Continue reading »]]> By James Wall

Well it has been a month now since I first put on a pair of Bogs boots. I got given a pair of boots by the new distributor in Australia. They are mid height with handles on the sides.

The boots have a rubber type base, with wetsuit like material on the top. Here is the Bogs description:

Bogs Ultra Mid

The Bogs Ultra Mid boot was originally designed to help dairy farmers stay safe and comfy on slippery indoor and outdoor cement surfaces. Easy-on pull handles, durable hand-lasted rubber over 7mm waterproof Neo-Tech insulation. An internal midsole with rubber sponge for extra cushioning and warmth. Aegis antimicrobial odor protection insole. Comfort-rated from temperate to -40°F.

Pretty fancy boot hey. I thought these had better be good because they cost more than twice that of a rubber gumboot at a hardware store. Well, here is my review.

The boots came at a very handy time, as I am currently landscaping my backyard. The first thing I noticed is how warm my feet feel. They are snug. The soles are very comfy – I usually use inner soles in my shoes, but these don’t fell like they need them. The other surprising thing for me is the level of grip. Looking at the sole of the boots they have a trendy rippled pattern through them that you may think would be ineffective; but on the contrary, I can see why butchers and dairy farmers wear these on wet cement as the grip is confident and sure.

The grip is surprisingly effective.

The real test for the nursery industry will be to see how effective they are at keeping feet dry during long periods of watering. The early signs are positive, with a lot of interest shown from our staff and other nursery staff, with many pairs being purchased for this purpose.

At one stage at home, I cleaned the mud off them and bought them inside the house. I was sick for a couple of days and was really feeling the cold. The Bogs became the default slippers, the handles making them very easy to slip on when I got out of bed. Next ting I was off to get some milk at the shop……..may as well wear the Bogs………………..pick up the kids from school………….it is raining………….just wear the Bogs………ok, remind yourself they are gumboots and you may not be the trendiest looking dad at school pickup………….but gee they’re warm………….and they’re are so comfortable…….. maybe I’ll wear them out for dinner tonight…..maybe not judging by that look my wife is giving me as we are getting ready.

So would I buy a pair ? The pair I have retail for $105. If they are for work, I would say a definite yes. But I would also say yes to a home gardener. The reason being not just the comfort of the sole, but the biggest plus for me was the mobility in the garden. When you bend down or crouch on the ground, the wetsuit like material bends easily and you feel very little restriction at all. This is something a rubber gumboot, just can’t do.

Also available:

Classic Mid Tuscany

Classic High

Continue reading »]]> Gardenworld would have to be like a lolly shop for mums. All week we have had ooohs and aaahs from mums who have visited the store.

Sure we have beautiful tea towels and mugs, but it is always the living gifts that walk out the door first.

A flowering pot plant lasts so much longer than a bunch of flowers.

Water the base of the plant and keep the flowers dry and they will flower for twice as long. Cyclamen like going out into the cold so would love the back patio where they would flower for months.

It’s not just cyclamens and chrysanthemums either. There are also flowering begonias, tulips, hyacinths, and the new Euphorbia Lipstick. An early favourite seems to be the hyacinths. It must be their alluring fragrance.

We have gift wrapped stock ready to go, or come in and wrap your own at our free wrapping station.

It’s Mother’s Day this Sunday and here are a few pictures of some of our treats. Enjoy !

Tulips will love the cold temperatures forecast for Mothers Day.

These tuberous begonias will flower for months.

Gift wrapped hyacinths are walking out !

This pink flamingo is handmade using thousands of beads.

Cyclamen are still one of the favourites.

These beautiful terrariums make a very classy gift.

Last but not least - the traditional chrysantheMUMS !

Continue reading »]]> By James  Wall

Young Englishman Arthur Yates migrated to New Zealand in the late 1870s to escape the damp weather of his native Manchester. In 1883 he opened a seed shop in Auckland and, during a visit to Sydney in 1886, he realised there was an opportunity to establish a similar business in Australia.

In 1887 Arthur left his brother Ernest to manage the New Zealand side of the business and set up his branch shop in Sussex St, Sydney.

My Dad bought seeds from Yates and so do I. Not only is there 125 years of tradition. There is a guarantee that seeds will germinate or your money back. What started as a family business is now part of a listed company. Companies however never forget their past and it is with great pride that Yates release their commemorative seed tin with 12 packets of vintage seed. Most of the varieties included were part of the first Yates Australian catalogue back in 1887.

It might seem rather daggy to be sowing your own seed in this day and age. Seedlings are at least 5 weeks ahead, and you could even  just buy harvested vegies from the fruit shop. There are a myriad of reasons not to sow seed in this fast paced world, but that’s not stopping thousands of people that we sell seed to every year from getting down and germinating their own.

Get organised, sow your own seeds, and you will save lots of money and live naturally. You see the thing about most packets of seeds is that you don’t use the whole pack. In fact you often get several successive sowings and many seeds are still viable many years after the official use by date. You may get a little less germination, but you will get enough to feed yourself or to enjoy a little flowering treat in your own backyard. You also know what the plants have been sprayed with, and most of all, you get a sense of achievement, an inner glow. Try it and you will see.

The special edition tin is just $19.95 and contains over $35 worth of seed in a commemorative tin that you can use to store seed for many years to come. Gardenworld is offering the tin at this very special price and it is also for sale online with free delivery Australia wide.  Stocks are strictly limited. Click here to purchase.

Checkout the pleasantly simple names in the tin:

Beetroot Blood Red

Carrot Manchester Table

Cucumber Apple Shaped

Foxglove Fine

Leek Musselburgh

Onion Brown Spanish

Pansy Good Mixed

Radish French Breakfast

Spinach Round

Sunflower Tall Yellow

Tomato Large Red

Watermelon Ice Cream

Read the full story here.

Continue reading »]]> We were in amongst the vegetable garden this week and found some steady progress, as well as some pleasant surprises. April is a month with sunshine, but nights getting cooler. There are summer crops finishing, and autumn crops beginning. Lets have a look at what we have got happening.

Snow peas on the right have germinated better than Sugar snap peas on the left.

We took out the climbing beans and thought we’d leave the trellis in for the snow peas and sugar snap peas (with edible pods).  We put 3 seeds in every hole. The snow peas are pictured on the right and seem to have germinated a bit stronger. It will be interesting to see what height both these varieties get. Although the pea flowers don’t like frost, we should get a crop in before the coldest part of winter. With the trellis we could also protect them at night if need be. If your little seedlings like this go missing, you will need to protect them from black birds, or snails.

Unusually coloured capsicum.

These very dark purple capsicum taste delicious and provide a little bit of difference from the usual red and green ones.

Grown in a greenhouse.

The garlic has jumped away.

These cherry tomatoes should colour up as they are growing in a greenhouse with the Autopot self watering hydroponic system. There are a few secrets though. Close the house up at night to keep the temperature above 12 degrees, use a pollinating device, and the variety is a strong performing hybrid available from the hydroponics shop here at Gardenworld.

The garlic has been in less than a month and has jumped away. A well balanced liquid feed before winter will see these plants jump away again in the spring. We won’t let them dry out, and will mulch soon. Its not too late to get some in right now.

hydroponically grown cucumbers

These cucumbers are ready to eat. They are grown hydroponically in the greenhouse, using the amazing Autopot system. The variety is a specially selected hybrid for these conditions.

A nice surprise !

Sometimes, you get a nice surpise in the vegie garden. I knew we had eggplants in, but they were kind of smothered by nasturtiums and a few other things. I also thought it was a bit late in the season. Using two hands to pull the foliage away, there was a nice cluster of five plump eggplants. There were six ready to harvest in total. One was given to our untiring register staff member Gillian, and the rest were carried over to the cafe. The team there decided to turn them int a moussaka dish for lunch. I can vouch for this dish as my mum came for lunch and tried it, and loved it.

Perfect size !

The team at the cafe were excited.

Moussaka is a classic Greek recipe that involves layering eggplant with a spiced meat. You then top it off with a creamy bechamel sauce baked until golden and maybe with some cheese on top.

As you can see, there is a bit happening in the vegie patch. Some gardeners don’t do much after the spring season, but we think it is a great time of year and adds diversity to your diet. What are you waiting for !

Vegies & Herbs to plant: Asian Greens, Beetroot,  Broccoli, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Carrots, Coriander, Garlic, Kale, Kohl Rabi, Lettuce, Leek, Parsnip, Onions, Oregano, Pak Choi, Peas, Radish, Spinach, Turnip, Thyme

Continue reading »]]> By Bonnie-Marie , our Gardenworld Apprentice.

If you are in need of a small shrub that is drought tolerant and frost resistant have a good look at this Australian native.

Autumn Blaze, Correa pulchella, is a small compact plant growing to a height of 30cm and spreads up to 1.5 metres wide.

 The great thing about this particular Correa is its flexibility towards planting conditions.

This correa can be planted in shaded areas or can be placed in full sun; neither position will take away from its performance.

 Presenting wonderful orange tubular flowers in Autumn to Winter, it really adds that extra colour to the garden in the colder months.

The flowers bloom all over the shrub once matured and with its fast growth habit it will take no time.

The flowers tend to hang like pendulums, which just makes this plant the more eye catching.

The foliage also compliments the flowers with its dark glossy green leaves.

Allowing a prune after flowering will encourage the plant to remain compact and also encourage more flowers for the next flowering season.

If the full 1.5 meters is still too tall for your liking, this shrub can be cut back to 1 meter. 

Autumn Blaze can be used as a low border plant or ground cover if height is kept cut back.

Also makes a beautiful feature plant in a garden rockery. They look fabulous in pots if maintained. If you wish to do this just make sure you use a native potting mix.

Feeding would best benefit any plant, so allowing some feed in spring and before flowering would give great results.

Remember to use a native fertilizer! If other fertilizers are used on your native plants they will tend to look a bit sad or worse…

Australian natives dislike the high phosphorus levels in most fertilizers; also make sure our soil is well drained.

Natives don’t like to be sitting in water; turning over the soil is always good idea.  

  So the next time you head to your local nursery take a good look at the Autumn Blaze Correa in the native section.

Continue reading »]]> Gardenworld welcomed Graham Ross to the centre this morning. A renowned Sydney gardener that is seen every week on Better Homes and Gardens by thousands of Australians, he was his usual wealth of knowledge.

The Ross family is like gardening royalty and have a huge following within  their Garden Clinic Garden Club.  With the help of Amgrow, a  session was held with Graham for over an hour. These garden clinic members are keen supporters of Graham’s, with one gentleman driving from as far as Laverton.

Graham talked about some of his favourite plants, including citrus, carnations and Euphorbia. He finished with a moving story about the origins of the Peace rose. The crowd of over 40 people loved it.

The Rosses also do garden tours all over Australia and the world. I think Graham said he had been to Japan 26 years in a row! If you are interested in these tours they have a website at rosstours.com.

Continue reading »]]> We believe that all industry players need to contribute to the Melbourne International Flower & Garden Show (MIFGS) to make it a real success. Gardenworld is therefore proud to have input from many of our tenants. Here is a little snapshot of some of the achievements.

Clearpond – Bronze medalists in general exibit category.

Clearpond awarded bronze medal.

There was only 2 medals awarded in this category and over 20 exibiters. Clearpond are suppliers of water garden related products and are a key supplier to Lotus Watergardens here at Gardenworld. Thanks go to the following Gardenworld associates.

Gardenworld Nursery – sourced and supplied all plant material.

Designed by John Paul Hartshorn of Tyne Tees Design.

Semken Landscaping – construction, including some fairly heavy stonework around the main pond.

Andrew Burrett – pond maintenance and construction expert.

Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Hanging Basket Competition.

Garenworld nursery and the fun flower and herb garden.

Gardenworld Nursery – front display. The RHS wanted plenty of colour as you walked into the hanging basket competition, and that is what we provided. Out of the 280 hanging baskets on display, over 40 of them were done by Gardenworld customers. Thanks goes to Lotus Watergardens for providing the stunning urns and uni-rock waterfall.

Collector’s Corner stand

Always amazing plants at Collector's Corner

The team at Collector’s Corner put on a wonderful display at their stand including these amazing woven ficus and of course the brightest bromeliads you have ever seen.

Bonnie Marie – Nursery Apprentice – Student Garden

The avenue of achievavble gardens is where up and coming students can show their stuff.  This year our apprentice Bonnie-Marie and some of her fellow students built this creative structure. The paving and wall were of a particularly high standard. Well done Bonnie !

Bonnie-Marie and the team from Swinburne Wantirna campus.

Candeo Design  – Surge – Gold Medal

Brent Reid - gold medal winning designer.

Although Candeo Design’s Brent Reid designed this garden for another nursery (Bay Road) we do consider him one of ours!  He is based in the design studio here at Gardenworld and designed a stunning garden that had no walls surrounding it so could be seen from 360 degrees. Once again Semken Landscaping were involved with their precision craftmanship on hand for all to see.  Andrew Burrett, our pond maintenance and construction expert was also on hand.

All in all the 2012 show was a great one for the industry as a whole ……….And Gardenworld will be back there next year.

Continue reading »]]>

Lisa planting foxglove seedlings.

Foxgloves. Photo by Oasis.

Foxgloves have lovely shaped furry leaves and from September onwards tall stately flower spikes. They are also grown for medicinal purposes in the treatment of heart conditions. This was discovered back in 1785, a time now considered the beginning of modern medicine. So why mention them in March?  Well that’s because you need to plant them now to have them big enough to flower in six months time.

Gardeners become experts at thinking ahead. You just have to. There are differing seasons that bring differences in temperatures and day lengths. These are the things that trigger plants to do certain things. The foxglove will never flower while the days are getting shorter, but once that day comes in June when every day after it becomes longer, that is the signal. A change encourages change.

If you’re not sure what is in season, it doesn’t matter, as we are experts at pre-ordering what is required for the current month. Sometimes at the very start or the very end of a season the boundaries may be stretched a little, so be sure to ask if it is the prime time for a particular product to be in season.

Plant garlic now.

For example March is early for garlic, but April and May are perfect. In June it is getting a little late and you will have missed that nice little bit of warm weather growth before winter. Maybe you will harvest them in January rather than early December. Maybe the bulbs will be a little smaller. Only experiencing the seasons in your location and your soil will tell you when the optimal time is; and even then  the weather may make or break the season. It’s all part of the mystique of gardening. There is no exact science. This year for example garlic is in short supply because of the boggy paddocks limiting the harvest. Best off to get them in early.

Some flowers to consider growing this month are sweet pea, pansies, primula, and bulbs such as tulips and daffodils. In the vegie department you must consider broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower and maybe even a late batch of carrots. Watch out for cabbage moth on the broccoli. Yates Success is a naturally occurring bacteria that that can be sprayed onto leaves and gives the little larvae a stomach ache and they die. It worked well for us last year.

Some of my vegie patch is a little bit shaded by neighbouring palms. I am going to start a new one somewhere else and use one of the raised metal ones we sell. That way there will be less bending and weed control should be easier. A 2 metre by 1 metre by 44cm high raised garden bed is now available for under $200. The old vegetable patch is going to be converted into a banana plantation with a couple of fig trees weaving in between. It should be a real talking point in a year or two.

We have also just cut back the hydrangeas, dead headed and thinned out the canna lilies, pruned the 2 year old apricot tree that didn’t fruit and cleaned around the rose bushes. A few daggy looking statice have been removed and this week I will feed some hungry looking citrus. All in all there are plenty of things to do in the garden at this time of year. Enjoy.

Bulbs to plant this month: Anenome. Daffodils, Dutch Iris, Freesia, Hyacinths, Jonquils, Tulips, Ranunculus

Flowers to plant this month: Aquilegia, Calendula, Cineraria, Delphinium, Holyhock, Foxglove, Linaria, Nemesia, Pansy, Primula, Polyanthus, Poppy, Viola

Vegies & Herbs: Beetroot, Brussel Sprouts, Broccoli, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Carrots, Coriander, Garlic, Lettuce, Leek, Parsnip, Onions, Oregano, Radish, Turnip, Thyme

Continue reading »]]> 24^th and 25^th MARCH, 2012

OPENING TIMES:  10am to 4.30pm each day

64 Timbertop Drive Rowville.

What a great time of year to be gardening; and thats what Maureen and Paul Lucas have been doing. There garden ‘Rosemont’ will be open for all to see this weekend. Have a look at  their massive plectranthus !

There award winning garden is accredited as a “Garden for Wildlife”. There are collections of cacti, succulents, roses, Plectranthus, Pelargoniums, Salvias, natives, bulbs, climbers, perennials, annuals, herbs,  water features,  a Spanish style courtyard and much, much more.

Paul and Maureen are not only avid gardeners, but are also on the committee of the Royal Horticultural Society – Maureen is  the Editor of Gardeners Gazette and Paul is the official photographer. They are also keen members of the Knox Garden Club, who will be on hand on the day.

Here are some simple but effective ideas using colour.

Maureen says, “We are very chuffed to be chosen among this year’s 500 gardens open as part of Australia’s Open Gardens. They say on the front of their book “Australia’s Finest Gardens” – such a thrill for us. We have opened several times before for the Scheme – both in spring and autumn – and have many hundred people coming through the garden. We are hoping for a good number this time as well.”

Money raised on the day helps the Open Garden’s  garden related charities.

24^th and 25^th MARCH, 2012

OPENING TIMES:  10am to 4.30pm each day

64 Timbertop Drive Rowville.