 Growing Gardens
with Julia Hancock
Make Mother's Day
If you've got a garden you're never stuck for gifts because there are lots of things you can grow that make great presents. Mothers are special, so celebrate their day with something you've made yourself.
Fresh flowers are top of my list for giving, and are always well received. A bouquet can be as simple as a delicate posy, as dramatic as an ikebana, or as flamboyant as a large formal arrangement. At this time of the year dried flowers are a good alternative to fresh, and combinations of seed heads, grasses, dried hydrangeas, interesting branches, cones, moss and fungi work well.
Dried plant material also makes excellent potpourri and other scented gifts. Mix rose petals in a bowl with some cinnamon sticks for a warm spicy fragrance; make a card with pressed flowers; harvest a few of your favourite herbs and quick-dry them in the microwave before packaging them up in individual jars and making pretty labels; create a pomander with cloves and oranges.
Lotions and potions are always popular and the easiest is to make a mint freshner. Simply simmer two tablespoons of chopped mint leaves (eau de cologne mint is best) in two cups of water for about two minutes. Steep until cold. Strain and bottle.
When it comes to edible gifts, the list of things to make is endless. Sweet stuff includes cakes and biscuits made with delicious home-grown citrus and decorated with crystallised flowers; marmalades, jams and conserves; preserved and dried fruit; syrups and sauces; wine and cordials. Sambals, chutneys, bouquets garnis; herbal oils and vinegars satisfy savoury palates.
If your mum is a gardener too she'll appreciate some seeds or cuttings that you've sprouted or propagated yourself, especially if they are from plants that are normally hard to find in garden centres.
 Lismore Garden Club News
Lismore Garden Club is a group of friendly folk, most of whom list their No 1 hobby as gardening. They meet once a month at the Lismore Workers Club. Most meetings feature a guest speaker. The next meeting is June 6 at 1.30pm. Everyone welcome. Come along & bring a friend. For further info phone Mary on 6621 5293.
Things to do in your garden this week
Time to plant:
Flowers: Pansy, Viola, SnapDragon, Stock, Primula, Iceland Poppy, Calendula, Heartease, Dianthus, Luaini, Petunia, Aquilegia, Aster, Cosmos, Livingstone Daisy, Winter/Spring Flowering Bulbs.
Vegies: Cabbage, Cauliflower, Lettuce, Onion, Peas, Chinese Greens, Silverbeet, Turnip, Potato, Shallot, (Tomato in frost free areas), Carrot, Beetroot, Broadbeans, Broccoli.
Jobs to do: Lift Dahlia tubers & store in a cool dry place for planting in August.
Tip of the week: Potting Plants
Have you always wanted a potting bench to take the backache out of this job? Check around your local Op shops & second hand shops until you find an old wide, metal ironing board. You will buy it for a few dollars. If it has a cover, remove it. Set it up in a shady spot in the yard when in use. It will fold for storage when not in use.
Happy Gardening
Ron Burns
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