We are being treated to the best ever weather – a little cooler at night with temps down below 10 degrees C and sunny days to 22 C. The camellias are loving it although the air is dry, there is still lots of moisture in the ground and the plants are looking great. I did manage to replace the garden mulch that got washed away in our recent wet weather and as well as keeping the moisture in and the weeds out, it makes the gardens look great.
For the last two weekends, we have been open and had a great bunch of people through, some just wandering the gardens enjoying the flowers, but most just cannot resist the temptation of adding to their camellia collection. Some come with a wish list of plants they want and in most cases we are able to satisfy. We still have about 200 different varieties and a few thousand plants available for sale – most in 140mm pot size only. We will be open this weekend – Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 May – 8.00 am to 3.00 pm and we are looking forward to playing in the garden again!
The sasanquas are still flowering – the early ones like Mikuni-ko and Silver Dollar – are all but finished, and the japonicas are starting. It is amazing what a difference a week makes – last week we saw the first flower on our sasanqua x reticulata hybrids Flower Girl and Dream Girl – and this week they have dozens of flowers. In the garden, early standouts are Alba Plena and its sport Fimbriata, Wildfire, Arejishi, Susie Fortson, Little Man, hybrid Isaribi with its lovely fragrance, and so many more coming into flower, I cannot possibly list them all here. It looks like another great season.
The colour on the Vireya Rhododendrons that are in flower is amazing – from yellows, orange, bi-colour, the burnt reds of Deep Heat, the reds of Birat Red and Inferno, white Gwenevere, fragrant Stephie and Strawberry Parfait and pink Bob’s Choice and Pink Dream – all make the garden jump out at you.
What a great time of the year to be a gardener!
Dates to remember:
Sunday 27 May – Glasshouse Sustainability and Garden expo at Beerwah
Saturday 9 and Sunday 10 June – Gardening on the Edge – Maleny Garden Club open gardens – Maleny High School Hall
Saturday 30 June and Sunday 1 July – Kellyfield Camellias, 958 Kidaman Creek Road, Curramore, Maleny – 9.00 am to 4.00 pm – displays of japonicas and reticulata camellias.
Friday 6, Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 July – Queensland Garden Expo, Nambour Showgrounds – simply the best garden show in Australia – some bias shown here – come for the day or for the weekend – check out options and package deals on the website – www.qldgardenexpo.com.au
