"COMMUNITY" One meaning of the word is “groups of people having common interests” For example Garden Clubs.
When we semi-retired around 2000, we got involved with several garden clubs. We had bought a house with a large yard with an out-of-control garden, which we cleared and were keen to replant. Perhaps garden clubs would be a good starting point.
Firstly, we joined a Camellia club which covered NE Victoria and southern NSW. Through it we met many new people while learning how to grow camellias. We travelled to other people’s gardens for monthly meetings, seeing new country and different growing conditions. We excitedly bought camellias and planted them. We learned how to graft. We went to shows, as onlookers not exhibitors, helping with the setting up and cleaning up.
Sadly, our garden was too hot and lacking shade and shelter, so we lost quite a few plants. We found the reds were tougher than the delicate pinks and whites, and the sasanqua were easier to grow than japonicas!
In April 2002 we went to the Bendigo Chrysanthemum Show. We had always liked Chrysanthemums, but the show was a real eye opener! We were amazed by the various types, colors, and tremendous size of the show type chrysies. Our curiosity was aroused - we wanted to know how to propagate and eventually show. We turned up at the next club meeting, ready to learn. They were friendly people and we met someone very willing to help us.
Growing cuttings wasn’t very easy for a start, but Ray soon got the hang of it--the special soil mix, right amount of water, the PH, and later, the chemicals to promote growth. We entered into this with great gusto! Ray bought a huge shade house to house all the large pots and made wire trellis to hold up the tall plants. I worked in the outside garden – two very different activities. The show types were carefully pruned to give 2-3 large flowers, but the garden ones were cut back to half in November, then the top ¼ cut off in January to produce compact bushy plants with large clusters of flowers in late April and May.
Both lots of plants did well--so well that Ray won several prizes in the next Bendigo Chrysanthemum show. However, there was a lot to learn about presentation at shows. The club members were very kind and helpful and we made many friends. We ventured further afield to shows at Albury and Melbourne, getting to know a lot of growers there. We even had joint meetings at home, our garden being centrally located. We included other shows in our holidays and visited Hobart, Perth and Adelaide.
The next year we had a shed full of large flowers and large outside garden. Someone said flowers like that deserve an audience to appreciate them. The idea of an open garden weekend was born, with Benalla Hospital Auxillary the recipient. We potted our surplus cuttings and sold bunches of flowers at the open day and up the street prior to Mother’s Day.
The Open Garden weekend was a roaring success, with the small entry fee, morning and afternoon teas, bunches of flowers and pots of chrysies for sale, around $10,000 was made that first weekend! I didn’t do the garden alone now, club members helped tie up plants and with the cutting down. What woman doesn’t enjoy working with flowers!
For three years we opened our garden. We were not interested in competitive showing, just the sheer beauty of the blooms, and having people enjoy them. I loved picking and bunching flowers and the companionship. Sadly, by the fourth year Ray was unwell and I developed back problems, so it was over! However, we were pleased to be instrumental in raising money for the hospital and giving so many people pleasure.
A high point of the exercise was having a chrysanthemum named after me. It had been sent over from a western Australian grower, who wanted to see it grown to its full potential in our climate. It flourished here, a beautiful pale pink reflex which now wins prizes in sections of the show. Perhaps Margaret Nelson will be around for a while!
When we semi-retired around 2000, we got involved with several garden clubs. We had bought a house with a large yard with an out-of-control garden, which we cleared and were keen to replant. Perhaps garden clubs would be a good starting point.
Firstly, we joined a Camellia club which covered NE Victoria and southern NSW. Through it we met many new people while learning how to grow camellias. We travelled to other people’s gardens for monthly meetings, seeing new country and different growing conditions. We excitedly bought camellias and planted them. We learned how to graft. We went to shows, as onlookers not exhibitors, helping with the setting up and cleaning up.
Sadly, our garden was too hot and lacking shade and shelter, so we lost quite a few plants. We found the reds were tougher than the delicate pinks and whites, and the sasanqua were easier to grow than japonicas!
In April 2002 we went to the Bendigo Chrysanthemum Show. We had always liked Chrysanthemums, but the show was a real eye opener! We were amazed by the various types, colors, and tremendous size of the show type chrysies. Our curiosity was aroused - we wanted to know how to propagate and eventually show. We turned up at the next club meeting, ready to learn. They were friendly people and we met someone very willing to help us.
Growing cuttings wasn’t very easy for a start, but Ray soon got the hang of it--the special soil mix, right amount of water, the PH, and later, the chemicals to promote growth. We entered into this with great gusto! Ray bought a huge shade house to house all the large pots and made wire trellis to hold up the tall plants. I worked in the outside garden – two very different activities. The show types were carefully pruned to give 2-3 large flowers, but the garden ones were cut back to half in November, then the top ¼ cut off in January to produce compact bushy plants with large clusters of flowers in late April and May.
Both lots of plants did well--so well that Ray won several prizes in the next Bendigo Chrysanthemum show. However, there was a lot to learn about presentation at shows. The club members were very kind and helpful and we made many friends. We ventured further afield to shows at Albury and Melbourne, getting to know a lot of growers there. We even had joint meetings at home, our garden being centrally located. We included other shows in our holidays and visited Hobart, Perth and Adelaide.
The next year we had a shed full of large flowers and large outside garden. Someone said flowers like that deserve an audience to appreciate them. The idea of an open garden weekend was born, with Benalla Hospital Auxillary the recipient. We potted our surplus cuttings and sold bunches of flowers at the open day and up the street prior to Mother’s Day.
The Open Garden weekend was a roaring success, with the small entry fee, morning and afternoon teas, bunches of flowers and pots of chrysies for sale, around $10,000 was made that first weekend! I didn’t do the garden alone now, club members helped tie up plants and with the cutting down. What woman doesn’t enjoy working with flowers!
For three years we opened our garden. We were not interested in competitive showing, just the sheer beauty of the blooms, and having people enjoy them. I loved picking and bunching flowers and the companionship. Sadly, by the fourth year Ray was unwell and I developed back problems, so it was over! However, we were pleased to be instrumental in raising money for the hospital and giving so many people pleasure.
A high point of the exercise was having a chrysanthemum named after me. It had been sent over from a western Australian grower, who wanted to see it grown to its full potential in our climate. It flourished here, a beautiful pale pink reflex which now wins prizes in sections of the show. Perhaps Margaret Nelson will be around for a while!
Margaret Nelson
May 2022
May 2022
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