July Meeting

Tuesday 21st July 2015

Topic - Hellebores

Presenter - Peter Leigh

(Post Office Farm Nursery - Woodend)

Today's guest speaker was Peter Leigh from the Post Office Farm Nursery in Woodend, which specialises in growing Hellebores. Peter brought along an impressive display of beautiful Hellebores for the members to admire and purchase (which they did with much enthusiasm!). The members were treated to a very interesting talk all about Hellebores, which included their history and how to grow and maintain them. Peter informed us that Hellebores need a colder climate to thrive, so Melbourne and Tasmania are Australia's best locations for that purpose. They are also drought tolerant and require good drainage. They do well in clay soil but not so in sandy soil. Their growth period is May to October. When it comes to deciding where to plant them, Peter suggested the best position would be under deciduous trees as they need sun in winter and shade in summer. If you are growing them in pots they will need to be large pots as they have a big root system. Thank you very much Peter for a wonderful talk that was greatly enjoyed and appreciated.

The Betty Knox Award (Best Exhibit)

This month the award for the best exhibit went to Aileen Hogan for her lovely display of Osteospermum, commonly known as the African Daisy. The exhibit consisted of perfectly shaped flowers of vibrant colours such as orange, yellow, and white with purple centres, and was displayed in a pretty little white china vase. Congratulations Aileen on an eye-catching winner!

Popular Vote Award

The most popular vote award for July was won by Glenda Barker for her beautiful exhibit of a pot of Viola. The members were very taken by this pretty and imaginative display. It truly was a taste of spring in the middle of a cold winter. Well done Glenda - Congratulations!