THE Gunnedah Garden Club’s May meeting was a full day and started with the annual chrysanthemum competition.
Sandra Holmes, GCA NW zone coordinator from Tamworth, judged the various sections and gave some tips on how to show flowers.
There were two outright winners. Ellen Mitchell won medium chrysanth, with Julia Withers winning daisy, large, miniature plus champion chrysanth.
With a background in horticulture, Sandra spoke about her roll with GCA over the past 16 years, and confessed she is a plantaholic.
The topic of the talk was water crystals, and members learned about the advantages of using it in pots and in the garden. Julia Withers thanked Sandra and presented her with a lovely colourful bunch of her home-grown chrysanthemums.
Chrysanthemum winners Julia Withers and Ellen Mitchell with Sandra Holmes.
President Robyn Clydsdale attended the recent ULC workshop about Indian Myna birds, which are becoming a pest in this region. Introduced in 1862, these chocolate-brown and yellow-beaked birds are known as rats on wings and are not to be confused with the native grey Noisy Myner.
Shirley Pamer reported on attending the Tamworth and District Garden Club’s 50th birthday luncheon with eight other GGC members, at Broadland’s Clubhouse. What an amazing retirement community.
Members pulled up next to beautifully manicured gardens and were greeted by colourful rainbow lorikeets in the flowering gum trees.
Michael Abberfield from GCA spoke about the role of GCA and presented a certificate. The next bi-annual convention is in Hobart in 2027.
Gunnedah Garden Club members attend the 50th birthday at Tamworth.
Horticulturalist Dar Brookes was the guest speaker. The topic was soil, as soil and mulch are two fundamentals that play a huge role in ensuring the health of your plants.
As the area is deficient in rainfall, it is important to know the importance of mulching, which is essential to maintain moisture and also the various ways of watering – how, when and how much to apply.
Members came away learning something to make them better gardeners. The day ended with a lovey lunch and a fashion parade.
Flower competition results:
1st: Helen Murrell’s gerbera – when finished, Helen chops them off at ground level.
2nd: Ann Penrose’s rose – heart of gold. Starts off as a golden bud then changes to a lovely pink. Nice perfume.
Julia Withers thanks Sandra Holmes.
3rd: Julia Withers’ rose – intuition, a stripy red. A favourite of hers.
Vegetable competition results:
1st: Julia Withers’ lemonade – it’s not sour.
2nd: Fay Byrne’s spinach – cook carefully, says Fay!
3rd: Ann Penrose’s purple beans – turn green when cooked.
After lunch, members went to visit Julia Withers’ garden. What a lovely way to end the day.
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