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This month I want to use this space to thank the elected workers in the club – the committee. Everyone has not only done their basic job but has added that bit extra to the whole activity, keeping the club running, interesting and varied. They are, Don Capner, Di Morrison, Lorraine Lintern, Pamela Payne, Kate Botham, Betty Evans, Anne Pryke, Beryl Vear, Pippa Smith and Lyn Reid.. My thanks also to those who step in and help with even less recognition. Diana Erikson for providing shelter from the rain, Jenny Wein for getting the newsletters away in the mail when Pippa couldn’t, Barbara Waters for picking up the seed bank

when Kevin and Merle were incapacitated, Fran for pulling the newsletter together. Thanks to them and all the members who are sufficiently involved to give a hand as and when they see it’s needed. Lastly, if I have forgotten to name you, please forgive me. I can only plead advancing age and retreating memory. David Lintern

YOUR COMMITTEE 2011-2012

PRESIDENT: DAVID LINTERN EDITOR: PAMELA PAYNE LIBRARY: KATE BOTHAM VICE PRESIDENT: DON CAPNER COMMITTEE BETTY EVANS SECRETARY: DI MORRISON ANNE PRYKE TREASURER: LORRAINE LINTERN BERYL VEAR PIPPA SMITH

Jean Nuttall

Members attending the July meeting were treated to a first-hand glimpse of one of the Tweed Valley’s better-known private gardens, at the home of Sue and Harlie Axford. Originally sub-divided as a soldier settlement area, the property was a grassy paddock with only a few trees when Sue and Harlie started building the house and developing the garden in 1998-1999. Today it is a natural-looking rainforest of primarily local native species with charming paths and interesting sculptures, and close-up views of smaller-growing species. Strongly influenced by her mother, a Swiss-born horticulturist and great advocate for Australian native plants, Sue determined to help restore what’s

been destroyed in this heritage area by planting wherever possible local indigenous plants, as well as other native species. After more than ten years, many of the trees are growing their own stag- and elk-horns, though some plants struggle through lack of sunlight as the rainforest develops. Under the house, built sturdily on old railway bridges, a rocky waterfall replaces the original yellow clay slope, and a gigantic King Fern, hailing from the Carnarvon Gorge, thrives. A terraced vegetable garden captures the northern sun near the area where we sat for our meeting. Sue had on display photos of some of the floral treasures from the garden: the Mount Warning Lily (a Gymea related to the better-known Gymea Lily from the Sydney area); the New South Wales Waratah (Telopea speciosissima); the Dorrigo Waratah (Alloxylon pinnatum) with its lacy foliage; the Brisbane Lily (Proiphys cunninghamii); the Bolwarra (Eupomatia laurina) or native guava; and many others. Features of the walk through the garden were the clumps of Eucharis lilies flowering prolifically; the native violet covered “dell”; and the rocky bed of what was formerly a gully of kikuyu. Everyone admired the two enormous Mount Warning Lilies beside the driveway.

With no planned layout for the garden, Sue and Harlie mulched sections with cardboard cartons and mulch from the Council tip, planted their trees, and built the paths only later as the trees grew. It was a privilege for our group to be able to visit this remarkable garden, which is a testament to the vision, the determination, and the sheer hard work of Sue and Harlie Axford.

(Because I forgot to take my camera to the meeting, these are photos that I took last October at the Open Day in Sue and Harlie’s garden. PP)

Dear Editor I’d like to say how much I enjoyed the article written by Jean Nuttall and illustrated with Lyn O’Hara’s photographs in the July issue of the newsletter. The overview Jean gave of our outing to the bamboo nursery in Burringbar was comprehensive and gave

us a wonderful insight into this amazing group of plants. The photos did full justice to the beauty of the specimens held in this collection and added greatly to my enjoyment of the article. And thank you Fran for editing and distributing last month’s issue. Julia Hancock I couldn’t agree more heartily PP

Australian stamps celebrating our flowers. I’m sure I’ve missed many. Please send copies to our email and I’ll put them in another newsletter PP

Philip Wilson

While the world was recently

captivated by our collective, innate sense of competition, the baton for longevity passed from the long-standing world

champions, the Japanese, to the new record holders, Hong Kong Chinese. This can be attributed to last year's Tsunami and a recent rise in suicide rates in Japan, altering statistics in favour of their near neighbours. The average lifespan for a (female) native of Hong Kong now stands at 86.7 years. However, indigenous Okinawans, from the southernmost Japanese Prefecture, the Ryukyu Islands, continue to number five times as many centenarians amongst their ranks as most western nations. The traditional Okinawan diet contains mostly vegetables, especially those yellow and green, and a high soy/legume mix. Pork and fish are consumed rarely, and fermented foods feature in most meals. Caloric intake is fairly modest, with only about one calorie per gram of food ingested. One of the more interesting of these vegetables is the Okinawan spinach, Gynura crepidioides, a non-vining perennial ground cover which thrives in subtropical climates with little or no added input. The attractive leaves, bright green above and purple underneath, are delicious either raw and added to salads, or lightly cooked to retain their nutritional value. It is said that regular intake has reduced cholesterol levels in participants involved in clinical trials. Propagation is generally by cuttings, and although seed is produced after rare flowering events, seedlings generally revert to the dull green-only form. I have been lucky to source both varieties from a generous fellow gardener in Sydney and they are currently being trialled in Tyalgum, hopefully with material to share before long at the rate the young plants are developing. As is often the case, young Okinawans are switching to a more western based diet, with predictable consequences for their future health and life expectancy. I imagine it will be many decades before time tells. Who needs flowers when there are such gorgeous vegetables around. And so good for us, to boot. PP

with Di Morrison

lemon delicious pudding What a wonderful citrus season we are having .... mandarins, grapefruit, lemons, oranges, lemonade, limes and even a

pomelo at my place. As well as fresh fruit and juice I have been making all manner of savoury and sweet dishes incorporating the bounty. Old fashioned lemon delicious pudding with its tangy curd like sauce on the bottom and golden, sponge topping seems like a magical creation as it comes out of the oven. It is best hot with a dollop of cream or icecream but it is fine cold and even reheated the next day. I have made these in little individual serves but it is just as wonderful in a large dish. These ingredients make enough for six small dishes or a 1 litre ovenproof dish. 2 lemons, zest and juice separate ... you should have about 100ml of juice. 60g butter, plus extra for buttering dishes 1 ½ cups castor sugar 3 eggs, separated 3 tbsp. self raising flour 1 ½ cups milk 1. Pre heat oven to 180C 2. Beat the butter, sugar, lemon zest until pale .... a food processor is fine for

this if you have one. 3. Add egg yolks one at a time . 4. Add flour and milk alternately until you have a smooth batter. 5. Scrape mixture down if you need to and add lemon juice. 6. In a separate bowl whisk egg whites till firm and gently fold the two mixtures

together. 7. Pour batter into well buttered dishes. 8. Place in a baking tin and half fill the tin with hot water. 9. Bake in the oven for up to 50 minutes for a large dish but a lesser time if

using small dishes. It will be lightly brown on top and spring back when touched with a finger when cooked ... keep checking.

10. Remove dishes from the water. Dust with icing sugar if you wish or garnish with preserved peel.

Variations: Make with oranges but use less sugar. Add the pulp of 2 or 3 passionfruit to the mix

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Club member Gloria Sandercock's mother, Bertha Beadle, has just celebrated her 100th birthday. What a wealth of history she has seen. And what a profusion of gardens she has planted, tended and harvested. Congratulations, Bertha, and very best wishes from the club.

A large group of people turned out on Sunday 29 July to plant trees in the park at the junction of Glenock Road and Kyogle Road, Uki. A section of this site had been the subject of tree planting some years ago and they have grown up beautifully, but the rest of the

riverbank area had become badly infested with weeds, to the extent that the river was no longer visible. Many hands have helped to clear these weeds over the last few months to make the area ready for the new trees to take root. Once they are established they will smother out the invasive species and help retain the soil on the riverbank. Julia Hancock

Fight the flu You’ve got a sore throat, your nose is running, your body aches all over, you’re feverish, you have a persistent cough, you’ve lost your appetite, you’ve got no energy and you feel depressed. A week later you start to feel a little better, but then the symptoms come back with a vengeance. Sound familiar? If so, it’s more than likely you’re suffering from the ‘flu virus that’s currently doing the rounds, and it’s a particularly nasty

one. Hearing me coughing and wheezing my builder suggested I buy some Sambucol from the supermarket, as he found it very helpful. As the name suggests this medication is made from Sambuca nigra or black elderberry and it seems to be working for me. It’s best to take it at the start of the infection, but three weeks after trying everything else, I find it most effective. Lots of rest is vital. Julia Hancock

NEW MEMBERS Sue Yarrow Desiree Saunders Kirsteen Hornick Jeff Cousins

May your gardens thrive.

Judith White

As Alex and I travel through Europe the Garden Club is never very far from our thoughts. We’ve spent most time so far in England where it had done nothing but rain for two months, and in Greece where it

hasn’t rained at all – but in both places we’ve found a love of gardening and a growing interest in organic produce. The highlight of our time in London was unquestionably the Chelsea Physic Garden, founded in 1673 by the Society of Apothecaries to study the medicinal properties of plants. Today it’s a small miracle of biodiversity in the heart of the capital. It has a Garden of World Medicine that includes an Aboriginal section, and a section dedicated to Sir Joseph Banks. A new feature opened only this summer is the half-acre Garden of Useful and Edible Plants. Throughout the 3.8 acres flowers, vegetables and herbs are planted in close proximity, in accordance with one of the basic principles of permaculture, and

as a result bees and other insects abound. There are more than 5,000 distinct plants, some of them first named by the botanist Linnaeus who made several visits in the 1730s. In the southern Peloponnese in Greece where we’ve spent the past month, conditions are totally different. In summer it’s arid – great olive-growing country. But in the little villages, watered by hillside springs, we’ve also seen the most wonderful vegetable gardens producing superb tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplants, capsicums and greens. We asked one small farmer the secret of his massive, flavoursome tomatoes and he answered: “Water, water, water.”

We’ve also seen verdant balconies and rooftops covered with grapevines and bougainvillea which are trained up the sides of houses to give shade. The daily hosing of the front steps feeds the roots of the vines. The area’s distinctive pottery adds another special touch to many small gardens. The local farmers’ market in the town of Kalamata is huge and most of the produce is organic, and there are specialised shops for organic herbs, olive products and honey. We’re part of a worldwide movement!

Anyone wishing to follow Alex and Judith's travels can do so at: http://www.cometherevolution.com.au You’re in for a treat PP

Fabulous French Roses

Julia Hancock

To continue sharing a few of the highlights of gardens Diana Eriksen and I experienced on our recent trip to Europe, I’d like to take you to an amazing garden in Lyon called La Bonne Maison. We had a hair-raising bus trip to get there, along an old, walled Roman road designed to carry pedestrians and horse carts only. How

our bus driver managed to get us there in one piece I’ll never know. The garden was worth it though – 2.5 acres of paradise overlooking the old city of Lyon, an Eden in a jungle of buildings constructed in the 1960s and 1970s before planning regulations tightened. The current owners moved to their hillside haven in 1966 and immediately set about creating lawns, hedges and retaining walls to link the different levels and eliminate erosion. Although France is famous for its fabulous roses, it was a trip to Scotland that started their life-long love affair with Old Fashioned English roses and now their garden boasts more than 800 cultivars and named species. In 1989 it was legally declared to belong to the Association des Roses Anciennes and today people come from all over the world to admire their blooms. The roses are supported by 65 arches and 5 pergolas which were crafted by a local smithy, and are under planted by seasonal colour – spring-flowing bulbs and shrubs; and herbaceous plants during the summer and autumn months. Such growth has been encouraged with the addition of tonnes of peat dug in over the last 40 years and everything on site is composted to ensure a ready supply of organic matter. The garden is herbicide and pesticide free. To learn more visit www.labonnemaison.org.

Lynn O’Hara

Many professionals in restaurants and eateries are using or consuming the entire lemon and nothing is wasted. How can you use the whole lemon without waste? Simple..place the lemon in the freezer section of your refrigerator. Once the lemon is frozen, get your grater, and shred the whole lemon (no need to peel it) and sprinkle it on top of your foods. Sprinkle it on your whisky, wine, vegetable salad, ice cream, soup, noodles, spaghetti sauce, rice, sushi, fish dishes. All of the foods will unexpectedly have a wonderful taste, something that you may have never tasted before. Most likely, you only think of lemon juice and vitamin C. Not anymore. Now that you've learned this lemon secret, you can use lemon even in instant cup noodles. What's the major advantage of using the whole lemon? Well, you see lemon peels contain as much as 5 to 10 times more vitamins than the lemon juice itself. And yes, that's what you've been wasting. But from now on, by following this simple procedure of freezing the whole lemon, then grating it on top of your dishes, you can consume all of those nutrients and get even healthier. It's also good that lemon peels are health rejuvenators in eradicating toxic elements in the body. So place your lemon in your freezer, and then grate it on your meal every day. It is a key to make your foods tastier and you get to live healthier and longer! That's the lemon secret! Better late than NEVER!

Jean Nuttall In glorious sunshine, the Food Group met at the reserve in Bray Park for a meeting with a difference. Jan Sinclair, the Mother Nature’s Bush Tucker lady, shared her immense knowledge of local indigenous plants and their edible and medicinal properties. She explained that, throughout history, plants have provided food, shelter, dyes, glues, and material for weaving and healing. Jan has for sale plants she has propagated herself, including her “survival kit” of plants suitable for small

backyards or pots, as well as larger varieties for larger properties. Among the smaller-growing plants are the following: Lemon Myrtle: Because it’s so useful, grow it close to the back door; use fresh, or dry in a pillowcase and crush in a food processor to flavour shortbread. Jan had brought some lemon myrtle shortbread to share, to great approval. The tree benefits from pruning, to keep it at an accessible height.

Midyim Berry: A shrub spreading to 2 metres, this produces a small, beautifully speckled berry called “bush lollies” by Aboriginal children. (At a Food Group meeting several years ago, we were offered a sponge cake filled with whipped cream and delicious midyim berries.) Davidson Plum: The local variety, growing from Mullumbimby to the Tallebudgera Valley, fruits from

November to January, and is beloved of King Parrots who destroy the fruit in their search for the seeds. Great for jam and chilli sauce, and growing upright, it takes up very little space in the garden. The North Queensland variety fruits in winter, and both varieties benefit from netting to protect the fruit from the parrots. Finger Lime: This is hard to come by, and sells for $350 per pot in Melbourne! Many commercially available plants are grafted on to a fast-growing mandarin stock, but Jan’s seedlings fruit within five years. Because they are surface feeders they don’t grow well in grass; the root system should be protected and well-mulched. The fruit come in many colours and shapes and seedlings don’t come true to colour.

Warrigal Greens: Jan reported that many people are unaware that Australia produces a native leafy green. Warrigal greens are widespread, and can be used as a substitute for spinach. Because of their high oxalic acid content, however, they must be blanched before use, especially the larger leaves. They are better-known as a

vegetable in Europe than in Australia, having been taken to Britain by Sir Joseph Banks and gradually gained popularity throughout the region.

These are among the most popular of the bush tucker varieties Jan discussed, but there are many more, and Jan’s knowledge of them is inspiring. All the lillipillies, the Bolwarra, the prostantheras, pig-face, walking-stick palms, the bopple nut, sandpaper fig, diploglottis, the brown and bunya pines, dianella – and the list goes on. In the new year, Jan hopes to return to the Caldera Farmers’ Market, so a visit to her stall is highly recommended whether you have a balcony or a large acreage. After the meeting, Jan accompanied members around the park to look at the trees which she had planted 18 years ago as part of a youth employment scheme, so that we could see their shape and growth habits. If you have an interest in bush tucker, or even in local native species, why not visit the reserve in Bray Park and see them for yourself!

Cold mornings can be expected throughout this month, but by midday the sun is usually warm enough to start stripping off. Because of the low night temperatures it’s important to water plants in the morning to let them dry off during the day.

There are very few vegies you can’t plant now – perhaps it’s too late for Brussels sprouts in these parts, but other members of the brassica family can still go in. I’m already harvesting my purple cauliflowers and they’re yummy. I’ve seen an advertisement for orange ones too. Hopefully we’ll be able to get seedlings of those next year.

Some people find they can’t tolerate the sulphur in onions, but find leeks no problem at all. This is good news for them, as leeks are very easy to grow, and if you don’t eat them all it doesn’t matter because the ones that remain set seed ready for the next season. Leek and potato soup is very comforting on cold winter nights. Sprinkle some lime onto the prepared bed before you sow seeds or transplant seedlings, and don’t overwater after they’ve established, otherwise they might rot in the ground.

Hippeastrums are coming out of dormancy now, and some are even flowering. Give them a dose of liquid fertilizer to help them on their way as they form leaves and flower buds.

Jonquils that have finished flowering should be fertilized now to build up the bulb’s reserves of food for next year. Don’t remove any foliage until it’s completely dead and papery.

The thriving rhubarb growing in a large pot at Farmer’s Choice Organics in Wollumbin Street has inspired me to try that cultivation method myself, having previously failed to keep the plant alive in my soil. A progress report will be forthcoming later in the year.

If your camellia looks like it needs a bit of a haircut, or the centre has become congested with branches, prune immediately after flowering. Fertilize, water and mulch at the same time to improve results next year.

I see Yates has brought out a range of organic vegetable seeds, and one might be particularly good for here – the ‘Nantes’ carrot, which they describe as stump-ended. I never have any luck growing the lovely long tapering carrots that seem to do so well in other people’s gardens. ‘Early Chantenay’ was perhaps my best, but I’ll give the ‘Nantes’ a go and see if it’s better. Don’t forget

though that the club’s seed box is full of organic seeds, although it’s pot luck exactly which are organic as donations from members can’t be guaranteed. However, most of us are vehemently anti-poison in our gardens so the odds are pretty good that you’ll be buying pure and lovely seeds.

Lynn O’Hara

I spent a weekend recently in the Woolgoola area and just loved all the wattle that is out at the moment. The air was filled with the fragrances of these beautiful, brightly coloured fluffy yellow baubles. To me, it’s nature’s way of announcing that SPRING is just around the corner....don’t know about you, but I say, bring it on.

Saturday 25 August in Anne Pryke’s Garden at 59 Braeside Drive Uki Don Capner will talk about the work he has done in Anne’s garden and lead members through it. His focus: sustainable and accessible gardening as we age.

Bromeliad, Succulent and Orchid Spring Show at Mermaid Waters (Southport) on Friday 31st Aug. 9:00 - 4:00 Meet at Knox Park bus depot at 8:00am. Entry fee only $3.00 Please contact Lorraine Lintern 0266 79 551 to confirm

“Brimardon” 32 Braemar Place Urliup 8th and 9th September 10.00 – 4.00 02 6672 2933

September 11 at 9.30 486 Dungay Creek Rd, Dungay DIRECTIONS

Exit Murwillumbah on the Queensland Rd, past the Showgrounds.

Stay on this road- which changes to the Tomewin Rd - for approx. 5km to Dungay Public School.

Approximately 700m past the school, turn left onto Dungay Creek Rd. Continue until the bitumen ends (4km), then a further 0.9 km of dirt road with some steep, narrow portions, including a small creek crossing: Dungay Creek.

Road ends at 486 and a paved driveway takes you to your destination (300m) very steep, ok for 2 wheel drives but 4 WD or all-wheel drive is recommended.

If you wish to share 4WD transportation, a good place to meet and park is 361 Dungay Creek Rd. Here the road widens into a “turn around” and you will see all our rubbish bins.

As you continue uphill past the residence at 366 Dungay Cr. Rd you will be passing through a work site. You are encouraged to stop at the green “security” shack to say you are going to the Uki Garden Club meeting.

Because the site will be active, some additional roads will be open but should be labelled “Authorised Personnel Only”.

Past the security shack, keep to the left and shortly thereafter you will see the Uki Garden Club sign at your last intersection choice pointing to the road on the right.

Happy Gardening