There are still some seats left on the bus for our trip to Cloud Hill in Olinda on the 23rd May.  You don’t have to be a member of Garden Appreciation to come on this lovely day out.

We meet at the Benalla Rose Gardens at 7.30 am.  The cost will be $45 which covers the bus, morning tea, entry and tour of the magnificent gardens. Lunch, at your own cost, will be at Olinda Café.  

​It is necessary to book and pay by 18th April.  Payment can be left at the Redb4 bookshop in Bridge Street.  Please confirm with Gwen 0438627010 or 5762 7017 if you are joining us.

Wangaratta U3A Garden Appreciation group met some of our Garden  group in the Benalla Gardens on the 12th March followed by lunch at the Bowls Club.  A good opportunity to swap ideas and chat about `gardening’!

Anzac Day 25th April – Brown Brothers
As the roads around the Seniors building will be closed off for Anzac Day March we will meet at the Mitre 10 Car park at 10.00 a.m.
Morning tea will be at Brown Brothers Vineyard and garden and if enough people come we will have lunch at Whorouly otherwise somewhere local in Milawa.  After lunch there could be a mystery visit to somewhere, yet to be organised!!

May 23rd  - Cloud Hill, Olinda
A bus trip with Benalla Bus Lines to Cloude Hill Olinda.  This is a magnificent garden in the Dandenongs.   Stone walls and garden `rooms’ and complete with a nursery.
Meet at Benalla Rose Gardens at 7.30am. The cost will be $45 which covers the bus, morning tea, entry and tour.  Lunch at own cost “Olinda Cafe”. 
Please book and pay by 18th April.  Payment can be at Meet and Mingle that week or left at the Redb4 Bookshop in Bridge Street.

Please confirm with Gwen 0438627010 or 5762 7017 if you are attending either of these days.

Gwen Turner

12th March The Wangaratta U3A Garden group would like to meet us at 10.30 a.m. in the Benalla gardens for a chat and swap ideas with the possibility of lunch at the Golf Club.  Once again could you let Gwen know if you would be available for this.

March 28th.   We are off to Cactus Country on the Murray Valley Highway in Strathmerton.  Admission is $12.50 for 20 people or more.  Lunch is offered at the venue, $15 for Lasagne and salad or Vegetable Frittata with salad this includes tea and coffee.  An extra is a serve of cactus cake with icecream. 

We will leave from the Seniors car park at 9.30 a.m. Car pooling with a map and instructions will be available then.  Please give Gwen a ring on 5762 7017 if you are coming on this trip.


Gwen Turner

Our gardens have suffered greatly in this heat over the summer but two contrasting local gardens are available for us to see for our outing in February.  Our first garden is Ros and Ken Horsburgh in Gray Street, a small beautifully tended garden and the second garden to visit is Barbara Buchanan in Riverview Street, a lovely native garden with plenty to see.  Barbara is a native garden enthusiast. 
 
We will meet in the Seniors car park at 9.30 am and will have a coffee in the U3A rooms before we depart.  Both these gardens are off Coster Street, (near the hospital), so not much travelling involved.  After our garden visits we will have lunch together (to be decided).
 
See you all at 9.30 am on Thursday 28th February in the car park behind the Seniors building.
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Gwen Turner and Geraldine McCorkell

Garden Appreciation's  end of year lunch at Geraldine's was a very happy and enjoyable event despite rain necessitating us to be inside instead of enjoying sitting in Geraldine's beautiful and interesting garden. You can see from the photos that there was a lot of chat! The food was delicious.

Sandie Chrimes

A Seniors Week morning tea organised by U3A  meant  Garden Appreciation did not have an outing in October. 

For our last gathering on the 22nd November we will meet behind the Seniors at 10.00 a.m. and visit the garden of Robyn and Les Maclean for morning tea before heading out to McCorkell’s farm at 686 Samaria Road, a 10 minute drive. 

Lunch will be catered for at $12 per person so please let Gwen (5762 7017)  know the week before if you are able to come.  This will be our last meeting for 2018.

Geraldine McCorkell

Garden Appreciation on October 25

There has been a change from the planned visit to Peard's nursery in Albury to enable group members to attend the Seniors Festival Morning Tea and Poetry Reading at the Senior Citizens Community Centre on October 25th from 9.30 to 11.30am.  After morning tea we will head out to May’s garden at Warrenbayne.
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Gwen Turner 

On 27th September, the Garden Appreciation Group visited the beautiful, large and inspiring garden of Kathleen Yates, Baddaginnie/Benalla Road. A relatively new project, constructed to complement the new house, it has been a labour of love for Kathleen, her husband and her Dad.

In early Spring, the garden looked a picture, with a Waterlilly covered pond and little bridge accessing a large Gazebo, several large shade trees, ornamental garden statues, pockets of bulbs, succulents, grasses, lillies and, on the Eastern side, outside the Japanese inspired main bathroom, a gorgeous Japanese garden, largely built by Katheen's handyman Dad. Kathleen showed us around the house interior, where her decorating prowess and her clever Dad's carpentry skills were evident in every room.

Our group gathered on the shady veranda for morning tea. The fluffy sponge disappeared without trace! Lunch venue afterwards was the Royal Hotel. 

Thank you Kathleen for providing such a lovely Garden to Appreciate.

Bev Thornell ​

September 27

Meet at 10 a.m. in U3A car park behind the Seniors building  We will visit the beautiful, large and inspiring garden of Kathleen Yates, 764 Baddaginnie Benalla Road.  Please bring a small plate to share as well as a cup, and hot water in a Thermos (milk, tea and coffee are provided).  Lunch will be at The Royal on the corner of Bridge St East and Arundel Street. 

October 25th
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Meet at 9.30 a.m. in U3A car park behind the Seniors building. We will visit Peard’s Nursery 119 Borella Road, East Albury with lunch at the Nursery Café. Morning tea to be arranged.

GwenTurner 5762 7017 or 0438627010

August
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August we have our winter break.

September 27th    Baddaginnie garden.

Meet at 10 a.m. in U3A car park behind the Seniors building

We will visit the beautiful large inspiring garden of Kathleen Yates, 764 Baddaginnie Benalla Road.  Please bring a small plate to share as well as a cup, and hot water in a Thermos (milk, tea and coffee are provided).

Lunch venue to be arranged.

Phone Gwen Turner 5762 70917 or 0438627010

On the 26 July we will meet at 9.30 a.m. in the U3A carpark behind the Seniors building to go to Vintage Hall Café Glenrowan for a discussion on Australian Native Plants and their uses for cooking and wellness.

The use of Australian Native plants for culinary use is a growing trend with many of Australia’s top chefs using them in their restaurants.

Pam Stirling has owned a spice company for 14 years, growing, blending and selling spice blends.  Pam will be speaking about:

• Wild harvest
• Cultivation
• Availability
• Culinary uses
• Wellness.

We will start with morning tea, followed by a discussion with Pam, finishing with lunch at the venue. Both morning tea and lunch are at our own cost. Dietary needs are catered for.

August is our winter break.

Call Gwen Turner 0438627010 or 5762 7017

Our winter program begins on June 28th in the U3A rooms.  We will begin at 9.45 a.m. to hear guest speaker Marjorie Porter.  Marjorie is the author of `A Seed is planted, Royal Horticultural Society of Victoria From 1848-2014’.  This should be a very interesting session. 

Please bring a small plate to share for morning tea.  Lunch to be arranged.
​
Gwen 5762 7017 or 0438627010.

​​The U3A group had a bus trip on Thursday 26th April to Ballarat Botanical Gardens followed by a beautiful lunch at Pipers Restaurant, then went onto Lambley Nursery & Gardens. Such an inspiring garden and fabulous veggie garden.

Lambley Nursery and Gardens
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A must-see. Thanks to Gwen for all her organising.

Phyllis Doxey

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​Coming up - On May 24th we will visit the farm garden of Lyn and Peter Tanner, 222 Quinn Road, Goorambat.  We will have morning tea.  Please bring a mug and a small plate to share.  Hot water, tea, coffee and milk will be provided.  Then we are off to Devenish and Goorambat to see the Wall to Wall Art.  Lunch at the Railway Hotel, Goorambat.  Meet at 9.30am in the U3A car park behind the Seniors building.

Gwen Turner 5762 7017  M 0438627010

​Garden Appreciation Trip - Thursday 26 April - We have a full bus for our trip to the Ballarat Botanical Gardens & Lambley Nursery on 26th April.  We will be leaving  from the car park behind the Fire Brigade building at 7.15 am on the dot - so try to arrive earlier than this if you can.  Lunch will be at Pipers by the Lake at own cost.  Gwen is happy to put names on a waiting list in case a space becomes available.  The cost of the coach would be $30 per person.  Contact Gwen 5762 7017 or 0438 627 010.