March 2025
Hello Gardening Friends,
February disappeared without me having written a newsletter. Things such as major house renovations, a very busy month in the garden, and general life took over. As we have had such a mild summer with plenty of rain, it has been possible to continue planting out and moving plants throughout February, so a lot has been achieved.
One of our projects was the digging up, dividing, sharing with friends, and the replanting of the coral and white peonies into the nearby paddock where the carpark is. These peonies have been in the ground for thirty years, so they not only were ready for dividing but also were leaving a place where their colours weren't compatible with surrounding plants. These surrounding plants have changed over the last thirty years as originally everything looked ok in its place for me.
Photo 1: I mentioned in my previous newsletter ( go to the website to see previous newsletters) that I would show you a photo of a fully opened Angelica gigas flower. Here it is complete with bees. What a striking plant it is and as I would like lots more of them I have collected seed which will be sown fairly soon, as well as the hope that some seeds will drop in the soil and Nature will do her work. A. gigas is a biennial plant.
Photo 2: We have been doing a lot of work in the orange-red garden over the past two to three years so that the orange-reds will gradually move into wine shades. This has been done with the help of moving well established Berberis ‘Helmond Pillar’ plants which have taken a couple of years to resettle. Our latest addition to the wine side of the garden is wine-coloured penstemons which I have been growing on in the potager garden. I am looking forward to seeing the final result later in the year.
Photo 3: One of the exciting successes for me has been the flowering of the Kirengeshoma palmata plants. I’ve tried this plant before, unsuccessfully, but now I think we’re well underway with it. Some plants have flowered with their yellow waxy bells which give me so much pleasure and I am hoping to see clumps develop to about a metre, as the books say. I wonder how many people grow this plant?
Photo 4: A plant that I have written about before is Agapanthus inapertus, which with its inky violet drooping flowers attracts much attention in the garden. It goes dormant in winter.
Photo 5: A photo of our “other gardener” who can often be seen in gumboots and work shorts, fixing something in the garden, mowing the lawns or turning the compost. Many of you will know Ron who has also been here for thirty three years, and without his help the garden wouldn’t happen.
We’ve had many garden visitors this season and more groups coming to enjoy the autumn colour. Our plants are selling well, which is encouraging to know that people like what they see at Frensham.
I’m off to the Melbourne Flower Show tomorrow. Having visited many years ago, I am looking forward to seeing what the latest trends are.
Very best wishes to you all for the winding down season,
Margaret
