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Gardens

Gardens

Glen, about the house

28-10-2024

Healthy trees growing in their native habitat rarely suffer seriously from insect attack. The trees’ in-built defences and the insects’ natural enemies provide a balance.

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Creswick garden lovers’ weekend

26-10-2024

The Creswick Garden Lovers Weekend will be held on Saturday, November 9 from 9am to 5pm and Sunday, November 10 from 9am to 4pm.  

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Kingston garden to open for CFA fundraiser

24-10-2024

The upcoming opening of the old school house garden at Kingston to raise funds for the local CFA fire brigade represents an opportunity not to be missed. 

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Glen, about the house…

13-10-2024

Hi Glen. My daff bulbs have been in the ground around 10 years. The garden faces east and  they are protected from westerly sun and wind. I don’t dig them up, rather twist the leaves  into a knot until they rot so that there is room for phlox, lavender shower, etc, but should I dig and divide them as there have been few flowers this year despite producing healthy  leaves? Your advice would be appreciated, please.  

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Castlemaine and district to host festival of gardens

12-10-2024

Garden lovers will have a superb opportunity to explore multiple stunning private gardens during the Castlemaine and District Festival of Gardens this November.

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Glen, about the house

02-10-2024

Glen Heyne is the eldest fourth-generation member of Adelaide’s leading nursery, where he worked until his two younger brothers finished school.

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Redesdale to host three open gardens

29-09-2024

Redesdale plays host to three private country garden openings for Open Gardens Victoria on the weekend of October 19-20.

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Glen, about the house…

17-09-2024

Somewhere in every garden, no matter how large or small, there arises the need for a fence or screen.

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Pests, partnerships and people power at the biodiversity seminar

03-09-2024

There is still time to grab a ticket to the Wimmera Biodiversity seminar that is back for its 27th edition with the theme 'Pests, Partnerships and People Power'.

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Glen, about the house

03-09-2024

In the last issue I began what I thought was a brief summary of pruning a couple of favourite deciduous, backyard fruit trees that would fill my page nicely. But after some judicious word pruning and deciding that as apples and pears needed the same treatment as do peaches and nectarines, I think we need some more words on pruning. So, here we go again.  

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Tranquil Gibbards Crossing garden to open

27-08-2024

The tranquil private garden of Gibbards Crossing at Redesdale is opening this October as part of Open Gardens Victoria.

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Coliban Springs private garden to open

26-08-2024

The beautiful Coliban Springs private garden at Redesdale will open to the public over two days in October as part of the Open Gardens Victoria scheme.

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Talk, tour and tea at Clunes Presbytery house and garden

26-08-2024

Local garden lovers are girding themselves for a special Open Gardens Victoria event coming up next month on Saturday, September 28, at the historic Clunes Presbytery and Garden.

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Gardens historic ‘day basin’ transformation soon to start

23-08-2024

Work is soon to begin to renovate the historic day basin at Daylesford’s Wombat Hill Botanic Gardens.

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Glen, about the house

20-08-2024

What's all the fuss about pruning deciduous fruit trees each year? Well, the simple answer is almost all deciduous fruiting trees produce their flowers in early spring, which coincides with the awakening of various flying, nectar seeking, insects.

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Celebrating Daylesford’s Wombat Hill Botanic Gardens

17-08-2024

The Friends of Wombat Hill Botanic Gardens were planning their annual Taylor and Sangster Lecture for 2024 when president Frank Page considered the possibility of growing that event into a full-blown celebration of the wintry gardens.

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Heritage application for Wombat Hill gardens proposal

04-08-2024

A number of early morning walkers in Daylesford will have seen the sign advertising an application to Heritage Victoria on behalf of Friends of Wombat Hill Botanic Gardens.

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Glen, about the house

04-08-2024

Last issue l tempted you (photographically) to venture into the world of vertical gardens - a place of many advantages and few, if any, disadvantages.

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Wintery beauty celebrated in Daylesford events program

27-07-2024

Various local groups in Daylesford have joined together to celebrate the area's wintry pleasures while highlighting the beauty of Wombat Hill and Victoria’s historic Botanic Gardens.

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Glen, about the house

22-07-2024

Pruning, the better way  There's a perennial gardening question that usually arises at about this time of  year, that is after the “should we really get stuck into the tree with a saw and lop it  right back?”.

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Glen, about the house…

09-07-2024

A brief glimpse back into the growth of Australian nurseries - specifically South Australia and Victoria. I’m most familiar with those, having been born into one of the earliest and still thriving, nursery families in Adelaide.

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Ballarat intercultural garden work begins

02-07-2024

A prominent Ballarat corner is receiving a significant facelift celebrating cultural diversity.

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Glen, about the house…

25-06-2024

Hi Glen, I am sure you are the one who can tell me whether those beautiful moth orchids really do live and flower for years, and if so, what am I doing wrong?

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Planting seeds: a chat with Patrice O’Shea (OAM)

19-06-2024

Coomoora’s Patrice O’Shea recently received an Order of Australia Medal in the General Division for services to the environment and secondary education in the King’s Birthday Honours list.

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Gardening wonderland at Basalt

15-06-2024

Lily Langham, who has created a gardening wonderland with her husband Rodney on five acres in Basalt Rd, Basalt, was the guest speaker at the May meeting of the Daylesford & District Horticultural Society.

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Glen, about the house…

11-06-2024

You have probably taken cuttings or slips and been astonished, if not pleased, when you discover that some of them have “struck”.

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Something fine and fragrant: Glen, about the house

31-05-2024

Whenever the topic of bringing added fragrance to our gardens our thoughts go naturally to the old faithfuls - roses, daphne, lavender etc.

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Get buzzy: world bee day happens tomorrow

19-05-2024

Tomorrow, May 20, marks the seventh annual World Bee Day, and this year’s focus is on the vital role bees play in global food production.

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Glen, about the house…

15-05-2024

Shrubs can add beauty to your garden in so many different ways, be it colourful foliage, attractive flowers or habit of growth, but one of the most welcoming ways is in filling the air with waves of delicious perfume.

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Glen, about the house

04-05-2024

I’m sure I’m not the only one who makes a daily tour of our newly planted trees or shrubs, looking anxiously for any sign of new growth.

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Macedon Ranges gardens open to public

27-04-2024

Garden lovers are in for an Anzac Day weekend treat with the chance to visit two extraordinary private historic properties opening in the Macedon Ranges, with Open Gardens Victoria both today and tomorrow, April 27 and 28.

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Kyneton Horticultural Society hosts annual autumn flower show

19-04-2024

The Kyneton Horticultural Society is hosting its Annual Autumn Flower Show tomorrow Saturday April 20 from 1-4pm and Sunday April 21 from 10am – 4pm.

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Glen, about the house …

14-04-2024

Despite popular belief, the practice of growing bonsai actually began, not in Japan, but in China when around the year 700, a group of avid gardeners began using special techniques to create miniaturised trees in small containers and so developed a practice called “pun-sai”.

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Glen, about the house …

03-04-2024

Hi Glen, I wonder if you could identify the plant in the photograph for me? I was told it was probably a Solomon’s Seal. I think it might be but it looks a little different to others I’ve seen. This one was flourishing in a large pot on a shaded porch. Thanks, an avid reader, Sheryl

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New soil health guide for local farmers and keen gardeners

02-04-2024

A new resource will serve as a one-stop-shop for farmers and gardeners keen to understand and improve their soil health.

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New master plan for Ballarat’s botanical gardens

25-03-2024

The City of Ballarat is developing a new master plan for its botanical gardens, to guide how it shapes the living attraction into the future. 

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Intercultural garden grows closer to reality

23-03-2024

A prominent new garden that will celebrate Ballarat's diverse cultural backgrounds has taken a major step towards completion.

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Glen, about the house

06-03-2024

In all the countless years that we Aussie gardeners have chosen to adorn our home landscape with true blue Aussie trees and shrubs, we seem to have overlooked the beauty and colour our own bulbous plants can bring to the garden.

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Begonia maze recalls early gardens feature

24-02-2024

This year’s Ballarat Begonia Festival will feature a novel throwback to the very early days of the Ballarat Botanical Gardens.

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Ballarat begonia festival to debut new begonia

19-02-2024

The City of Ballarat’s team behind the impressive begonia displays at the annual Ballarat Begonia Festival will debut a never-before-seen begonia flower at this years’ festival.

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Program launched for Ballarat’s Begonia Festival

08-02-2024

Deputy Mayor Cr Peter Eddy, Board Chair of Central Highlands Regional Water Corporation Angeleen Jenkins, Cr Sam McIntosh and Mayor Cr Des Hudson.

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Kerbside food and garden organics service starts April

07-02-2024

Kerbside bin collection is set to change in townships in Hepburn Shire with the introduction of a weekly food and garden organics service (also called FOGO) from Monday April 8.

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Glen, about the house

07-02-2024

Among the multi-classified members of the plant world, one group, probably the largest, are the perennials. More than any other plant group they, in their thousand-plus forms, can offer a year-round rich palette of colour, fragrance and texture, either by their flowers or foliage.

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Glen, about the house

06-01-2024

Hot, dry summers can play havoc with your garden but if proper precautions are taken during its establishment and early stages of development, the summer months should be pleasurable and present few problems.

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Fernery works at botanical gardens

30-12-2023

The first new ferns have been planted at the Ballarat Botanical Gardens Fernery.

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Glen, about the house

25-12-2023

Like puppies and kittens, they’re to keep and cherish for their lifetime. I’m talking about house plants, because with a little care and the right treatment and conditions they can be expected to last for years…especially if presented in an attractive, decorated pot.

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Glen, about the house

12-12-2023

How refreshing the mere sight and sound of water can be - whether it be a lake or stream, or even a small garden pond - the calming effect is always there.

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Six years in the making: Trentham community garden opens for use

09-12-2023

The new Trentham Neighbourhood Centre Community Garden was officially opened on Saturday, November 18, after six years in concept and development phases.

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Glen, about the house…

28-11-2023

Having been previously rudely dumped from their nesting place in under the corrugated iron roof of our house by larger, rowdy striated pardalotes, our beloved ‘spotties’ have returned for the breeding season.

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Glen, about the house…

13-11-2023

Hey Glen, I have a batch of healthy young tomato seedlings, almost growing out of their pots. Now the weather has started to warm up, would it be safe to plant them out now? If not, then when? - David, Hepburn

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Garden lovers treats this weekend

10-11-2023

Garden lovers are in for a weekend treat, with the chance to visit three very different private garden openings in Castlemaine, Barkers Creek, and Flora Hill (Bendigo) with Open Gardens Victoria on November 11 and 12.

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Glen, about the house

29-10-2023

In normal years we usually expect days of rough and windy November weather. So who can tell what this year will bring? Apart from broken branches caused by the sheer force of the wind, many plants suffer splits and abrasions from being battered against buildings and fences.

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Secret is out as garden lovers weekend returns

25-10-2023

Garden lovers are in for a treat over the weekend over November 11-12 as Creswick Garden Club again stages the Creswick Garden Lovers’ weekend featuring top gardens in Creswick and surrounds.

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Glen, about the house…

16-10-2023

The pundits were right, El Niño is back, along with 'his' increased risk of drought, heatwaves, bushfires and coral bleaching.

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Glen, about the house…

02-10-2023

Reincarnation - hardly… But it is the story of revival of a long-discarded orchid. Some 11 years ago, we inherited several pot-bound cymbidium orchids. At that time, still busily re- establishing our newly acquired garden, I merely removed the dead growth and buried them in “the mosh pit” - a raised compost and peat moss etc-filled bed, under a shady, old rhododendron - destined to be our fernery.

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About to bloom: Musk gardens open day nears

28-09-2023

Two of the region’s premier gardens are preparing to open their gates to visitors for a fundraising picnic day on Saturday, November 18.

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Glen, about the house

19-09-2023

How sweet it is - daphne odora and odora alba. Although often considered tricky to grow, the supposedly finicky daphnes will certainly earn a place in your garden even if it's only for the sweet perfume or as a finishing touch to a bouquet or vase display.

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Glen, about the house

21-08-2023

Last issue I covered the winter pruning and tidying up of bush roses and, obviously those tall-stemmed standard ones. This time, we’ll have a look at your rampant climbers and naturally assume they are growing on a trellis or fence for support.

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Glen, about the house…

23-07-2023

Gardening was far from the minds of the early European settlers of this wide brown land. Survival would most likely be the word as they broke their backs clearing and working their plots for sustenance.

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The Local Podcast July 17, 2023

16-07-2023

The Local crew talk about what to expect in the upcoming edition of The Local

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Glen, about the house

10-07-2023

Our 2008 move across town, from The Coach House to our present house, gave us the opportunity to restore a tired and drought-ridden, multi-level hillside property.

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Glen, about the house…

26-06-2023

romeliad is a familial name encompassing a somewhat endless plethora of colourful, mostly bullet-proof, house plants - all with their own specific botanical names.

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Glen about the house…

13-06-2023

The autumn-flowering sasanqua camellias, such as the beautiful pink Hiryu (pictured), have seemed to be overshadowed by their larger, bolder camellia japonica cousins. It’s unfortunate that a plant, to some extent, seems to be judged by its name, or perhaps, appearance.

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Glen, about the house…

29-05-2023

Hi Glen, I’ve just been reading your article in The Local regarding indoor plants in winter. Our ficus has been slowly taking over the corner of our lounge room...

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Glen, about the house…

17-05-2023

Many gardeners who have started a collection of indoor plants - like the philodendron scandens, birds nest fern asplenium nidus and fiddle leaf ficus lyrata - and done well with them through summer, could be disappointed whenthey suffer quite badly once the chills of winter are upon us.

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Glen, about the house

02-05-2023

To many, the most beautiful time of the garden year is spring, the season of re-birth, when trees and shrubs burst forth with fresh new growth, flowers are blooming everywhere and air is fresh with their scent and the promise of bright new things to come.

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Bloomin’ beautiful

29-04-2023

FLOWERS are good for the soul. So says Lyonville’s Janae Paquin-Bowden. And she should know.

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Glen, about the house…

18-04-2023

From the time Peta and I took over the drought-ridden property that became our home, we were determined to “practise what I preached” in all my writings and broadcasts - throw away those chemicals and let nature take its course.

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Two gardens open their gates in Trentham

14-04-2023

Two private Trentham gardens will open their gates on Saturday, April 15 and Sunday, April 16 as part of the Open Gardens Victoria scheme.

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Glen, about the house…

04-04-2023

All foot and stomach... If any zoological name was totally descriptive ‘gastropod’ (stomach foot) surelysums up the gardener’s oldest foe - snails and slugs - undoubtedly among the oldest of the common garden pests.

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Glen, about the house

21-03-2023

For love of a rose The incredible story of the creation of a magnificent hybrid rose that brought love to its creators, peace and new life to a war-torn world and, ultimately gave inspiration for Antonia Ridge’s heartwarming novel...

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Gorgeous gardens set to open at Clunes over Booktown weekend

16-03-2023

Open Gardens Victoria will open the Presbytery at Clunes and the Vale Hill House in nearby Ullina on the weekend of March 25 and 26...

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Glen, about the house…

05-03-2023

One of the joys of having a fully organic, chemical-free garden is the amazing number of wildlife, both avian and and microscopic.

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Glen, about the house …

19-02-2023

And so the La Niña blues roll on And you thought (hoped)! we had seen the last ...

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Glen, about the house

08-02-2023

La Niña - there’s that fearsome name again. La Niña is certainly...

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Those bloomin’ beautiful begonias

08-02-2023

For the third year, the Tuberous Begonia Garden in Ashbourne is open in February and March for its annual Tuberous Begonia and Fuchsia Show.

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The Tree Da Vinci now in Hepburn Shire

Arboricultural business The Tree Da Vinci has expanded its service and is now available to those living in Hepburn Shire and surrounds as well as the Macedon Ranges and Mount Alexander shires.

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Glen, about the house…

23-01-2023

Some like it cool. La Niña! I can scarcely say the name without ...

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Carol calls time on her Lavandula property

20-01-2023

CAROL White is calling time on Lavandula Swiss Italian Farm, putting the historic Shepherds Flat property up for sale.

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Chance to discover ‘The Real Gardens of Lyonville’

28-12-2022

The Real Gardens of Lyonville is an event to gladen the heart of all who appreciate good gardens and gardening - and it's set for Sunday, March 26 2023 from 10am – 4pm.

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Glen, about the house

27-12-2022

These beautifully foliaged plants, always a great addition to any shaded windowsill, porch or shaded corner of the garden, are making a welcome comeback.

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Glen, about the house

11-12-2022

If you have thoughts of taking advantage of this, our first post-Covid summer break and are not certain who could take care of your garden while you are away, here are a few precautions to take before you leave to keep it in good shape for your return.

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Glen, about the house

29-11-2022

My all-time favourite rose rosa mutabilis has finally reached maturity as a small tree and with its first full crop of ever-changing coloured, butterfly-like blooms.

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Prime chance to unearth some garden design insights

19-11-2022

This weekend offers garden lovers a rare opportunity to visit professionally designed private gardens in the Macedon Ranges during Garden DesignFest

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Glen, about the house

14-11-2022

My wise old grandfather once told this doting young six-year-old that he would rather put a sixpenny plant into a ten-shilling hole than a ten-shilling plant into a sixpenny hole.

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Students go cutting-edge

31-10-2022

A group of Daylesford College students recently celebrated the launch of a cutting-edge gardening program.

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Inside the garden gates: a weekend for garden lovers

29-10-2022

SHARING their own private garden with others is a source of joy for Creswick couple, Claire and Clive Chadder.

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Glen, about the house

30-08-2022

Winter's over (almost) I know. Spring has barely had time to sweep away the dark clouds, pack up, turn on the sunlight, but I’m sure, like me, you’ve had your share of the dark and dingy and can’t wait to spend some time in the great outdoors.

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Glen, about the house

17-08-2022

Strange fruit - and perhaps a little fear of the unknown How many of us can honestly say they have never flinched at, or even refused to sample, an unknown, or suspicious looking food item, even if it was eaten with relish by many.

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The Pollinator Project – Seed Balls

12-08-2022

Seed balls consist of the seed of one species or a variety of different species rolled within a ball of clay. For the Pollinator Project, we have chosen to add a native plant soil and compost mix to the clay providing nutrients and protection for the seed during throwing and sowing!!!

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Open Garden

04-08-2022

Garden expert, radio personality and nurseryman Stephen Ryan will open his private garden, Tugurium, Macedon as part of Open Gardens Victoria on Saturday, August 27 and Sunday, August 28.

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Glen, about the house

02-08-2022

If you share in the pleasures of a hanging garden, you won’t be desperate for garden space or need the expense of a greenhouse, unless you try your hand with a few exotics. Hanging plants take up little precious space, in fact you will enjoy the bargain of an extra layer in the garden.

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Spring flower show

24-07-2022

After an absence of nearly three years, the Kyneton Horticultural Society will host its Spring Flower Show at the Watts Pavilion, Kyneton Showgrounds on Saturday, September 4 from 1pm to 4pm and Sunday, September 5 from 10am to 4pm.

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Glen, about the house

22-07-2022

ld King Nebuchadnezzar II and his Babylonians certainly started something when they draped their multi-tiered citadels with lush greenery. They would, no doubt, have found success with quite a few plant species that would have barely survived out in the harsh desert below. For a start, they would certainly have faced less trouble with water supplies and maintenance of soil quality.

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Successful raffle

09-07-2022

The Friends of Wombat Hill Botanic Gardens, Daylesford are delighted with the success of their recent Autumn Raffle. Launched on March 20 at our Gardens Celebration Tea Party it was drawn at our Taylor and Sangster Lecture on June 17.

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Glen around the house

08-07-2022

The prices keep rising and there’s no end in sight. If there was ever a time to head to the gardening section - it’s right now.

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More trees for Riddells Creek

27-06-2022

Approximately 400 new trees will be planted on nature strips in Riddells Creek in the coming months as part of Council’s annual tree-planting program.

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Glen, about the hose

23-06-2022

In keeping with this edition's theme of travel, here's my take on Singapore’s breathtakingly spectacular Gardens by the Bay, a 101-hectare botanical, national icon.

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Bonsai Society celebrations

23-06-2022

Goldfields Bonsai Society will celebrate its 20th anniversary with an exhibition at the Daylesford Town Hall on Saturday, June 25 and Sunday, June 26 from 10am to 4pm.

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Glen, About the House

09-06-2022

June is bustin' out all over Well it certainly is - but not in the joyous manner Rodgers & Hammerstein envisaged when they created Carousel way back in 1945.

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Glen about the house

26-05-2022

Winter proof your precious house plants

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Glen about the house

09-05-2022

There are many garden plants, especially vegetables and fruits, with either an interesting history concerning how they came to be grown in our own backyards or, more importantly, how they found their way into our kitchens.

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Landscaping courses

18-04-2022

An Australian-first TAFE course for landscape designers will boost the profession and better connecting it with other Victorian industries.

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Glen, about the house

16-04-2022

Glen, about the house

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Glen, About the House

01-04-2022

If you are fortunate enough to share in this year’s crop of berries, or have managed to bulk buy at the right price, make the most of them by freezing the surplus fruits and enjoy the results for the rest of the year.

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Glen, About the house

17-03-2022

Even if you look at your plants every day you more than likely feel that there is almost no movement in them - save the rustling of leaves in the wind.

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All things botanical

04-03-2022

JOHN Beetham is a pretty laid-back bloke but don’t get between him and a rare tree, or a garden in need of a design hand.

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Heading into autumn – Wombat Hill Botanic Gardens

02-03-2022

MANY people feel that autumn is the best month for mild, golden days and for beautiful gardens. While it might not have the glorious variety of spring planting, the soft luxuriance and vivid colour that we enjoy up here make autumn a very special time, especially on Wombat Hill.

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Glen, about the house

01-03-2022

Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and ThymeNo, I'm not about to sing this popular medieval song, it’s merely to point out that herbs have graced the kitchen gardens and apothecarian cabinets since time immemorial and, I suppose, sort of sing their praises.

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Glen, about the house

18-02-2022

Whether it be a waterlily- and reed-filled patio tub on the terrace, a washed stone pebble fountain in a quiet corner or a formal fully-grown pond in the lawn, a water feature of any shape or size will add a new dimension to your garden.

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Glen, about the house

09-02-2022

Water features

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Begonias on show

08-02-2022

IF YOU'VE ever visited the Wombat Hill Botanic Gardens glasshouse, you will have seen the amazing tuberous begonias, flamboyant, colourful and huge - but only viewed from behind the glass walls.

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Gardening with Glen

27-01-2022

Orchids - always precious - occasionally precocious Once considered an expensive and highy technical hobby, the pleasures of growing beautiful orchids are now open to us all.

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Glen, about the house

18-01-2022

Last issue I mentioned that succulent plants weren’t just a group of weird little sun-loving plants that stored water on their swollen stems, leaves and sometimes, roots.

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Glen, about the house- Fine feathered friends

25-12-2021

To my great delight, my birdbath’s daily clientele has recently been boosted by “foreigners”

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Around the house with Glen

22-12-2021

A gift that keeps on giving

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In your local garden with Glen Heyne Gardens: Summer friends or foe?

20-01-2020

Will our garden shield our homes or turn against us in times of bushfires?

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Glen, about the house

28-11-2021

Bees, a disappearing race? If you think you’ve noticed the absence of bees, especially the little native types in your garden of late, you may be right. It could be that this unusually fearsome spring weather has kept them indoors but recent disturbing agricultural and horticultural news reports indicate a disturbing lack of activity on the bee front during the critical spring blossoming season.

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Recycle soft plastics at your local transfer station

23-11-2021

Macedon Ranges Shire Council is conducting a six month soft plastics recycling trial with local recycling company, Victorian Regional Recyclers.

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Help shape the future of biosecurity in Victoria

22-11-2021

Victorians are being called on to take the lead in strengthening their state’s biosecurity system by nominating to join Victoria’s Biosecurity Reference Group.

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FREE GREEN WASTE DISPOSAL

15-11-2021

Residents can dispose of green waste for free at our three transfer stations in Creswick, Trentham and Daylesford throughout November

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Glen About the house

12-11-2021

Space invaders? Maybe not.

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Flowers of joy

08-11-2021

THE shopfronts of Daylesford and surrounds will come alive later this month with 120 beautiful floral installations designed to celebrate spring and move towards a better future.

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Glen, About the House

25-10-2021

I’m sure that, like me, you have a dark, shady corner of the garden where the hardy sunlovers just simply can’t do their best. Fortunately, there’s an equal number of beautiful shade-seeking plants of all kinds just itching to strut their stuff. These plants, although preferring cool, moist conditions in the warmer months, are just as dependent on good drainage and rich, friable soil. Many shade-loving plants also prefer an acidic soil, so this must also be taken into consideration when preparing the bed.

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Glen, About the house

11-10-2021

Snow White & The Seven Dwarfs It may be no fairy story, but it could mean a few garden dreams can come true. There are so many times, especially at this time of bountiful blooms, that you may wish you could find space for yet another flowering tree such as the spectacular snow white flowering cherry, pictured here. Or, perhaps one of the many acacias, rhododendrons, camellias or even a free- flowering magnolia. But you can’t really find the space for yet another large tree.

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Hey honey!

KYNETON resident, and founder and CEO of Sweet Justice, Claire Moore, has received the inaugural Rotary Melbourne Environmental Sustainability Award in recognition of her work to support and protect the honey bee population.

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Water future

WORK is under way on the next Central Highlands Water Urban Water Strategy.

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Glen, about the house

SPRING persists, even if it’s only vacillating between icy rain and those fleeting wind-cooled sunny spells.

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16-08-2021

Let's celebrate the return of Wattle Day Glenlyon has revisited and revitalised the celebration of Wattle Day, once an annual one-day salute to our national floral emblem, the wattle, but this year it is embraced in a week long feast of poetry and art commencing on August 8.

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Glen, about the house

12-04-2021

The good, the bad & the hungry!

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Glen: About the house

29-03-2021

Shoo fly - Part 2 (As promised last time - dealing with the loathsome fruit fly…)

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Glen, about the house

15-03-2021

Shoo fly!

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Beautiful blooming begonias…and bees

15-03-2021

BEGONIAS have captured the imagination of flower lovers for hundreds of years with their almost quirky and often flamboyant offerings.

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Glen, About the house

08-02-2021

It's all about the birds and the bees

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Glen, Around the house

15-02-2021

Then the rains came down…

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Glen, about the house

25-01-2021

Making the most of a fruit harvest - Take 2

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Around the house with Glen

18-01-2021

Making the most of a fruit harvest If you are among the lucky ones with a good home crop or access to lots of stone fruit this season, there are more ways than making jam to preserve them for long-term use.

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Glen about the house – A waterlogged garden?

23-12-2021

We could be faced with the double-edged benefits of that long-awaited wet Winter.

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Glen, about the house

21-12-2020

2020 - Groundhog Day revisited

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Glen, about the house

07-12-2020

"Oh, Christmas tree - Oh, Christmas tree."

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About the house with Glen

30-11-2020

Not so welcome guests This recent burst of warm Spring weather, alternating with days of heavy rain storms has brought about great bursts of strong growth and crowds of colourful flowers in gardens everywhere. But, like all good stories, there has to be a downside - in this case also armies of aphids, snails and other plant-chewing or sucking pests.

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Glen, about the house

16-11-2020

Underground networks There’s a lot more going on under the mulch than you probably realise, and not all of it necessarily good.

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Glen, Man about the house

09-11-2020

The answer's a lemon! Well, not really, it’s about citrus trees in general…Springtime is an important clean-up and feeding time for citrus - the time to remove weak, spindly growth and dead wood. If your lemon tree is looking as yellow and hang-dog as mine at present, it can’t be a minute too soon.

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Glen, about the house

02-11-2020

Going to pot Gazing at the glorious specimen of aucuba japonica (Japanese laurel) you would hardly believe it was once the pathetic decapitated specimen in the other photo.

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Finally, it’s time to smell (and taste) the roses

02-11-2020

MARCH 18, 2020. This date is stamped into many people’s memories as the day everything shut. Among them is Lauren Richardson, grower of edible flowers in Glenlyon.

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Floral feast

MARCH 18, 2020. This date is stamped into many people’s memories as the day everything shut. Among them is Lauren Richardson, grower of edible flowers in Glenlyon.

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Glen, About The House

26-10-2020

Treasures from the past Pondering over the photograph of my friend’s recently restored Tasmanian colonial house and garden (Issue 202) made me reflect on our own home.

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Restoring Park Lake to its former glory

19-10-2020

CRESWICK’S Park Lake Botanical Reserve turns 160 this year, but celebrations are on hold until April 18, 2021.

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A life-saving project within your back fence

19-10-2020

A LONG road for a pair of former journalists runs from country Queensland to a nursery at Tylden.

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Glen, about the house

05-10-2020

The Local 200 issues old?

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Glen, About the house

28-09-2020

Horti-culture shock

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Snakes on the move

28-09-2020

AS THE days become warmer, snakes are starting to emerge from their winter hibernation to bask in the sun and search for food and a mate. Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning Senior Wildlife Management officer Belinda Cant said sunny weather also meant it was more likely people would encounter a snake.

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Glen, About the house

21-09-2020

“The spring is sprung, the grass is riz. I wonder where the boidies is. They say the boidie’s on the wing. But that’s absoid. The wing is on the bird.”

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Glen, About the house

14-09-2020

The Good Earth

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Glen, about the house

07-09-2020

Going to pot. Last week I left a cryptic message re saving the cardboard centres of your toilet roll and paper towel for this week…Here’s the answer!

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Glen, about the house

31-08-2020

Spring plantings - Following on from last week’s column about raising vegetables from seed.

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Glen about the house

24-08-2020

Everything old is new again - Digging in to our heritage!

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Glen about the house

17-08-2020

Divide and prosper

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Plan now for a bumper Spring crop

10-08-2020

What a wonderful year for our gardens, with bounteous Autumn and Winter rains and a promise of more to come. It may be a little early for any planting but it's certainly right to plan ahead and prepare the beds, especially if you’re thinking of enriching the soil with organic fertiliser or compost.

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Bonsai – miniature magic

03-08-2020

This centuries-old practice of miniaturising trees and shrubs can be a fascinating hobby the whole family can enjoy. But first let’s get one important fact straight - it’s the creation of the appearance of age and wear that is important, not their actual age in years.

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Up in the air with epiphytes – a whole new world of gardening

29-06-2020

Epihpytes are those plants whose roots are literally "up in the air".

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Glen about the house -Orchids for all

22-06-2020

It was once considered that growing the prized gem of the tropical forests, the orchid, was only for the very wealthy.

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From an old potting shed

15-06-2020

It’s funny how the sight of something familiar can bring memories of a long- distant past, flooding back.

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Glen, about the house -Moving experience

08-06-2020

Sometimes trees and shrubs may need to be moved to another part of the garden, or perhaps even to another garden.

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Glen, about the house -Bugged about the house

01-06-2020

I should have known I would start something when I made mention of building a “bug hotel”...

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Glen, about the house – It’s only natural to care (cont’d)

11-05-2020

Last week, I espoused the benefits of the absolute need for us to find ways to protect our gardens from pests and diseases.

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Glen about the house – It’s only natural to care about your garden and its inhabitants!

04-05-2020

In your desire to protect your plants from the many pest attacks, it's easy to overlook the many other inhabitants of your garden.

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Glen, about the house Idle times – idle hands…

30-03-2020

Last issue I gave you some clues for putting this current free time into enhancing your garden.

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In Your Local Garden with Gen Heyne Gardens: A viral retreat

23-03-2020

The prospect of long-term solitary confinement for however long it takes for the accursed COVID-19 to leave our shores is daunting.

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Local Gardens of Note

24-02-2020

Oak & Monkey Puzzle, Ballan-Daylesford Road, Spargo Creek.

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Nature Diary with Tanya Loos

10-02-2020

THIS summer has seen a spectacular flowering of sweet bursaria.

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In Your Local Garden – With Glen Heyne

10-02-2020

On the cusp time of Summer's almost over but Autumn isn’t quite here yet.

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