December 2012 Garden News

December was all about recovering from the Open Garden.

I think we had the best Open Garden we have ever had, such nice people visited and they bought lots of Judy’s beautiful plants.

We raised $715 for disabled sport and the catering raised almost $2000 for a local food bank.

We will not be opening in 2013, after 11 consecutive openings we feel it’s time to take a break.

The weather since our open garden has been awful with 30 degree plus heat, wind and absolutely no rain until Boxing Day when we had 18 mills.

All our seven tanks are  now completely empty.

It has been a real struggle this year to keep our plants alive; we have to use town water just to keep our plants alive.

 Crinum 'Rose Parade'.

 Curcuma 'White'

Beehive Ginger 'Coffee'

The place is a mess at the moment as the gum trees are shedding their bark and there’s bark everywhere.

I have planted all the new plants we bought on our holidays, there’s always room for more plants.

New Project.

I am building an extension to one of the shade houses at the moment, once that is finished I have to rebuild the oldest shade house as the timber has rotted, it sure is a busy life.

 Lady Slipper Vine.

 Rose Ginger

 Double Abutilon pink

 Caladium 'Thai Beauty'

Costus 'Peru Pineapple'

We attended a couple of Christmas party’s for Bayside Garden Club and the Cordyline Society enjoyed both.

 Crinum 'White'

 Swamp Hibiscus

Christmas lights keep the Flying Foxes away from our Mango crop.

We start the New Year with a presentation to the Tweed Heads garden Club on the 14^th January.

Judy and I hope you all had a great Christmas and have some wonderful gardening for 2013.