It’s been 12 months since I first started as Curator, which means I’ve been able to observe the entire Botanic Gardens through the different seasons. It’s really allowed me to get my head around its many features and opportunities, and now I can finetune our efforts to ensure we’re working with the Gardens and their motions.
Even though the days are now colder and shorter (it’s still not cold enough to make me swap my shorts for pants), the number of people through the garden has not wavered. I couldn’t be happier - I don’t think there would be anything worse than having these pristine gardens and no one to use them, so seeing people make the most of them through all the seasons is fantastic. And it’s a great time to visit - everything is looking so tidy and healthy, if I do say so myself!
It’s been an interesting autumn - we’ve had some mild autumn days, which has kept the leaf on a lot of the trees. The Maples turned first in April, then the Trees of Heaven and the Manchurian Pear, but the Elms are only just turning now, which is a little late!
Visitors might notice the Gardens are a little quieter – and not just because the Flying Foxes are gone for winter. We now have far more sustainable battery-powered tools, including an electric brush cutter, backpack blower, hedge trimmer and pole hedge trimmer. Not only do they emit zero emissions, but they’re lighter, safer, more ergonomic and so much quieter, which is great for wildlife and people passing though.
The Elm Forest is still my favourite place to be this season but for another reason - there’s a stack of bulbs coming up. Soon, we’ll have waves of daffodils, jonquils, and blue irises, which are always beautiful.
Winter means it’s time for our native plants to shine, and there’s a lot of flowers coming through in the Bill Cane Collection. The Hakeas and Westringias are looking particularly great. We’ve recently done some replanting and mixed in some sand through the soil to improve drainage – it seems to have helped a little bit with wet feet.
The Woody Meadow project in the Garden for Life focuses on ornamental species that regenerate after coppicing, and it’s almost time for a cut back to 300mm. Get in quick to check it out before the end of July while there’s still flowers to see.
The Climate Matched Garden – a lesser-known collection – has also been quietly performing in the most-northern region of the Gardens. It’s really started to establish in its second year, and the Plectranthus are looking phenomenal.
One goal of mine this winter is getting some control back into the sizes of the plants and working on proportions so that come spring we have balanced garden beds.
I’m waiting for leaf drop before I do a major prune, which I’m anticipating late-June to mid-July. I’m hoping to really get stuck into the Catalogue Garden before the end of winter, as well as our Photinia and Buxus hedges. We’ve already started cutting back a lot of the grasses in the Summer Walk and Garden for Life, especially the Miscanthus. Anything with decent seedheads I’ve been reluctant to get rid of just yet, to ensure we keep that texture and interest as flowers start to fade, but in a few more weeks everything will be cut and divided to breathe fresh life into the beds come spring.
Of course, I’m getting lots of help.
The salvias have indicated they’re ready for a haircut by reshooting at the base of the plants, and the sedums have turned yellow, so the Friends will be onsite doing some work along Summer Walk cutting them back during their monthly gardening days.
The Council horticulture crew will be working through the Climate Matched beds to keep them nice and tidy in the next few weeks. We’ve also had the Fulham Correctional Centre horticulture crew onsite to help us out with some mulching.
As far as winter projects go, TJ and I are hoping to clean out the conifer beds and remove a lot of the leaf litter from the big eucalypt so we can check out the rocks underneath. Any of the scrap we remove will be taken to the depot to be recycled into mulch for garden beds across the whole shire. We’re also looking at replanting some of the round beds up near the tennis courts, and re-mulching a lot of the tree circles ahead of summer.
At this time of year, there’s plenty to do in your own garden so you can reap the rewards come spring:
· Pulling weeds. The winter weeds have started to pop, with crab grass popping up everywhere – at the Gardens, we’re doing a lot of hand pulling to get on top of this.
· Mulching. Now is the time while the ground has some moisture in it - September is too late. Off the back of a drier summer predicted, we’re applying it thickly.
· Cutting back. Get stuck in with your hedge trimmer and secateurs to encourage fresh new growth in spring.
All in all, I’m expecting a drier but perhaps colder winter, with a lot of clear, crisp days with frosty starts. If you’re planning a visit, rug up and make sure you bring your camera for plenty of specky photos. And as always, make sure you say hi if you see me in the Gardens!
