Tomatoes

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Oct 302018
 

Tomatoes pic taken at a market in Italy by Maria Ciavarella

Who doesn’t love a tomato? Delicious home grown tomatoes are easy to grow, taste great, and you control what gets sprayed on them, if anything at all. Late October to early November is the perfect time to plant your tomato seedlings. Many different varieties are available including heritage varieties, from which you can collect your own seed to sow next season, and dwarf varieties suitable for growing in pots. Tomatoes are great for kids to grow, as they grow fast and produce lots of delicious fruit, especially cherry tomatoes. So even if you only have a balcony for a garden, you can grow delicious fresh tomatoes. You can raise tomatoes from seed or as seedlings, however to grow from seed you will need to have planted them by mid-September.

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Basil

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Oct 272018
 

Basil (Photograph by Bulleen Art & Garden)

Basil is one of the best known herbs in the world, and with good reason. It’s tasty, attractive and very easy to grow. With over 100 different species to choose from, Basil is never faulty!
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New Exhibition – Monkey Tail Collection

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Oct 262018
 

An Australian themed art exhibition by Darren Gilbert of new black ink artwork and rusty metal sculptures.

26th October to 18th November

Darren Gilbert’s striking pen & ink artworks celebrate Australian fauna, beckoning viewers to stop and really “see” the fascinating and often overlooked characteristics of our natives. The amazing patterns of plumage & fur, soulful expressive eyes, the unique curve of a beak, the gnarly texture of a claw is juxtaposed with bold gestural black ink brush strokes.

More pictures and info at http://gallery.baag.com.au/?p=3941

Save BAAG from the North East Link!

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Oct 202018
 


Bulleen Art & Garden is under serious threat from the proposed construction of the North-East Link. We are now asking our community help us to survive. BAAG is an innovative garden centre which provides a visitor experience not found anywhere else in Melbourne. Some people in the garden industry even say we are unique in the world with our focus on art, environment and a wide range of rare and unusual plants.

The planned path of the North East Link threatens the existence of not only Bulleen Art & Garden, but that of over 100 other local businesses… everything from pie makers to mechanics. Approximately 1000 jobs are at risk. Thanks to all who have signed our petition (It is below if you haven’t), but if you would still like to help there is more you can do.

Please help us by sending an email to NELA!

We are asking as many people as possible to send an email to the North East Link Authority and let them know why you think these businesses are vital to the local community. We know we don’t have to say this as all of our customers are wonderful… but please be nice when emailing! Reasoned and calm arguments always go further than anger!

You can email the North East Link Authority on this address: community@northeastlink.vic.gov.au
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Why your garden matters!

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Oct 172018
 

Photo © Bulleen Art & Garden

Every garden is its own (or is a unique but connected) ecosystem containing an extraordinary array of living organisms including plants, fungi, bacteria, microbes, insects and animals that all impact on the health and resilience of the living network. We are each the stewards of our gardens, the actions that we take can positively or negatively impact on this ecosystem.
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Solanum aviculare (Kangaroo Apple)

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Oct 152018
 

Photo © Bulleen Art & Garden

A decorative, fast-growing shrub with attractive, deeply-lobed, dark-green leaves. Becomes straggly with age but is easily rejuvenated with heavy pruning.

Clusters of violet flowers in January, followed by orange-red egg-shaped fruits. Fruits were eaten by Indigenous Australians, but only when very ripe as they are said to be poisonous at other times.

A very interesting structural plant – good in shrubbery plantings.

Acacia acinacea (Gold Dust Wattle)

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Oct 152018
 

Photo © Bulleen Art & Garden

Small stiff light green leaves borne on gently arching branches. Masses of fragrant golden yellow flowers from late winter to early summer. Suprisingly hardy!

Flowers profusely in bright, fragrant yellow balls from August to November.

Good low screening plant when planted en masse. Grows well in our shallow local soils. Is moderately frost tolerant and drought hardy once established.

Goodenia ovata (Hop Goodenia)

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Oct 152018
 

Photo © Bulleen Art & Garden

Bushy shrub with bright yellow flowers, contrasting with fresh green foliage. Vibrant yellow blooms make good cut flowers. Needs regular pruning to maintain compact habit.

Sprays of yellow flowers most of the year, with peak flowering through spring and summer.

Useful understorey plant especially in boggy areas. Fast-growing but short-lived coloniser for revegetation. Will grow under trees provided enough moisture. Ideal for slopes and embankments.

Indigofera australis (Australian Indigo)

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Oct 092018
 

Indigofera australis - Photo © Bulleen Art & Garden

Indigofera australis

Austral Indigo, Australian Indigo

Flowers are sprays of soft purple through to pink from mid-September to November. Lovely soft blue green lacy foliage. Form can be variable, pruning will give a neater dense form, leaving alone will lend to a more delicate open arching form.

The flowers are an excellent pollen and nectar source for many native insects. Butterfly attracting.
Frost hardy (light frosts). Fast growing. Sun to part shade.

Strawberries

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Oct 012018
 

Photo © Bulleen Art & Garden

Nothing compares to the taste of homegrown strawberries, and those monster things you buy in punnets at the shops are generally a poor (and expensive) imitation. So, why not grow some strawberries at home! Good position and good soil are the keys to successful strawberries. Strawberries are a European cool-climate plant, and need to be treated with a bit of love in our part of Australia. For those of you growing strawberries during the warmer periods of the year, we suggest growing under a little shade cloth cover. This is ‘slip, slop, slap’ for your strawberries to stop the sunburn… they’ll thank you for it! In the cooler months, a nice, warm, full-sun to part-shade spot is perfect.

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October in your garden

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Oct 012018
 

Photo © Bulleen Art & Garden

The soil is warming, and plants are loving it. Enjoy the spring with its delightful blossoms and go out and get your hands dirty! The nursery is now fully stocked with plants for every situation, and as far as months go, they don’t come much more ideal than October for getting into the garden.

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New Exhibition – ‘Wild and Woolly’

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Sep 112018
 

An Exhibition by the Eastern Studio Potters and Artists

The members of the Eastern Studio Potters & Artists are once again exhibiting in our gallery. This group has been exhibiting at Bulleen Art & Garden for many years with a diverse, but unified body of work. The weather and nature will be the subject of this year’s exhibition. The different artists will interpret this in their own way.

More pictures and info at http://gallery.baag.com.au/?p=3899

September in your garden

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Aug 302018
 

Photo © Bulleen Art & Garden

September is a magnificent month to be out in the garden. You can smell spring in the air and the soil is starting to warm up, just like us. Spring is the turning point for planting options… the variety of plants that are happy to hit the soil in spring is huge, no matter what type of garden you like. After a cold winter there is nothing better than waking up to a sunny Saturday, throwing on a T-shirt and getting stuck into some gardening. We all have loads of jobs that have been neglected all winter, get started today!

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Worm Farms

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Aug 162018
 

Worms are fabulous little creatures. By eating their way through refuse and detritus, they manage to make the most nutritious and enriching fertiliser suitable for all your garden and potted plants, which won’t harm your plants because it is so gentle and natural. Worms can eat up to their weight each day in organic waste scraps, which can add up to a bit if you have the right conditions. Even better than finished compost, the worm ‘poo’, known as vermicast, is safe to use on all plants. Keeping a worm farm is ideal for householders who do not have the space outside for a traditional compost bin, yet still want to get rid of household scraps and peelings organically. Worm farms can even be kept inside! Read on for more great worm tips.

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