Growing Gardens

with Anita Morton

Pool plantings

There's nothing like a heatwave to make us grateful for the backyard swimming pool, and this summer has seen some really hot days that have made both humans and gardens suffer. How lucky are those of us who have a backyard pool, where we can cool off - even luckier when the pool is surrounded by lush plantings that provide shade and privacy.

A pool often looks best when the gardener decides on a landscaping theme and carries it out in a completely over-the-top way. Not just a few palms, but a complete Tahitian jungle; not just a stone bench and a bit of paving, but a full Roman fantasy, complete with ruined temple (for housing the pool pump).

One of the cheapest options for landscaping the pool area is the tropical look. Patient gardeners can buy small potted palms, cordylines, bromeliads, spathyphyllums, philodendrons, crotons and so on, and have a convincing jungle going within two years if they feed and water well. Even better, this type of garden can be brought right up to the pool edge, thus reducing the cost of paving.

The key to the tropical look is choosing plants with coloured foliage and/or large leaves. Palms should have a major role - choose the self-cleaning varieties, as they're less work. The native Bangalow palm (Archontophoenix cunninghamiana) is a good choice, but the related Alexandra palm (A. alexandrae) is even better, with larger fronds and a stockier appearance.

Fan and clumping palms will generally be too large for the pool enclosure itself, and are better used outside the fence to integrate the area into the garden. For safety reasons, remember to keep plants that might give children a foothold well back from the fence. This is also the best place for trees such as plumerias - beautiful specimens, but not when dropping flowers and leaves into the pool!

Botanic gardens

Did you know that Lismore has its very own Rainforest Botanic Gardens? Situated on reclaimed land at Wyrallah Road Waste Facility, the site provides an opportunity for members to actively participate in the development and maintenance of a sub-tropical rainforest environment. If you'd like to join us or have a look at what we've been doing, please call Pat on 6629 1435 or Mary on 6624 2062.

Lismore Garden Club News

What an absolutely fabulous time was had by all of the Lismore Garden Club members that attended their social outing last Tuesday. A big thank you to Rosemary and the wonderful staff at the House With No Steps at Alstonville. The nursery, the Devonshire teas and the hospitality were all great. And thank you to the Buchanan family at the Pine Grove Bromeliad Nursery at Wardell, who showed us wonderful service and hospitality during our visit with them.

On a different note - On behalf of Garden Club members I wish to extend hearty congratulations to our club founder, Bob Ramsay, who celebrates his 90th birthday this month. What's more, Bob (and his lovely wife, Maureen) are still active members of the club. All I can say is, it's a great recommendation for gardening!

Remember, next Thursday, March 3, is our monthly meeting/social outing at Ron Nita Burns' Goonellabah home at 2pm. This will include the monthly meeting with an interesting plant propagation demonstration and a lovely afternoon tea and garden walk. Please bring a plate. Visitors and potential new members are most welcome.

Gardening tip: If you intend planting new shrubs, be sure to provide them with dappled shade for the first few days. Camphor laurel branches are ideal. Break them off and poke them into the soil around the new plant.

Happy gardening
Ron Burns