Welcome
to the home of the Sunshine Golden Age Garden Club.
The club was founded in 1921 as the Sunshine Horticultural Society and continues to meet regularly. Our aim is to create a convivial social atmosphere which fosters the pleasure of sustainable home gardening and improves the skills of the amateur gardener.
to the home of the Sunshine Golden Age Garden Club.
The club was founded in 1921 as the Sunshine Horticultural Society and continues to meet regularly. Our aim is to create a convivial social atmosphere which fosters the pleasure of sustainable home gardening and improves the skills of the amateur gardener.
Monthly meetings are held on the 2nd Wednesday of the month at 7 pm unless another time is given by prior notice. Meetings are held each year from February through to December. No meeting in January. Visitors and new members most welcome.
Monthly club meetings, guest speakers and events for 2024 are here. |
Club Meeting, 7 pm Wednesday 10 April
Glengala Community Centre
Adam Smith, Ranger Team Leader Horticultural Services- Werribee Park and Hsar Ju, Ranger Werribee Park will speak on the Gardens of Werribee Park.
Message from the President
|
With love and respect
Chris
.
Chris Michalopoulos
President Sunshine Golden Age Garden Club Inc
chrismichalopoulos1719@gmail.com
0418 543 649
Chris
.
Chris Michalopoulos
President Sunshine Golden Age Garden Club Inc
chrismichalopoulos1719@gmail.com
0418 543 649
CLUB NEWS
Club meeting on Wednesday the 10th of April at 7.00 pm.
Our good friends Adam Smith and Hsar Ju will speak on the Gardens of Werribee Park with special mention of the eight circular beds of dahlias that were planted in front of Mansion for the first time.
Club meeting on Wednesday the 10th of April at 7.00 pm.
Our good friends Adam Smith and Hsar Ju will speak on the Gardens of Werribee Park with special mention of the eight circular beds of dahlias that were planted in front of Mansion for the first time.
Field Day at Williamstown Botanic Gardens - Reflections by Helen Reid
EVERYTHING OLD IS NEW AGAIN
In reflecting upon a recent visit to Williamstown Botanic Gardens I’m left with two impressions: the location! Location! Location! and its obvious implications, and the necessary transition process in evidence, made by the staff to convert the historical gardens into something that’s modern, sought-after and visit-worthy. Not that it isn’t worth a visit already, weddings and wedding photographs are a common feature of the gardens. But we arrived to the group gathered around the heavy iron large gates imported from Scotland, and ended it being shown the enclosures for nature study where plants and native small animals might cluster together in future, something innovative nowadays.
The historic included a marble statue of an important official placed high on a plinth, and a pool that has been in place there since the 1930’s and the type of trees and flowers in the beds demonstrate what society’s values were. No fishing or swimming in the pond! Although not going back to the 1800s the palm walk draws the eye along the path. If you look it up on the computer, the map of the gardens shows the Gardens to be a kind of expansive misshapen orange in size, dissected into four rooms by straight paths that create a cross-road in the middle. We loved the crunchy sound as we walked on the loose stone paths, soft landings all neatly separated from the grass by metal edgings.
Some may have gathered to see what grows well in Williamstown. As Autumn creeps into our bones, perennial plants provide the most interest although I confess, I have few strong memories of any of the green bedding plants. I do remember long rectangular beds prepared for bulb planting in the area called the Pinetarium, and in my eyes can visualise Spring sights such as we might see at Floriade in Canberra, or Keukenhof in Holland, or in the Tesselaar paddocks. And after viewing the low fenced enclosures furnished with grasses and low-growing plants for the future native residents, we looked over them to view a distant container ship anchored at the Heads surrounded by the smooth, calm Port Phillip bay waters. We moved onto a round bed, with paths across the centre and rocks to step onto, at succulents all growing happily, the bed discovered by drone to be in the shape of a flower.
Before we said Goodbye, we stopped in the staff rooms for a cuppa and a glance through some of the albums and relics of past front-runners. A gift was presented to Eliasha to thank her for the very informed dialogue all through our two-hour stroll. And it was interesting to note the nursery with trays of potted plants all ready for planting out. The people of Williamstown love their Gardens, they read books to the children in them during school holidays. You’ll always find something interesting there any time of the year.
The historic included a marble statue of an important official placed high on a plinth, and a pool that has been in place there since the 1930’s and the type of trees and flowers in the beds demonstrate what society’s values were. No fishing or swimming in the pond! Although not going back to the 1800s the palm walk draws the eye along the path. If you look it up on the computer, the map of the gardens shows the Gardens to be a kind of expansive misshapen orange in size, dissected into four rooms by straight paths that create a cross-road in the middle. We loved the crunchy sound as we walked on the loose stone paths, soft landings all neatly separated from the grass by metal edgings.
Some may have gathered to see what grows well in Williamstown. As Autumn creeps into our bones, perennial plants provide the most interest although I confess, I have few strong memories of any of the green bedding plants. I do remember long rectangular beds prepared for bulb planting in the area called the Pinetarium, and in my eyes can visualise Spring sights such as we might see at Floriade in Canberra, or Keukenhof in Holland, or in the Tesselaar paddocks. And after viewing the low fenced enclosures furnished with grasses and low-growing plants for the future native residents, we looked over them to view a distant container ship anchored at the Heads surrounded by the smooth, calm Port Phillip bay waters. We moved onto a round bed, with paths across the centre and rocks to step onto, at succulents all growing happily, the bed discovered by drone to be in the shape of a flower.
Before we said Goodbye, we stopped in the staff rooms for a cuppa and a glance through some of the albums and relics of past front-runners. A gift was presented to Eliasha to thank her for the very informed dialogue all through our two-hour stroll. And it was interesting to note the nursery with trays of potted plants all ready for planting out. The people of Williamstown love their Gardens, they read books to the children in them during school holidays. You’ll always find something interesting there any time of the year.
CULTURAL NOTES
ALERT
Not All Chestnuts are Edible; knowing the difference between sweet edible chest nuts and the poisonous horse chestnut is to avoid poisoning.
Edible ones have hundreds of bristly spines and in their bur casing are multiple nuts whereas the horse chestnut has small short spikes and the bur contains only one nut and remain very bitter even after cooking process.
Due diligence and knowledge are a must if you're gathering plants for human consumption.
SPRAYING
If spraying consider using edible oils, pure soap and natural ingredients. Always garden with care and safety paramount, regrets and afterthoughts are way too late.
SEEDS
Time to gather the last of the Spring, Summer and Autumn plants and store their seeds. Grow most seeds into trays and pots and then transfer into prepared garden beds.
DAHLIAS
Final special feed for your dahlias; application of a very low nitrogen complete fertiliser with additional sulphate-of-potash and trace elements this process would give the plants a boost to share with you another flush of flowering and improve the quality of tubers maturing under the plant. No watering of foliage or after 3.00 pm.
Always incrementally cut down dahlias prior to lifting to allow sugars and starches to be absorbed in to the tubers. Dahlia plants with non-tubular green hard stems at the base near the crown should be given additional time prior to lifting.
PLAN AHEAD
Make a time plan for what's to be done in your garden for Autumn and Winter. Even if not fully implemented you will achieve good results and personal satisfaction. Begin to think of ordering bare rooted plants and in some cases just visit your local nursery and bring them home now. Plant favourite bulbs in your favourite pots or for a display in the ground identify depth requirements for planting bulbs. Buy or prepare implements for your specific pruning tasks.
Not All Chestnuts are Edible; knowing the difference between sweet edible chest nuts and the poisonous horse chestnut is to avoid poisoning.
Edible ones have hundreds of bristly spines and in their bur casing are multiple nuts whereas the horse chestnut has small short spikes and the bur contains only one nut and remain very bitter even after cooking process.
Due diligence and knowledge are a must if you're gathering plants for human consumption.
SPRAYING
If spraying consider using edible oils, pure soap and natural ingredients. Always garden with care and safety paramount, regrets and afterthoughts are way too late.
SEEDS
Time to gather the last of the Spring, Summer and Autumn plants and store their seeds. Grow most seeds into trays and pots and then transfer into prepared garden beds.
DAHLIAS
Final special feed for your dahlias; application of a very low nitrogen complete fertiliser with additional sulphate-of-potash and trace elements this process would give the plants a boost to share with you another flush of flowering and improve the quality of tubers maturing under the plant. No watering of foliage or after 3.00 pm.
Always incrementally cut down dahlias prior to lifting to allow sugars and starches to be absorbed in to the tubers. Dahlia plants with non-tubular green hard stems at the base near the crown should be given additional time prior to lifting.
PLAN AHEAD
Make a time plan for what's to be done in your garden for Autumn and Winter. Even if not fully implemented you will achieve good results and personal satisfaction. Begin to think of ordering bare rooted plants and in some cases just visit your local nursery and bring them home now. Plant favourite bulbs in your favourite pots or for a display in the ground identify depth requirements for planting bulbs. Buy or prepare implements for your specific pruning tasks.
Cosmos in suburban footpath and front garden
|
Amazing!!! Fully flowering sweet peas in April
at the main street in Creswick Victoria |
A typical monthly meeting...
centres around a guest speaker followed by supper. Members can, and do, have a cuppa at any time. Meetings take place in first class community facilities generously provided by Brimbank City Council. There is ample parking and disabled access.
The ingredients that make up a typical meeting are:
The ingredients that make up a typical meeting are:
The monthly newsletter
Distributed free to members at the start of the meeting.
Gardening problem solver session
Here members can ask questions and get advice on how to solve their gardening problems.
A guest speaker
The club works hard to find engaging and knowledgeable guest speakers on a wide range of topics ranging from the cultivation of particular plant species, to floral art design, to local history - and everything in between.
The competition table
Provides a showcase for members to exhibit flowers, succulents, vegetables and other plants from their garden as well as flower arrangements and other floral art creations and handicraft items. The best exhibit wins a prize and an award.
The trading table
Is crowded with plants and cuttings donated by members for sale at bargain prices.
Raffle
$1 a ticket gives you a chance to be a lucky prize winner.
Supper
The evening finishes with a mouth-watering supper of savouries and sweets.
Annual membership subscription
$2 per year. The cheapest subscription of any garden club in Australia!
Where and when
Click to enlarge
Meetings are held on the second Wednesday of every month (except for January) at 7 pm in the Glengala Community Centre (Castley Hall) at the corner of Glengala Road and Simmie Street, Sunshine.
*SGAGC INC ACKNOWLEDGES THE TRADITIONAL CUSTODIANS OF THIS LAND AND PAY OUR RESPECTS TO THE WURUNDJERI PEOPLE.
OUR CLUB WELCOMES ALL CULTURES, NATIONALITIES, AND RELIGIONS, OUR COMMITMENT IS TO BE EQUITABLE AND INCLUSIVE.
OUR CLUB WELCOMES ALL CULTURES, NATIONALITIES, AND RELIGIONS, OUR COMMITMENT IS TO BE EQUITABLE AND INCLUSIVE.