We visited lovely gardens large and small during 2019.  Thank you to all who open their gardens for us and to Geraldine for being my backstop.
 
I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and safe and healthy New Year.

Our first outing in 2020 will be on Thursday February 27th.   
​   
Gwen Turner 0438627010 or 5762 7017

October 24th - Beechworth 
Meet at U3A car park at 9.30 a.m.   A quick morning tea at our room before we head off to Beechworth to visit Peter Rucins garden at 13 Spring Street Beechworth.  We then have a second garden to visit, that of Paul West 4 Fleury Court Beechworth.  There is a $5 entry for this garden.
Lunch will be at the Hibernian Hotel 36 Camp Street Beechworth at your own cost.  

November 28th - Benalla  
Meet at U3A car park at 9.30.  Morning tea and our first garden will be at Bill and Helen Squires, 15 McNulty Drive 57626334.    Tea, coffee and hot water supplied bring a plate to share.
We will drop into Wilma and Kevin Green’s garden to see Kevin’s garden art on our way to Geraldine and Garry McCorkell’s farm garden for lunch.  Our lunch will be catered for, by Helen Kerekes at a cost of $12 per person.

Please advise me if you are coming and any dietary requirements.  Gwen 0438627010 or 5762 7017.

Gwen Turner

September 26th
Meet at U3A car park at 9.30.
We are going to Julie Wells farm garden, 52 Box Hill Lane Upotipotpon.  Julie’s phone number is  0402213052.
Please bring morning tea to share, milk, tea and coffee, hot water will be provided.
Lunch at Violet Town Hotel, 16 Cowslip Street Violet Town (own cost).
 
October 24th
Meet at U3A Cark park at 9.30.
Morning tea at our rooms before we leave.  We are heading off to Beechworth to visit  Peter Rucins' garden at 13 Spring Street Beechworth.
Lunch to be arranged. Please advise me if you are coming and if you have any dietary requirements.  Gwen 5762 7017 or Mobile 0438627010

​Gwen Turner

August is our Winter break, so no Garden Appreciation
 
September 26th

Meet at U3A car park at 9.30.  We will be going to Julie Wells farm garden at 52 Box Hill Lane Upotipotpon.
​ 
Please bring morning tea to share.  Milk, tea, coffee and hot water will be provided.  Lunch will be at Violet Town Hotel, 16 Cowslip Street Violet Town.  This will be at your own cost.

Gwen Turner 0438 627 010

​JUNE 27th
Meet in the U3A room at 10.00 a.m.  Guest speaker will be Vicki Wight from Samaria Rose Farm.  Vicki explains growing 2000 Damask Roses for the purpose of making Rosewater and Essential Oil.  Come for the beautiful scent of Roses.  Vicki will also have some product for sale.
Bring a plate to share for morning tea.
 
JULY 25TH
Meet in the U3A room at 10.00 a.m.
This will be a swap day,  bring some plants, seeds, cuttings, books and bulbs etc.  or just come for a cuppa and a chat about gardens.
 
AUGUST
There will be no Garden Appreciation in August, this is our winter break.  We will gather again in September for a Spring garden somewhere around us. 

​
Gwen Turner

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.
​
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.
​
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
​
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
​
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