Gardening and growing great plants.

Gardening World Cup goes to Australia.

By James Wall with reference to a Jim Fogarty written article in The Age on Saturday October 22nd.

Well, the kiwis may have won the rugby world cup, but while all that was happening, there was a much more exciting World Cup of Gardening event going on in Japan. Who said gardening wasn't a sport ? The competition was first held last year in Japan to commemorate 65 years since the dropping of the atomic bomb on Nagasaki. The Brits won that one with a garden designed by 2010 Chelsea Flower Show Best in Show winner Andy Sturgeon.

The challenge with this show is that each designer has to work with a 100sq metre site and the same budget. Each designer is appointed a Japanese building contractor. So you can see that money alone can't buy a victory in this event. You have 10 days to build the project, and all plants must be sourced during this time. Not like the exhaustive months of preparation allowed for Chelsea.

Sixteen of the world's best garden designers, representing 12 countries were there this year, including Sarah Eberle, winner of nine gold medals and a best in show at Chelsea. Every conversation with the contractor had to be conducted through appointed translators and the theme this year was 'peace and plants', using horticulture as a way of unifying countries.

Jim Fogarty was invited as the Australian entrant and he designed a garden telling the story of  bushfires and there impact on the community. Jim witnessed the ‘Black Saturday’ fires of February 7th 2009, which were only an hour north east of his home. His message was that out of devastation comes new life. Every plant used was native to Australia. It obviously resonated  with the Japanese after their recent earthquake and tsunami, and it was awarded best in show. That's right, this was a world cup that Australia won.

As stated, much of this info was the words of Jim in his article in The Age on Saturday. It was a very well told story, but Jim Fogarty was much too humble with regard to his achievement and we congratulate him on his brilliance which has once again shone through. This shows the world that Australia is up there with the best when it comes to gardening and our industry should be proud that we can create such beauty to enrich ones' lives.

More pics can be seen at Jim Fogarty Design

Or go to the World Cup website: gardeningworldcup.com

Box Hill Horticultural Society - 60th Anniversary Floral Exhibition

By James Wall

Well it was a beautiful Melbourne Day today and I was fortunate to be invited to do a talk at the Box Hill Horticultural Society Floral Exibition at the Box Hill Town Hall.

Here are a few snaps of some of the exibitors work. A lot of hours have been spent in doing these displays and it was work of a very high standard. I observed good colour use and excellent balance and structure.

 

Orchid Spectacular !

Last weekend the annual orchid show was held at the Springers Leisure Centre, just around the corner from Gardenworld. Folk came from all over Victoria and even interstate. Once again it was a packed weekend, and the standard of entries this year was high. The main reason being there was plenty of rain this year. In fact some orchids had 8 or more flower spikes yet were still well proportioned because of the bushiness of the plants.

In case you missed the show, here are a few photos. If you would like to see more spectacular flowering orchids, then get down to Collector's Corner at Gardenworld as they have hundreds on show and for sale.

 

Rob and Jane cross the Nulla.

You've seen the movie - no you haven't. But this story does somehow remind me of 'Thelma and Louise' which sees our cast comprising of two of 3AW's finest gardeners and experienced travellers. I bet they do have a few travellers stashed away somehwere in that caravan.

That's right, you probably heard Vasili filling in for Jane Edmanson on the 3AW gardening show. Jane is caravanning across the Nullarbor with Robyn Hollaway - a legend herself in the art of selling radio advertising. So as the 2 ride off into the distance looking for their Brad Pitt, lets hear a few thoughts from this dynamic travelling duo:

August 3rd

Hi All,  it’s Wed 2pm and we are at Ceduna just about to go for a walk/explore.  27 degrees, sunny, eating at the sailing club tonight with the sailors!!

Car and caravan just magnificent.  Sleeping like logs and drinking and eating like royalty.Scenery just perfect, birds lots of galahs, dingoes, elephants, emus (true)  Staying in Wayside stops with other caravanneeeers and also at parks.

Both well and laughing all the time.

August 7th

Still on the Nulla and having the best time ever.  Yesterday we spent 5 hours at the head of the Bight watching the magnificent whales with their amazing babies,  So close to the shore and around 40 Mums and calves!!!  Today as we crossed from Ceduna to Eucla we stopped off at every point possible, drove down to the Bight and sat watching more whales, giant limestone cliffs, sand dunes, turquoise sea, very restful and quite overwhelming again.

The wayside stops are fantastic and lot’s of travellers use them instead of staying in caravan parks.  They are set in the scrub, no electricity of course but we have the battery pack for all power and the Baby Q Weber for cooking on.

August 12th

Hi all,

We are off the Nulla, we made it, we received our diploma from the Information centre Norseman, we also bought one of those lovely we crossed the nulla tea towel for you all!!!

We didn’t contribute to any road kill . We managed to eat and drink our way across in great humour, laughing all the way to the next gum tree.

So here we are in sunny downtown Esperance in the Foreshore Caravan Park, after camping off road across the nulla, the hot shower was fantastic.

Today we spent touring the Archipelago, sea lions, fur seals, dolphins, sea eagles just to mention a few of the highlights, and the great tourist road around the most magnificent beaches I have ever seen.

We met this bloke who lives in Mornington, travels here each year to take visitors into Cape le Grand and he is taking Jane and I out for the day tomorrow..... not my type but Jane?   He’s a true blue aussie rough diamond.  Lovely bloke who helped us unhitch the caravan, please note the corrects terminology we are picking up!!, and talked for the hour and a half on the intricacies of caravanning....tyre pressure, parking, backing...etc.

From us both we are good, enjoying the fun of travelling this wonderful country, listening to the sea, watching the bright stars.

August 15th

Beautiful morning to wake up to this morning . we are sending this today as we are heading back across the Nulla calling into Fowlers Cove (3 days away) to go whale watching in a boat. Then to  Streaky Bay to pick some supplies for the way home and that will be a hessian bag of oysters. Bike riding into the Clare Valley and topping up the cellar at Barossa.

 

We have had 3 days in Esperance  lovely to have a sabbatical.  Cape Le Grand is a wonder.  The wildflowers were beautiful and the beaches superb.  We left at 8am and got home around 5pm. Long day but worth it.  Yesterday we went to Lake Moonabell gardens to see the grevilleas, Banksias, Hakeas etc.  All natives endemic in W.A. amazing!!

We then saw a sign ‘Yabbies’ and bought 1,1/2 Kilos– 9 inches long.  Before we could prepare them for eating they escaped from there carry box and scuttled all across the floor in the bathroom,   into the sink .into the veggie box etc. Tricky little devils to pick up. We are hoping we don’t meet any on Nulla waiting for us in the bathroom!!!  They were big enough to even eat the claw meat.

 

This will be the Rob and Jane Show saying Hooroo for now, and we hope you tune to have a listen in Monday morning next week....We think we’ll go home now!!!

 

Did Flemings have the best garden at Chelsea in 2011 ?

By James Wall

Ok,....so I may be biased, but Flemings show garden at Chelsea looked to be best in show, or at least a gold medal, but it was awarded a Silver Gilt. Well ummm, I only actually saw the gardens on Better Homes and Gardens last night, but I did just check out the 360 degree virtual tour on the Royal Horticultural Society website and still reckon it was close to the best.

Flemings garden

Of course best in show went to the Daily Telegraph for the third year in a row, who sponsored the garden designed by Cleve West - referred to by some as the Heston Blumenfeld of landscape design - how very British ! Ok, so it was a few poles with some nice flowers.......now now.

Cleve West - Best In Show

Of course the Australian Garden by The Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne took out a Gold and was another feather in the cap for designer Jim Fogarty. It included bright orange sand which looked like it had come from the Simpson Desert. There was also a boomerang shaped water feature to really aussie-fy it.

Jim Fogarty designed Australian Garden

Why did Flemings not win a gold. I am thinking that maybe it was the white canopy - very stylish, but maybe too modern for the RHS crowd. If anyone went to the show, let us know what your thoughts were about seeing it in the flesh.

maybe the structure was too modern

Still, it looked like Wes Fleming was having a pretty good time. He laughed with the queen, talked to the Prince of Monaco and was honoured to meet Fergie's daughter Princess Beatrice.

Wes entertains the Queen

Wes looks honoured to meet Princess Beatrice - both hatless.

Ok, so one of our staff in Justine actually did go to Chelsea, and when she gets back, we will post her review and see what she thinks. And even though Flemings didn't take out a gold, Wes will be back down to earth as we speak, and in a couple of weeks, Flemings Nurseries will once again deliver thousands of bare root fruit and ornamental trees to nurseries all over Australia, including right here, at Gardenworld.

Melbourne 2011 Flower Show after thoughts.

By James Wall

In the aftermath of the show, it has given me time to think about my involvement and the efforts of others. This year was particularly relevent to me as we are looking at building a new garden and some retaining walls at home. You suddenly see things in a different light when they are plausible ideas you can utilise yourself.

got these plants the week before from a growers excess stock - lucky !

I used to be involved with the flower show (MIFGS) many years ago as a seedling and potted colour grower. The task was to grow the plants and have them flowering just on time. It was someone elses

RHS Hanging Basket Competition 2011

The Royal Horticultural Society are a group of people that really love their horticulture. Each year at the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show, they hold a hanging basket competiton and this year there are over 250 baskets entered. The members involved put in hours of work to make this a success. Here are just a few of the baskets entered. If you would like to enter next year, you would be most welcomed. Beware, the competition is fierce !

Hortivations for 2010 - colour !

This is an annual industry event held at Ball Australia in Keysborough. The theme for this year was colour and I think after a few years of pointy and grassy plants, their is a definite trend towards smoother, rounded and colourful flowering groundcovers and bushy plants. These days of course it's not just about the plants but also the peripherals like furniture and pots and the importance also of their style and colour.

The picture above is of a new dianthus from Touch Of Class, a company usually related to hardy cordylines and native shrubs. They can see the trend towards colour and have found a dianthus series that is long flowering and disease resistant.

Melbourne Orchid Spectacular 2010

Well I am very lucky working at Gardenworld, because as well as being spoilt by the collection of orchids at Collectors Corner, there is also the once a year event called the Melbourne Orchid Spectacular and it is just around the corner from the nursery at Springers Leisure Centre in Keysborough. It is on this weekend, and I manged to visit at 9am on friday. The hall is split into 2 areas - the showcase area which is full of displays from orchid clubs around the state, and a sales area which is full of vendors selling an amazing array of plants.

 

At this time of the show, the showcase area is empty because the sales area is open for the first time and the die hard serious collectors are there to find the bargains and rare finds. There is a real buzz about the place, and it is a an icy cold Friday morning !

The following is some quick snaps I took of just a small sample of what was on display. I will get Earn from Collectors Corner to add some commentary to these picks, sometime during the week. Enjoy.

"Lights Camera Action" - the Garden Gurus drop in.

Yesterday was a perfect day in Melbourne. The sky was blue and the air was still. Jumpers came off for the first time since Autumn. It was the perfect day for Kim Syrus of the Garden Gurus to pop in and show off some of the new products from Brunnings.

Kim is a renowned rose grower and hort media man in South Australia.

Brunnings is a company that supplies us with some unique gardening products, including fertilisers and coco-peat, as well as the famed Gardman range from the UK.

The main theme behind the segment was to show how vegetables can be grown in containers. There was also some new plant supporting trellis on display that is simple to construct.

Look out for the show on Channel 9 coming up in the next couple of weeks. I am pretty sure it will be on late Saturday afternoons.