The Glenlyon Fine Food and Wine Fayre

Have you ever been to the Glenlyon Fine Food and Wine Fayre?

It might seem a strange question to ask gardeners - but it's not!  Each year a small group of people wander the nearby forests and raid each others' gardens collecting the best of winter growth to decorate the Fayre.

The huge but cosy and warm marquees are decked with huge displays of eucalypts and winter flowering boughs of camellias.  Large sprays of wattles and leucodendrons bring colour to every corner.
This year the Fayre is on Sunday 27 July - that's Sunday coming. The forecast is for sunshine and crisp temperatures - perfect conditions to enjoy the day.

Come and stroll around, glass of wine in hand and admire the flowers as you taste exquisite local produce.

Still Life in Winter

Winter presents the most delightful material for the avid still life and floral artist.

Cornus alba

The stark shapes and colours of bare branches are softened by frost and the muted colours of a winter sky.

The last flowers of R Altissimo with receding storm

Cotinus Grace, with the last of the 'smoke'

The bare branches make ideal floral arrangements, bringing inside colour and form from the garden.

Cotinus Grace, Cornus alba and Chaenomeles

Our talk at The Garden Common in Clunes

Today we had the wonderful opportunity of speaking at the The Garden Common in Clunes - sharing the story of Gardens of Glenlyon.

Below are some clips, taken by Dean Homicki, capturing some of the stories Jill Teschendorff and Jenny Corr shared with the audience. You need to click on the link in the captions to view the videos.

Click here for the video clip

Click here for the video clip

skemah.com sponsored the talk - check out their website - they produce really useful garden products.

MORE FUNGI

TWO LEGGED PESTS

Have you tried to create grass paths through your garden?  It's quite a feat.  Our 'lawns' are created when all the weedy grasses (or grassy weeds) join together and create a beautiful green patch.

Grassy weeds gradually form a path

I have been nurturing the grassy weeds along the paths to create rivers (well, creeks) of green through the garden.  They are not watered and so they die in the summer, but most of the year they meander like green threads of tapestry through the garden.

They are a bit time-intensive, as the edges need regular spading to maintain the integrity of the path and to prevent the weeds from spreading into the garden.  The grass has finally covered the paths, edge to edge, to form green thoroughfares.

Recently, strolling round the garden, I noticed the edges of the paths turning an ugly brown.  As time passed, the answer was obvious.  I had a 'helper' assisting me to maintain the edges.  Oh dear, all that work transplanting clods of grass to fill in the gaps, careful spading to create the right curve................

Autumn magic

A very late autumn- but what a beauty!

Too late for Gardens of Glenlyon, but a delight for family, friends and the critters that frequent the garden.
















Now, in June, we are watching the garden with interest.
What will inspire us for next year's Winter Gardens of Glenlyon?






The display of fungi in early winter this year has been spectacular.

No creative gardener could create something as exquisite as this.

How exciting is this??

Here's the original photo.

Hope the other - real - gardeners aren't too peeved!