Volume 13/6 June 2013 ugcnews@gmail.com

Winter is finally here – and isn’t it making itself known! We’ve had the fire going for a few nights now and luckily Tim has made sure we have a good supply of wood to keep it stoked.

The picture for this month’s Plot is of the band of merry UGC gardeners who went along to the Friendship Day hosted by Twin Towns at Cudgen on

Sunday 26th May. More about the day follows further on in the newsletter, however I’ll let you in on a secret - and I’m not mentioning any names mind you - but I know many of us went home lighter in wallet and heavier in plants on the day.

The May meeting at Julia’s former home Corymbia, at Uki was a real treat. We were blessed with sunny weather and a wonderful presentation by Julia’s friend Nimai Hendermark, a horticulturalist who has worked at Kew Gardens. Nimai shared with us so much wonderful information on orchids and how to care for them and also gave a demonstration on repotting them. As he worked away on the repotting he enthralled us with stories about his childhood spent in India and behind-the-scenes life at Kew Gardens. Add to this a swap table over flowing with plants, fruit and vegetables, the usual wonderful afternoon tea spread and a promenade around Julia’s garden - I think it is fair to say that everyone went home a winner from this meeting.

This month’s bouquet goes to Lorraine Lintern – our wonderful Treasurer. Lorraine has been in this demanding role for a few years now and ably oversees our finances, including payment of our accounts, managing our petty cash and banking our earnings from membership, raffles, the seed box and swap table proceeds. On top of all this she empties our PO Box and maintains our membership listing. Her dedication to the task is amazing and without her we would be lost. Thank you Lorraine for your hard work for the Club – we are grateful for what you do and how graciously you do it.

The June meeting was to be held at the Linterns’ however they have kindly swapped with Julia Hancock who was hosting the July meeting, as Julia has another commitment in July, so we will be meeting at Julia’s current home in Murwillumbah. For those of you who have never been to Julia’s place in Murwillumbah be prepared to be amazed and inspired by the wonderful edible garden she has created.

Well I’ve got a few plants to put in so I’m off to the garden to get cracking. Hope to see you at Julia’s at the end of June. Huroo Fran O’Hara

It was an emotional afternoon for me when I hosted the garden club meeting for the last time at my property at Corymbia, Sunrise Place, Uki on Saturday 25 May. Although it’s been over three years since I lived there myself, I have still been very attached to the place and enjoyed going there a few times a year to work in the garden. Purchased in 1997, the 1.25 acre property was a goat paddock when I moved there from Sydney, but over the years I’ve established the framework of the garden as it stands today. It’s been a labour of love and I feel privileged to have been a custodian of such a beautiful place.

I have now sold Corymbia to Ann and Grant Cameron, who some people may already know from the garden club meetings. Grant is an avid gardener who has exciting plans for the property, and Ann intends to set up a felting workshop in the garage. I am thrilled that they are both so enthusiastic about the place and look forward to seeing what they do with it over the coming years.

One of my tenants over the last few years was Nimai Hedemark who gave a fascinating talk about orchids at the meeting. Nimai has lived and worked in many exotic places, including undertaking a diploma course at Kew Gardens, England. He is passionate about his subject and had us all enthralled with his overview of the wonderful world of orchids. Nimai is still living in the Uki neighbourhood and runs his own horticultural service company. If you need advice or help in the garden please call him on 0476 952 601 or 02 6679 5697.

The Uki Garden Club was born in August 1998 and had 11 people huddled in my living room (before the extension was built so it was very cramped). It’s heart-warming to see it has gone from strength to strength in the intervening 15 years and we are attracting new members each month. I hope everyone has enjoyed coming to my garden as much as I have enjoyed having you to visit. For me personally it has been a gathering where firm friendships have been forged and a love of gardening has been exchanged. I thank each and every one of you for making the club so special and look forward to seeing everyone at my new garden at the end of this month.

Jean Nuttall

Nimai Hedemark’s hands-on discussion of orchid growing was fascinating and knowledgeable. Of Portuguese and American descent, Nimai became interested in horticulture during his family’s four-year residence in India, where his fascination with orchids began.

Nimai’s talk covered the varieties of orchids and their growing habits, the water and light requirements, the best potting barks (fir is better than pine as it lasts longer), propagation and potting methods, feeding and fertilisation, and the need for hygiene when handling plants (sterilise secateurs by heat or by dipping them in methylated spirits between uses to avoid spreading viruses).

He demonstrated his method of re-potting to ensure absolute stability of the roots in the potting mix – put some bark mix in the bottom of the pot, hold the plant to one edge to allow room for it to grow sideways across the pot, and keep adding bark till the plant is stabilised. Next, get two wooden skewers or sturdy sticks and push one on each side of the plant, as close as possible, and right to the bottom of the pot. Pull the tops of the sticks together and secure them with a cable tie or wire tie. This trick stabilises the plant in the pot, and the sticks can be removed when the roots have filled the pot.

Members appreciated Nimai’s scientific expertise coupled with his friendly openness and his

willingness to share his great experience in orchid growing, and left us feeling there was

much more we could have learned.

What veges can be planted now? Peas, Brassicas, Asian greens, Root veges - carrots, turnips, parsnips, beetroot - Radicchio, Florence fennel. In frosty areas, don’t plant beans. There’s a seasonal planting list which is kept with . the seed box for reference.

When is the right time to divide lemon grass, and to cut it back? Anytime, except in a frost pocket. But spring is best, and in late summer, the outside stems break off easily.

Why aren’t my sweet peas growing? They’re still small, not even reaching the trellis. Sweet peas must be planted before St Patrick’s Day (17th March), and they prefer an alkaline soil. Though it’s probably too late to add lime now, you could try, and dig it in.

What’s good in poor soil and full sun? Dietes; day lilies; gazanias; salvias (many varieties); lomandras.

There was a veritable horticultural cornucopia on the swap table at May’s Meeting. Here are some of the offerings from members’ gardens.

Hammerhead frangipani

Cordyline nigra (leaves black in diffused light)

Brazilian Red Cloak (sometimes known as Red Justicia)

Walking Iris (flowers prolifically in spring and summer; looks good in a hanging basket)

Aloe vera

Donkey’s ears (a succulent best in pots as it goes wild in the ground)

Species Hippeastrums with lime green and brown flowers

Worm wee

Finger limes

Bunches of fresh herbs

Nagami cumquats

Pumpkins, including Pawpaw pumpkin (good for soups and gramma pies)

Tomato seedlings (San Marzano)

And more! We’ve all benefited from the generosity of our members in sharing their plants, and this leads to great memories and great diversity of planting in our own gardens.

Sunday 26th May dawned a fabulous day for a Friendship Day and a band of around 15 keen Uki Garden Clubbers went along to support the event hosted by Twin

Towns and held at Cudgen Public school. On arrival we each received a shopping bag with the program of events, info brochures, samples and a copy of Subtropical Gardener. Then it was off to morning tea where the tea and cakes were plentiful. The program included great speakers such as Noel Burdett who spoke on the Wonderful World of Unusual Plants and Carol Kerkin (who will be a guest speaker at our November meeting) on Cottage Gardening. Outside the main hall there were stalls aplenty for us to spend our money on (and spend some of us did!). Lunchtime was soon upon us with a plate full of roast meat, veges and a very special cauliflower cheese - I mean who doesn’t like a cauliflower cheese???. After lunch there were more talks to listen and learn from and the raffles were drawn with our own Heather Neil winning not one but 2 prizes - go Heather! All in all it was a lovely day that was very well organised and a credit to Twin Towns for the work they had put in. Fran O’Hara

This photo is not very inspiring but this typical Thai home style dish is tasty and quick to make and is great for lunch or even breakfast if you are that way inclined .... either serve with plain rice or on its own. It is also an interesting alternative use for the current glut of pumpkins. A friend made a pumpkin pie for desert recently and that is also something a bit different with its rather curious sweet flavour. There is also another Thai dish where a sweetened coconut custard is cooked in a slightly hollowed pumpkin. It sets and is served in slices. Delicious ! I think you can use most of our local

pumpkins for this stir fry provided they are not too soft and watery when cooked. You can of course leave the skin on too. Ingredients for 2 people. about 500g Jap pumpkin, peeled and cut into smallish cubes 3 tbs. vegetable oil 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped 3 tbs fish sauce .... or soy as an alternative 4 eggs, lightly whisked pepper and herbs to serve. There is enough salt in the fish sauce. 1. Heat vegetable oil in a wok or similar and briefly stir fry garlic. 2. Add pumpkin and fish sauce and cover with water. Boil until pumpkin is soft and water

has evaporated. 3. Make a well in the centre and add eggs. Stir briefly. 4. Don’t overcook the eggs and remove from the heat when still a bit runny. 5. Sprinkle with ground pepper and herbs. I used Thai basil and chives.

from Lyn Reid

Pawpaw or Papaya? The fruit Australians call pawpaw is known by most of the rest of the world as the papaya, and although the names may initially appear to be interchangeable, the title of pawpaw belongs to a strange plant almost unknown

outside its native range in the United States.

Talk custard apples and the mind drifts to steamy equatorial forests where most species are quite at home in the ageless, damp, warm confines of Latin America. But several species have extended their range into temperate climes much farther north and it is one of these pioneers which has a devoted - yes, obsessed - band of fruit enthusiasts watching its every move.

Asimina triloba, the original pawpaw, has a range across much of eastern North America from the Great Lakes where they endure terrifying winter cold to the almost subtropical states on the Gulf of Mexico. Likened by some to be reminiscent in flavour to a mango, this deciduous small tree grows in riverside thickets and as an understorey plant in open forest.

In the drought of 1860, many farmers in Kansas and Oklahoma survived on the huge pawpaw and pecan crop alone and spent most of their time in the woods, cracking nuts and eating fruit. But instead of a history of enthusiasm and improvement, the pawpaw has suffered from gradual decline and neglect, often being seen as suitable only for "hogfeed". There has occasionally been an upsurge of interest and some promising specimens have been brought into cultivation from the backwoods by an intrepid band of aficionados.

Now many named varieties can be found thanks to an ongoing breeding program and there are pawpaw "festivals" from Ohio to North Carolina. Plants of such rarity are sometimes offered for sale in Australia, and, judging by the prices paid for the occasional seedling I have put on eBay, there is a small but growing interest in establishing this plant on home soil.

I import seed most years from the US and although initially they grow easily, pawpaws can be frustratingly slow to establish, and it remains to be seen whether we will ever have enough winter chill to initiate flowering and fruit development. Perhaps the best of these will indeed prove to be as tasty as our mangoes. Philip Wilson

Historians believe that the pineapple originated in Brazil in South America. It was imported to Europe later. It is also believed that Christopher Columbus and his crew members were probably the first few people from the European continent to have tasted the fruit.They imported the fruit and cultivated it in hot houses. Members of European royal families soon developed a liking for it. It gradually became available to the rich, the noble and the elite. PP

Alex Mitchell Among our members there is also a keen interest in knitting. This has a strong tradition in Australia and came to the fore during World War One. As reports reached home of the appalling conditions on the battlefields of France, women started to knit items of clothing for the soldiers overseas. Literally tons of socks, caps, jumpers and leggings were knitted by individuals and groups of knitters across the country. The tradition was resumed in World War Two but then petered out.

It has regained new life in recent years and become associated with overseas aid programmes. Recently, I came across this evocative poem which I would like to share with club members:

The Song of the Knitter Knitted on the steamboat,

Knitted in the street, Knitted by the fireside,

Knitted in the sleet. Knitted in Australia

Where the wattle grows, To send to you in France, dear,

Just to warm your toes.

Knitted by the seaside,

Knitted in the train, Knitted in the sunshine,

Knitted in the rain. Knitted here and knitted there

With the glad refrain, "May our boys who wear them

Sail safe to us again". After the 1914-18 war ("the war to end all wars") it was discovered that German mothers, grandmothers, wives and daughters knitted for their menfolk too.

YOUR COMMITTEE 2012-2013

President: Fran O’Hara Vice president: Julia Hancock Secretary: Philip Wilson (minutes) Treasurer: Lorraine Lintern Membership and library: Kate Botham Newsletter editor: Pamela Payne Members: Don Capner, Di Morrison, Lynn O’Hara

Julia Hancock June is usually a month when we can take a breather from the clamour of autumn planting, mulching, weeding and pruning and just enjoy tweaking what we’ve already done this year. Most of us will have planted out our winter vegies by now, but don’t forget that it’s a good idea to do some succession planting, especially of fast growing things like lettuce and beetroot. It’s good to plan ahead to have enough vegies to last until late spring. English spinach is a delicious vegetable that sometimes gets confused with silver beet, but it has much smaller leaves with a more delicate flavour. It’s gorgeous just sweated in a plan with butter. If you’ve got good loam, seed will germinate easily now. If your soil is still a work in progress it may be better to plant seedlings. It is a cut-and-come-again crop, so harvest the outer leaves regularly to induce new ones to sprout.

Caterpillars seem to be hoeing into all the brassicas at the moment. Why not take Greg James’s advice from Farmer’s Choice Organics and blitz them with a neem solution. Sasanqua camellias have been flowering since March but most are now dwindling or finished altogether. It’s time to give them a quick prune if necessary. If they are not overgrown there is no need to trim them. Lyn O’Hara brought some lovely (rare in these parts) white frangipani cuttings to the club on Saturday. Now is the time to take cuttings from these useful trees. Nimai reminded us that they are one of the few smooth-barked trees that orchids like growing on.

If you’re potting up some winter colour for around the house (e.g. pansies, lobelia, primulas) be aware that you won’t need to add so much fertilizer as is recommended on the packet because our town water already contains a percentage of salts that supplement pre-prepared fertilizers. (Another tip from Nimai). For people paying water rates it’s good to know we get added value from our taps. Have you got any lovely hydrangeas that you’d like to share? If so,

now is the time to take cuttings.

When the sun doesn’t shine peas tend not to produce flowers and subsequently pea pods. May has been a month of varied weather conditions which has hindered pea crops but they should get back on track in June if we have clear, sunny days. Take a moment to enjoy the various winter fragrances as you walk around your garden and the neighbourhood. Is it my imagination or do things smell stronger in cold weather?

We had a lovely meeting at Kate Botham’s on 14 May and, despite low cloud, we managed to stay dry for the morning. Highlights of Kate’s garden were her amazing containerised citrus trees and a stunning heirloom orchid with a heady perfume. We had a discussion along the following lines: Nothwithstanding the fact that David and Lorraine Lintern are doing structural work at the moment, their garden is coming along reasonably well. We’ll get a chance to inspect at the July meeting. Lorraine has made two batches of rosella jam this year as their crop has been fabulous, and they are still picking cucumbers! Gwen has had such huge heads of broccoli she’s had to give them away to all her family and friends. She didn’t realise until she cooked some herself that the broccoli came with extra protein i.e. it was infested with green caterpillars. Some people couldn’t cope with it, while others just shrugged and ate it anyway. Guinea fowl are good at de-bugging in the garden but are noisy.

Tony has been making fruit wines; he has pumpkins everywhere and his garlic is growing well.

Natalie put in straw bale gardens for tomatoes and spuds. She’s aiming to have a garden full of flowers for her daughter’s 21st birthday in August.

Jim has finally created a beautiful fine loam in his vegie garden after several years of improving the soil.

Tess says her leeks are doing well. Despite pruning the grape vine heavily it’s already sprouting again. Her litchi got a huge haircut this year. Diana has been enjoying the fruits from her Monstera deliciosa plant for several weeks. Now. She’s had helpful woofers working in her garden. Ehurle has had a good strike rate with his parsnip seeds but is having trouble transplanting them.

Jenny has been making cordial from rosellas, and she’s found some good recipes on Annette McFarlane’s website. Her Thai pink tomatoes are just about to fruit. They are a small plant which copes well with the wet. Her pepinos are powering.

Desiree has grown some whopping broccoli and cauliflowers since the rain.

Helen had a late start with her vegie patch this autumn. She’s making rosella syrup for ice cream and lemonade cocktails.

Kevin brought along some ‘pawpaw’ pumpkin that can be used as a jap but also as a gramma. Bush rats got into his broccoli. He purchased some dark purple potatoes from Singhs and brought along some chitted pieces for people to try out. He’s been taking off the lateral shoots from his tomatoes and planting them up as cuttings.

Dot has clay soil at her new abode in Ocean Shores but is growing her first crop – bok choi. She’s looking for suppliers of bulk soil – Wards at Mullumbimby are quite good. We’ll see Dot’s garden at the food group this month. Grae is growing all sorts of vegies in large wheelbarrows which he got from the tip recycling. He’s finally started gardening in Murwillumbah after working overseas for 30 years. Merle has been enjoying pineapples and custard apples and their citrus is just starting. ‘Pink Mammoth ’ is the best custard apple to grow.

Kate’s almost turned into a rabbit she’s been eating so many greens.

Did you know: Florence fennel is one of the three main herbs used in the preparation of absinthe, an alcoholic mixture which originated as a medicinal elixir in Switzerland and became, by the late 19th century, a popular alcoholic drink in France and other countries. Often called the green fairy, It was very popular with the Parisian artists, poets and intellectuals of the late 19th century and early 20th century.

.

At the September meeting at Philip & Richard's Tyalgum property last year, several people asked for seed of the flowering Nicotiana alata "Sensation" which was in full bloom at the time. Philip has collected a quantity of seed and is happy to share some if anyone still wishes to try growing it.

When applying trace elements under trees don’t pull back the mulch to do so. Put the trace elements on top of the old mulch then put new mulch on top. Water well in. Keep grass out as far as the drip-line. Julia Hancock

and the winner is …..

With their ninth and last entry in the Chelsea Flower Show, the team from Fleming’s Nurseries won Best in Show. Trailfinders Australian Garden is the work of Melbourne-based landscape designer Phillip Johnson and a team lead by Fleming’s director, Wes Fleming.

Among the other winners were:

Best Artisan Garden: a Japanese Alcove (Tokonoma) Garden

built around a traditional tatami room.

Best Fresh Garden: After the Fire, an interpretation of a

forest regeneration

Plant of the Year 2013: Mahonia

eurybrachteata subsp. ganpinensis ‘Soft Caress’

And every good festival should have a fringe. The Chelsea Fringe is only in its second year, but already it has around 200 entries scattered about the streets of London.

PP

change of venues for meetings

Please note that the June main meeting which was to have been hosted by the Linterns is now at Julia Hancock’s place in Murwillumbah. And the Linterns will be hosting the July main

meeting instead.

next meeting: the June meeting of the Uki Garden Club will be held at the home of

Julia Hancock, 183 Murwillumbah Street, Murwillumbah (phone 02 6672 2506) on Saturday 29 June at 2pm. Murwillumbah Street is the residential end of Main Street. It is a cul-de-sac so parking is limited at the bottom end where Number 183 is located on the right hand side. For this reason it would be wise to car pool as much as possible. The meeting will be held in the back garden, so please make your way down the path and steps on the right hand side of the house, taking care not to slip if it’s wet. Please bring chairs, something for arvo tea, cup, something for the swap table and some small change for the raffle. JH

food group: the June meeting will be at Dot Francis’s new home. 5 Gibingbell Close,

Ocean Shores on Tuesday 11th June at 9.30am. Phone: 6680 1975

Travel south on Tweed Valley Way to the first roundabout into Ocean Shores & turn left into Orana Rd. Drive approximately 1km to Reka Way, the third street on the right from the roundabout. If you overshoot it & find yourself at the next roundabout near the top of the hill, just do a U turn & come back to the second street on the left. (Reka Way)

Turn right into Dandaloo Way, then left into Tindara Ave, then hang a left into Gibingbell Close. (These last three turns are all in very close proximity).

No 5 is just to the left of the house that dominates the far end. (Don't blink or you'll miss it)! Cheers Dot

AGM: our AGM will be held at the July meeting at the Linterns’ home. There are two

forms attached to this newsletter: Membership form for 2013-2014 and nomination form for the 2013-2014 committee. Why not nominate!

seed savers and seedlings: Kevin Munsie, does an excellent job keeping

the seed box stocked and sorted and is also an energetic seed collector. He’s looking for more seeds. He asks that seed packets are labelled with the name of the seeds, of course, and also the name of the member who contributed them. This way, particularly good seeds can be traced back to their source – and unsuccessful ones discarded.

Kevin also suggested that, if members buy a punnet of seedlings but only need one or two, the remainder are brought to our meeting – for distribution or sale for a token.

book bargain: Barbara Waters bought the huge book, Flora, published by Gardening

Australia when it first came out, but she doesn’t use it. If anyone would like it, plus the CD, she would love to get rid of it, for a small price. 6672 1660

library: Kate Botham has the latest editions of Grassroots and Subtropical Gardening.

If anyone would like to read them before the next meeting, please phone Kate - 6672 4156 – to arrange pick up or delivery.

Happy gardening and thanks to all Pamela

Uki Garden Club Executive Committee

Nomination Form I………………………………………………………….……(full name), being a financial

member of the Uki Garden Club hereby accept nomination for the position of member of

the Executive Committee.

......................................................... .................................... Signature of Nominee Date Please circle position: President / Vice President / Secretary / Treasurer / Ordinary member

I………………………………………………………….……(full name), being a financial

member of the Uki Garden Club hereby nominate ……………………………………….as

member of the Executive Committee.

......................................................... .................................... Signature of Proposer Date

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