, Callistemons , Cassia javanica, Caesalpinea ferrea, Tibouchinas, Tuckeroo, Syzgium and Frangipanis in the back yard were augmented with Grevillea 'moonlight','superb', 'Sandra Gordon' and 'Pink parfait'. We have been encouraged by the colourful corners which have healthy ferns, cordyllines, Dieffenbachia and Bromeliads. Of all things the Bougainvilleas seem to have really struggled.
Yesterday, at the Montville Uniting Church the 4 year old Lavandula stoechas alternating with tea roses are finally looking quite sparse. We have interplanted Rosemary, Salvia, Dianthus, Pelargonium and Verbena. Everything is looking quite healthy so Kyleigh removed a lot of 'fishbone' fern from under and around a lovely collection of shrubs on the northern side which include Michelia 'Bubbles', Spiraea cantonensis, Grevilleas, Buckinghamia, tetradenia, Centradenia underplanted with Dianellas and Plectranthus amboniensis. We also planted a healthy Callistemon (pink flowering hybrid) and gave up trying to spray for an infestation of bindii weed due to equipment failure.
Then on to the Montville Hall where all of our plantings look very healthy. There is a perennial problem with the two small gardens either side of and inside the Memorial Gates which relates to very poor depleted soil, which often appears to be bone dry. We have thrown in lots of organic material over the last five years but well meaning people also use these gardens as a place to stack the prolific fall of material, spent flowers etc from the adjacent Ficus benjamina. This stuff seems to set like concrete and seems quite hydrophobic. Never the less the old fashioned roses, 'Comptesse de Labarthe', 'Beauty of Glenhurst' and 'Princesse de Sagan' look very good with new growth. The various Salvias, Heliotrope, Goldfussia, Buddleja, Shrub Basil, Reinwardtia indica, Camellia sasanqua, Hibiscus Rosa-Sinensis, Pentas lanceolata, Spiraea cantonensis and Centradenia were in good nick. We planted Marigolds, verbena, Hibiscus syriacus and Hardenbergia violacea to brighten things up.
This was all done in the last 4 days and ,as forecast, along came the rain over night to water things in. We are always aware that people only value a garden in development or looking it's best. There is always a danger to these places, that if the custodians drop their guard and the place looks shabby, some obsessively neat committee member will propose 'cleaning it up'. In Queensland terms a 'clean up' means annihilating a beautiful complex garden and concreting the edges in straight lines then mass planting the most drab, soul destroying 'low maintenance' things that the hardware wants to discount and get rid of.
Michael Simpson

returning home, the preparation continues

Grandbaby Leo and Kyleigh with Rosa "Princesse de Sagan" Bougainvilleas Court House Cloncurry
















On the first week of August we returned after a fortnight working in Cloncurry, North West Queensland.
The country side around Mt.Isa and Cloncurry is very beautiful with low growing Acacia and Eucalypt woodland interrupted by dramatic ranges and mesas of red rocks and boulder outcrops.
Domestic gardens were lit up by Bougainvillea and Ixora which contrast dramatically to the form and colour of locally endemic plants.
The day we flew out in late July we had a visit from fellow members of Heritage Roses in Australia who came to help up us clean up, prune and prepare all of our old fashioned Tea and China roses for the 5th October. On that day it is the turn of our garden at 'The Shambles' to be visited by the National Tour of Heritage Roses in Australia which has been suitable titled 'Rainforest to Roses'.
We shared some cuttings and struck yet more of our own from the prunings.
In early August the roses are responding already with lots of new growth. Although there is finally some cool (rather than genuinely cold) weather we are pleased that Clematis 'Daniel Deronda' and 'Andromeda' are establishing well. Pieris rhykuensis ? P chinensis is flowering beautifully with chains of pure white bells. Both Gordonia axillaris and Gordonia yunnanensis are in flower as is Camellia japonica 'Blood of China', 'Commander Mullroy' and of course the irrepressible 'Aspasia MacArthur'. Of our investment this year in yet more types of hardy bulbs Spanish Bluebells, Ipheion, Snowflake and various Friesias are up and the silly Friesias are forming buds. I am looking forward to Hippeastrum papilo in summer.
It is my impression that even though we would like to see all the various spring flowering plants hold off our lack of cold weather will see many of our garden favourites will have shot their bolt in September, which has previously been a lean time. Please bring on the cold
Michael

Preparation

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Just when it feels safe to relax after a june Open Garden prepartions for October have to be made.
Firstly, we have congratulated ourselves that two major events are together in one week. The National Tour of Heritage Roses in Australia comes here on 5th October, and our commitment to the Australian Open Garden Scheme is the following weekend the 9th and 10th October.
Apart from the garden itself and the health of plants the considerations are now on marketing and promotion, staffing the gate, catering refreshments for visitors, entertainments, plants for sale and finishing some structural elements: perhaps an arch/lattice structure, a wishing well and a coral fountain! Nothing much really.
We have our own little postcards which are popular and have nearly finished a third gardening book.
Rosa: Cornelia
Most importantly in the garden we have been rescuing some roses and nursing them in large pots where they seem better off until after the Open Garden e.g. Roses Graham Thomas, Camille Pisaro, Mr.Lincoln and a beautiful old rose which looks like Homere. Among other potted roses we are potting bare rooted Camp David, Altissimo, Julias Rose and quite a few others. Cuttings of many perennial plants are being struck especially fast and reliable Salvias, Coleus and pelargoniums.
We have large bags of fertilizer, blood and bone and sulphate of potash to go on. This can wait as we are expecting a visit from members of Heritage Roses in Australia (Qld) on 25th July for a pruning day when we hope to make the reductions which will see Roses at their best for 5th October at 11 30 AM precisely.
Lets Hope
Michael Simpson

Winter Garden, no time to rest

DONT FORGET TO LOOK FOR OUR OTHER JULY POSTS IN 'MY PROFILE'
Picture left: Rosa 'Prosperity'
It's quite cool and rainy today and that is quite a relief in one sense.
During the week we planted bulbs for Hippeastrum papilo, Tigridia, Galtonia candicans and Spekelia formosissimum. There is a bit of a 'bulby' theme to plantings lately and it has been rewarding to see Amaryllis belladonna, Friesia refracta alba, Leucojum aestivum (Snowflake) and Ipheion uniflorum are emerging. Jonquils are in flower.
The rain, thank heavens, has watered them in.
The thing about some bulbous plants here is of course our climate (temperate but not really cold) and the fact that I can't bend over to lift and pamper some bulbs. They have to form drifts and we have to remember where dormant bulbous plants are for them to survive more than a season.
Great little plants such as the wild strawberry, toadflax, catmint and Milfoil are establishing and spreading as are the ever reliable Dianthus of various types.
James helped us move a large box vegetable garden to a prime sunny location and the wheelbarrow vegetable garden full of lettuce and English spinach has been rolled around to join it.
As a nod toward experimentation we have planted two Clematis, Clematis integrifolia x crispa 'Daniel Deronda (purple) and 'Andromeda' (pink).
Now we await a visit from 'Heritage Roses in Australia' when our comrades in old roses are arriving to help with preparation for the National Tour coming here on 5th October.
Michael Simpson

Closing the gate after a busy weekend

On Sunday afternoon when we shut our gate we finally had our garden back to ourselves.Even after around 1000 visitors had been in the garden there was very little wear to show for it.The paths had held up well and even our thinning grass seemed to be ok. Having worked hard before the event it is nice to wander around and enjoy the garden ourselves without too many pressing jobs to be done.
We had a very enjoyable and busy time over the weekend as part of the Gardens on the Edge event that is organised by the Maleny Garden Club. Congratulations to Peter Dalimore for his work that made the event run so smoothly. Thankyou also to the Rural Fire Brigade members who looked after the gate.Hope you wern't frozen solid!Picture: Mark and Christine from Montville Rural Fire Brigade manning the gate.
We met so many people and had such lovely comments made about our garden.
It is evident that people have connected with the garden and it reinforces the fact that gardens have a real part to play in peoples lives.
We really envisage our garden out living us and many of the plants we are growing have life spans of hundreds of years. I think it is the sense of permanance that we strive for in gardens and this is very different to having a "bunnings garden" that is only a pastiche constructed in a hurry, to be "low maintenance".
We look forward to opening the gate for visitors in October when we are signed on with the Australian Open Gardens Scheme. October will be warmer for a start and the garden will have a lot of spring colour. Depending on the rainfall over the next few months the garden can be either very dry or lush so we will just have to wait and see.
The Open garden in October includes the Cooksley's Garden in Maleny which is another larger garden with lots of interesting features.

garden tractors

Not every car is suitable for transporting ambitious gardening purchases home to the desired position. Not every car owner is entirely focussed on the tasks of cramming in large ambitiously purchased plants, fertilizer acquisition and transport with callous regard for the upholstery and fellow passengers.
When bying a large specimen of Cupressus glabra, longer than most cars, or perhaps a couple of luxuriant Cyathea brownii (mature tree ferns), you need the right sized car when you wheel these on their trolley into the car park. The same can be said for a few 40kg. bags of dynamic lifter and several trays of sad looking perennials bought 'on special'.
It is at that point when we are pleased to have bought the old Jaguar which is both ample in length and bredth and of an age (58 years old) when it doesn't care about appearance any more.
A quick broom out of potting mix and dead leaves and we are ready for the next Nursery visit

Open garden Approaches

Lady luck had brought rain at the right time and held off winter until the last furlong. 'The Shambles' is hardly an exhibition garden but we may just have a colourful show for visitors on the Queen's birthday weekend (next weekend). So fingers and toes are crossed, horseshoes turned up etc.
There has been a lot of planning put in by the organizers, especially our friend and neighbour Peter Dallimore on behalf of the Maleny garden Club. We have had a lot of help from Margaret and Laurie Jeays (mum and Dad), Martin Leonard, Isobel and Gary Tynan.
The gate will be manned by the Montville Rural Fire Brigade and garden club volunteers. The Funds will be dispersed to the Rural Fire Brigade and the Blackall Range Care Group.
A plant stall will be run by "Ja's Herb Farm" selling perennial plants and rare herbs.

And so to the garden itself. Well Megakepasma (Brazilian Red Coat) still refuses to flower which reflects a streak of obstinancy and unpredictable latin temperament. Thankfully the roses (Queen of Flowers) have quite a few buds opening, especially Safrano, Marie Van Houtte, Comptesse de Labarthe, Comptesse du Cayla and Rozette Delizy.
My favourite camellia Edna Butler is still flowering and there will a spectacular show from other Camellias. Perennial Salvias, scutellarias, Pentas lanceolata, and many different Abutilon are still in flowers.
Leaves are finally turning. The Virginia Creeper is golden and our burgundy Euphorbia cotinifolia is losing leaf as are Lagerstroemia indica and Lagerstroemia speciosum.
Our remaining Grevillias are coming into flower to the delight of the lorikeets and honey eaters.
The westerly winds may blow some gardeners away but here our tall hedges protect us , and the vulnerable Dahlia imperialis (both double and single white) and brittle shrubs such as Salvia involucrata bethalii. It can feel degrees warmer in the calm ,and the sun ,in the lee of our hedges while outside on the road your hat can be blown off. Good old privet, and Duranta.


Pray for a fine day next weekend. Does it matter ? Well it does for the Maleny Garden Club and so we hope that every one will have an enjoyable day.
Michael Simpson