January Meeting 2015

Tuesday 20th January 2015

Various Topics

Presented by Members

Today members were treated to a variety of topics presented by several members - a great start to the New Year. Firstly we had our President, Beth Booker, speak to us about her visit to "Angelo's Food Forest" in Preston. It was part of the Open Gardens scheme and Beth enjoyed it immensely. She was very impressed with his knowledge and passion for growing. As a Bio-Scientist, Angelo has created a low maintenance, no dig garden of fruit trees and vegetables without any wastage, and a very efficient composting and watering system. Well worth a look!

Then we had a talk by our Treasurer, Kevin Yeap, about a plant he proudly grows called the "Queen of the Night." It is also known as "Night Queen" or "Dutchman's Pipe." It only opens at night and only ONCE a year in January! Kevin has shown a lot of patience and perseverance in order to get the amazing photos he showed us of a beautiful white flower about 6-8 inches wide. Thank you Kevin.

Next we had Committee Member, John Presley, give us a talk in growing Garlic. John is a member of the Australian Garlic Growers Association and he spoke to us about the various types of garlic available and the difficulties associated with growing it. Most of the garlic consumed in this country is imported and due to the chemicals used to treat it upon arrival, John strongly recommends buying Australian grown Garlic. It was very interesting and he gave us many useful tips and had everyone's mouth watering at the end!

Lastly our Secretary, Bob Yeomans, gave us a long awaited and much anticipated talk on Seed Raising. He informed us that seeds can be grown in almost any type of container from seed trays to egg cartons as long as the container has sufficient drainage. Shallow containers are best for raising seeds. Bob has a wealth of knowledge on this topic and members were very interested and appreciative of his instructions and demonstration. Thank you Bob.

The Betty Knox Award (Best Exhibit)

Brian Hadley won the award this month with his splendid exhibit of a Lilium. It was a white Lilium with a pale pink tinge on the edges. It was very large, perfectly formed and beautifully presented. Congratulations Brian on a very well deserved win.

Popular Vote Award

A very popular winner this month was a Perennial Unifoliate Streptocarpus, a large, striking looking plant with one enormous leaf and many petite flowers of purple and mauve. It was staged by Ron Lewis. Well done, Ron.