Author: Maria Bell

Saumarez Homstead Garden Visit

For those attending this excursion to the Armidale region you might be interested in the garden guide for one of the destination gardens – Saumarez Homstead. To see the full plant list of the gardens visit this National Trust website. The nine gardens are described as well as lists of species found in each garden. […]

Zone Friendship Day – 27 Oct 2022

A reminder that your RSVP should have been done by 30 September however, if you would like to attend please contact Sue Young – her details are on the second page of the flyer. The planning committee has decided that it would be much easier if funds were paid up front for the Botanic Garden […]

Outing for 29 Sept 2022

Take II. We visit a garden which was absolutely hammered with hail a year ago to see how it has regenerated. Also a visit to Sth Coffs Community garden.

Blue Billygoat Weed – Ageratum houstonianum

A native to Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean this plant appears on the ‘Bushland Friendly Nursery Scheme’ list of environmental weeds for Coffs Harbour. It is an annual or short-lived perennial herb growing to around 1 metre and is a widespread weed of disturbed areas. Blue billygoat weed has been widely cultivated as a […]

September 2022 – Euphorbia

KINGDOM:  Plantae ORDER:  Malpighiales FAMILY:  Euphorbiaceae GENUS:  Euphorbia Did you know? Poinsettias are actually Euphorbias – E. pulcherrima. Euphorbia is a very large genus with about 2,000 species of annuals, perennials, shrubs and trees and includes spiny cactus and showy perennials – they have it all covered! Commonly known as spurges, the main characteristic of […]

Hay Bale Gardening

There are many expert gardeners who extol the virtues of using hay bales for the garden. There are many benefits of using them – especially in the vegetable patch. Hay bales are grasses that have been dried, then baled. One minor drawback is there may be some seeds which fall from the bale and germinate, […]

August 2022 – Hellebore aka Winter Roses

KINGDOM: Plantae ORDER:  Ranunculales FAMILY:  Ranunculaceae GENUS:  Helleborus There are approximately 20 species of herbaceous or evergreen perennial flower plants in the family Ranunculaceae, within which it gave its name to the tribe of Helleboreae. Despite names such as ‘winter rose’, ‘Christmas rose’ and ‘Lenten rose’, hellebores are not closely related to the rose family […]