October’s garden club meeting was filled with fun, creativity and beauty.

The Flora of the Month never disappoints.  This month’s offering were:

• Steven Wedd – (1) Phaius Australia (swamp orchid) – beautiful specimen over a metre tall, native to this area. Can propagate by laying spent flower stems horizontally on garden bed.  (2) two varieties of Penstemon flowers – perennial – come in many colours
• Beth Noble – Louisiana iris – grows in pond or garden bed
• Julia Bambery – (1) Paphiopedilum greensak orchid– hybrid, green colour. Won first prize at the Casino show. (2) Paphiopedilum Billy Cardinao orchid – hybrid (3)) Yellow clivia.
• Fay Bogg – Rainforest small under storey tree – powder puff plant (Syzygium wilsonii wilsonii) – clusters of white seeds form where flowers have been. Fay suggests this would grow anywhere! Her plant is about 30 years old.  Takes about 2 years to flower.

Carol Lea, Annet Rassow and Faye Dwyer, three of our members, each presented a mini workshop using flowers and foliage gathered from their own gardens.

Carol demonstrated the making of a very large wreath using young thin branches and intertwined to make a circle.  She then wrapped chicken wire filled with coconut fibre around part of the wreath to be used a “frog”.   Fresh flowers and foliage was then inserted it this until it was full and beautiful.  This method of course can be used when making fresh flora wreaths of any size.

Annet demonstrated how to make a kokedama using coconut fibre and twine to hold the plant in place.  The twine will break down after a while.  She suggested you could use paperbark or moss to wrap the plant in.  She suggested that the kokedama be put in a bucket of water once a week.

Faye demonstrated how to make delicate wreaths in different shapes, eg heart shaped, using mulberry branches or any other fine pliable branches.  She then attached dried flowers for a long lasting piece. She collects flowers from her garden and then dries them by tying bunches together and hanging them upside down.

Spring is definetly in the air .  So many members bought in plants for our Auction.  As one of our main fund raisers we are always so glad to see the generosity of the growers and the buyers.

After so much activity afternoon tea was most welcome.  A big thanks to this month’s caters.

We are so thankful to have such a creative group of members.