Galston District Garden Club

The Galston District Garden Club welcomes visitors and new members, and if you were not at our last meeting in June, you missed a very interesting guest speaker. Peter Heys from Clivia and Rare plants speaking on the topic "Symbiotic Relationships'' referring to relationships between organisms of different species that show an intimate association with each other with a nutritional advantage. It sounds complicated, but Peter explained it in simple terms. Our speaker for 14th July will be Keith Stapley regarding the Orange Blossom Festival Garden Competition.

Well, it is winter, and if you are like me, you are hibernating õč êİĔčļ Ĕê ļñÕ ţİÕʞ ţčÑõčë ËŁĭÊĔ²İÑĴ ļĔ ļõÑŘʞ ʲăõčëʞ Č²ŘÊÕ even sorting the photographs that you have been putting off for months. Have you ever wondered what our wildlife does in winter?

Take honeybees; they remain in their hives, occasionally coming out on sunny days. Bumblebee queens may be seen if mild weather encourages them to emerge from hibernation. Solitary bees remain in their nests until they are ready to mate. All need nectar if they emerge during winter; otherwise, they are in danger of dying from starvation. What can we do to help them?

We can create leaf and twig piles for bees to shelter beneath. Let fallen leaves stay where they drop and avoid disturbing them from autumn through to spring. Leave compost heaps untouched, and avoid digging your soil until spring. Grow ivy on walls and fences to provide shelter from heavy rain and provide a late nectar source êĔİ ĴĭÕËõÕĴ ļñ²ļ ²İÕ ĴļõĆĆ Ĕč ļñÕ Ŗõčëʣ ;İĔŖ ŖõčļÕİ ŤĔŖÕİĴ ĴŁËñ as Clematis cirrhosa, crocus, hellebores, mahonia, sarcococca, snowdrops, winter aconites(Eranthis hyemalis), winter heathers (Erica carnea) and winter honeysuckle (Lonicera x purpusii)

Frogs, toads and newts enter a state of torpor in winter, rather than hibernation, rising from their slumber, searching for food on warm days. They live over winter in log and leaf piles or beneath stones and plant pots. Some rest in the mud at the bottom of ponds. They are also fond of compost heaps, another good reason ļĔ ĆÕ²ŕÕ ļñÕ ËĔČĭĔĴļ ÊõčĴ ŁčļĔŁËñÕÑ ĔŕÕİ ŖõčļÕİʣ §ĔŁ Ë²č ŤĔ²ļ a tennis ball or similar in your pond to prevent freezing over completely. It is also a good idea to create a nearby rock pile where they can take shelter. Ideally, this should face north to avoid temperature highs and lows between day and night. You can also make a hibernaculum for frogs. Choose a sheltered spot that won't be disturbed. Dig a shallow trench the same size as an old hessian ʲëʣ V²Ř ļñÕ Ê²ë õč ļñÕ ļİÕčËñ ²čÑ ëÕčļĆŘ ţİČ ļñÕ ËĔČĭĔĴļʣ ĔŕÕİ the bag with grass clippings or plant prunings.

¥õčļÕİ õĴ ² ÑõêţËŁĆļ ļõČÕ êĔİ ÊõİÑĴ ļĔĔʣ ‹ñÕŘ čÕÕÑ ļĔ ţčÑ êĔĔÑ for energy and to build fat stores to keep warm through long, cold nights. Smaller birds need to eat up to a third of their body weight each day. There are two ways in which you can feed birds in winter. Firstly you can grow plants that will provide them with food such as berries and seeds and other plants that will provide a habitat for insects that they can eat.

Galston District Garden Club meets on the 2nd Wednesday of the month in the Galston Community Hall, 37 Arcadia Rd, Galston, at 7.30 pm. Our next meeting is on the 14th July. We are a friendly club, and visitors and new members are warmly welcome.

For further information regarding the club, visit www.galstongardenclub.com.au or email:galstongardenclub@gmail.com.