Parkes Garden Club celebrated the happenings of 2018 with a delicious Christmas luncheon at the Station Motel. Guests were delightfully surprised by the talented Tapestry Singers who sung Christmas carols to celebrate the festive season.
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The new President for 2019, Norma Garment welcomed everyone to the annual Garden Club Luncheon, hinting at fresh and exciting garden events which will be budding in the new year.
Joyce Cole swept the floor with the various raffle tickets drawn on the day to the dismay of fellow guests. Robyn Burns was delighted to have won the lucky door prize – a gorgeous hand crafted succulent garden display, kindly created by the very artistic Kelvie and Faye Blackstock.
Daphne Hutchins was announced as the overall winner for 2018 in the monthly flower competition receiving a Gift voucher from Parkes Garden Centre. Bright as a daisy Santa visited spreading joy and the Christmas spirit.
Parkes Garden Club invites any interested gardeners of any age to their first gathering for 2019 on Saturday, March 9, 5pm at Lion’s Park for a BBQ tea - where many a Garden Gnome will be happy to supply knowledge and exchange stories of their gardening experiences.
Here are some Garden Gnome Hints for the summer:
Cherry Tomatoes: great in salads and the kids love them! But expensive to buy. Break off the bottom leaves and plant the seedlings quite deeply. The stems will put out adventitious roots that will help stabilise the plant and increase its uptake of nutrients and water.
Crushed egg shells: place them around the base of your plants to help keep the snails away; coffee grounds are also said to deter snails/slugs.
A secret for long flowering roses: water the plants with “tea juice”. Add used tea bags (minus any staples) to a jar of water and regularly splash around the base of the roses.
Orchids love banana skins around the base of the plants as do Staghorn Ferns. Both these plants do well under tree canopies or shaded, warm moist areas.
Herbs are not only great to grow - they’re great for you as well! Get out and plant some basil, parsley, coriander, thyme and rosemary. Mulch them well.
Pretty things to add to your garden are marigolds, verbena, cosmos, sunflowers and dianthus. As well as being pretty they attract beneficial insects.
Mulch-top up on all the garden beds
Slip slop slap for your plants! Shade cloth covers don’t have to be elaborate, just a simple moveable structure over the top of some of the sun sensitive plants.
Weeding is a great workout so get out there and pull out those weeds before they take over!
