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President
Marion Cooke
Vice President
Judy Uren
Membership Officer
Maxine Tester
Secretary
Jo Welsh
Social Secretary
Sue Spacey
Treasurer
Alan Isaacs 0407 725 426
[email protected] Castlemaine & District
Garden Club
Bendigo Bank,
Castlemaine
BSB: 633 108
A/c: 104 908 280
Newsletter
Judi Kent
0459026581
Webmaster
Judy Hopley
5472 1156
Castlemaine & District
Garden Club
P.O. Box 758,
Castlemaine 3450
castlemainegardenclub
@gmail.com
http:/castlemainegardenclub.word
press.com
Much Useful Learning Concerning Horticulture
Volume 24, No. 1, January 2018
Castlemaine and District Garden Club Inc.
Presidents Message –
January 2018
Happy New Year to all.
I hope you all enjoyed your
Christmas and New Year. We had
a very quiet Christmas at home
this time which was very nice as
we had indulged ourselves with
some very nice seafood shared
with a friend.
Two of our grandchildren (adults!) visited for a couple of days in between
which was lovely and friends spent a ritual New Year with us. ( I think we
were in bed by 12.30 – getting to be a bit hard to stay awake these days!)
Well the garden is certainly in Summer mode now and all I seem to be doing
is watching and watering when things start to look distressed – that’s the
trouble with living on a hilltop with “perfect drainage” and tank water. The
trees certainly make a difference with keeping the garden cool looking.
Here’s hoping we don’t get too much overly hot weather and that we get
plenty of rain this year and not too many frosts – that’s not much to ask for!
Your committee have worked hard to provide a very interesting Calendar for
this year. This is included with this Mulch.
I look forward to seeing you all at the Botanic Gardens on Tuesday, January
23rd.
Please bring along a plate of something to share.
See you there
Marion Cooke
Garden Club breakup
Members had an enjoyable end-of-year breakup at Tread Cafe,
Harcourt. Sue Spacey did an outstanding job organising the event and
ensuring that the festive spirit was to the fore with Christmas
decorations and bonbons.
President, Marion Cooke, thanked
retiring President, Sally Leversha,
Vice President, Judy Eastwood (in
absentia) and Secretary, Janine
Young for their service to the club
and presented them with gifts.
Janine and Sally
Freebies on offer:
Talk to Marion
If anyone would like some of these Iris
please let me know. They are growing
in water and desperately need to be
thinned out. I also have waterlilies and
blue irises.
Would look lovely in a dam.
While not the time to plant berries, it’s certainly the time to enjoy them so here’s
some tips and tricks:
Brambleberries (Including boysenberries, loganberries,
youngberries and blackberries.)
These are robust plants so give them room to thrive. Plant two
canes in the same hole and construct a trellis for support e.g.
pine posts at either end with two wires strung between them. Don’t fertilize initially
but give them a feed, high in potash but low in nitrogen, in spring. Tie canes against
the trellis and remove excess growth. Bundle several canes together and wind
through the wires. Maintaining and pruning soft cane fruit is very important. Thin
out the canes in young plants. In mature plants, remove last year’s fruiting stems
and maintain the young canes.
Blueberries:
These contain the powerful antioxidant anthocyanin which turns
the berries deep blue. Often referred to as brain berries or youth
berries, they are easy to grow and contain very few kilojoules, a joy
for weight watchers. Blueberries are related to azaleas and
rhododendrons so enjoy similar growing conditions. Soil needs to be rich in organic
matter with a pH around 4.5 – 5.5. Water regularly as they have shallow roots and
mulch with Lucerne. Feed with azalea food in spring. Prune out weak and diseased
wood to keep the centre of the bush open and remove flowers in the first year to
encourage growth.
Raspberries:
The snobs of the berry world, raspberries prefer a bed of their
own. Plant in rows running north to south to ensure both sides
of the bush gets sunlight. Soil must be well drained. Water
regularly, especially when the fruit is forming. Feed with compost or old manure in
spring and summer. Mulch with Lucerne. Prune in winter by removing all the canes
that held fruit during the previous season. Tie the young canes to a trellis. Select
only strong healthy canes, removing any spindly ones.
Strawberries:
European researchers have found that eating strawberries can
reduce harm caused by alcohol to the stomach membrane so
there is a scientific reason to have strawberries with
champagne! Plant them in rows in the garden, in pots or
hanging baskets. The make a good groundcover in flower beds.
Remember, strawberries need sunshine. The soil should be well
drained with manure, well-rotted compost or blood and bone added before planting
out. Water regularly, especially when fruit is ripening. Feed when fruit starts
forming. Mulch with straw or sugarcane so that the fruit doesn’t touch the ground
and beware of snails – they love them as much as we do.
Gooseberries:
Despite the name, these are more closely related to
currents than berries. Gooseberries like a soil rich with
compost and a pH of 6 – 6.5. They need a sunny position
and do tolerate frost but need cover if a severe frost is
expected. Companion plants include marigolds, tomatoes
and tansy. Leave three feet between plants. Gooseberries may need a feed with
potassium based fertilizer, particularly id the leaves start to brown at the edges.
After harvest, prune back to five leaves on each side shoot and remove any dead or
overcrowded branches to keep the plant open.
Article by Judi Kent
Don’t miss our
January get-together in
the botanic gardens.
Bring something to
share for a picnic.
January 23rd at 6.30pm
Treasurer’s Report The major activity in the November – December period was the Christmas
dinner. Expenses were $1,690, while $740 was received in member
contributions. The club contributed $950, or approximately $26 per attendee.
The Garden Market income and expenses were resolved in November, and
the final 2017 figures below show somewhat greater expenses than
previously and $20 additional income:
2017 2016 2015 2014
Entry 1,524 955 1,018 1,311
Raffle 768 485 353 420
Plant sales 945 753 1,277 767
Stall 140 153 353 244
Site fees 630 450 300 520
4,007 2,796 3,301 3,262
Expenses 566 273 481 472
Net Takings 3,441 2,523 2,820 2,790
The Bursary account is still not entirely resolved. It is proposed to transfer the
Bursary funds to our operating account and close the Bursary account. Our
January Operating Statement will then show $916 received as Bursary
donations, less $258 refunded (to Goldfields Roses and Garden Group). We
anticipate that $300 will also be refunded to Rotary.
The monthly report below shows that the amount of $100 previously
received in error has been repaid.
It is with sadness we note the passing of Isabelle MacKenzie
of Wombat Park, Daylesford age 93 years.
Isabelle purchased Wombat Park in 1993 where she found
the gardens overgrown with blackberries and in a generally
dilapidated state. She set to work overseeing the restoration
of the gardens, including uncovering the croquet lawn, over
the following years. She opened the gardens on several
occasions over the years for the benefit of the friends of
Wombat Hill Botanic Gardens, from where many of the large
trees originated. Several of our members would have
enjoyed visiting the gardens at Wombat Park.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
A wander in the high country – Dinner Plain. Victoria
Discounts Members are reminded to continue to support the businesses that support us in the
form of discounts
You will need your 2017
membership card for identification
All Stone Quarries (ASQ)
10% garden related products over $10.
Beard’s Hardware
10% off most garden related products
Gardens Etcetera
21-25 Main Street, Maldon Tel:54742333
www.gardenetcetera.com.au
10% off (excluding items on consignment and sale items)
Sociana’s ‘The Green Folly’
10% discount
Stoneman’s Bookroom
10% off for purchases over $10
Taylor Brothers
5% off garden related products
Maine Garden Centre
224 Barker Street
10% off garden related products over $10.
MULCH is printed with the assistance of LEGION OFFICE WORKS
Next Meeting:
January Get-together
23rd Jan 2018
Location: Botanic Gardens
BBQ area. BYO food, drink,
chair, kitchen sink. 6.30pm
########################
Next Committee Meeting
Tuesday Feb 13th at Jo’s
########################
The Castlemaine & District Garden
Club meets at 7.30pm on the fourth
Tuesday of each month from
February to October at the Wesley
Hill Hall. Duke Street, Wesley Hill.
Membership of the club is open to
all and costs $20 per year per
household ($31 if you want a paper
copy of MULCH mailed to you)
Mulch in colour is available via email
on request.
Subscriptions are payable at the
beginning of each calendar year.
New members are very welcome.
