Dec 202013
Apr 112014
Gardening in Schools – Professional Development for Teachers
For bookings and more information please phone Monday to Friday between 9 and 5 and ask for Jane, Paul or Julian.
Bulleen Art and Garden, Croxton Special School & the Victorian Schools GardenAwards would like to invite teachers to take part in one (or more) of our full day Gardening in Schools professional development sessions in 2014.The days are designed to help your school manage & increase the productivity of your vegie garden & other gardens by giving your staff the skills, knowledge and expertise they need. Meet the experts and then go to see a school garden in action.
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Apr 012014
I know our customer base is a pretty savvy and well informed one, but this is always re-enforced in March and April as sales of our native plants soar. Our customers are well aware that this is the ideal time to plant natives and all of a sudden I am doubling orders for natives as they walk off the bench. The weather can still provide us with warm days in April, but without the hot sun and with rain happening or imminent it’s an ideal time for gardening and planting. Now is also the perfect time to start preparing your winter vegie patch. There’s plenty to do in the garden in April, so put summer behind you and get cracking!
Mar 182014
20 YEARS ON… ‘SEASONS’
20th March to 22nd April
Introducing The Twisted Threads: We are a group of textile artists called Twisted Threads and we met at the Burwood Campus of Deakin Uni in 1992 doing Art and Design Course – we graduated in 1994 and have continued to meet monthly ever since to exchange ideas, info and workshop. We are a diverse group with a common interest – our love of textiles. our varied interests range from quilts, bags, fabric bowls, cloth dolls, to screen prints and painting. For more info and pics head to http://gallery.baag.com.au/?p=1727
Mar 062014
An important strategy for organic gardeners is to enhance and maximise the natural biological controls already present in a garden ecosystem. Does your garden provide a nectar source for beneficial, pest-controlling insects? Planting particular flowers and herbs known as insectary plants has been proven to improve the natural balance and reduce pest outbreaks.
Good Bug Mix contains colourful re-seeding annual and perennial flowers including red clover, alyssum, cosmos, marigolds, Queen Anne’s Lace, buckwheat, lucerne, dill, caraway, coriander and phacelia (when available), gypsophila. It blooms much of the year, providing nectar, pollen and habitat for wild and introduced beneficial insects, such as predatory mites and tiny micro wasps, ladybirds, lacewings, hoverflies, tachnid flies and predatory beetles. These beneficial insects or ‘good bugs’ are generally small with correspondingly small mouthparts, so they are only able to feed on particular flowers with suitable attributes. By providing a plentiful food supply the ‘good bugs’ live longer and reproduce more. Good Bug Mix is available in our seed section all year round, and is best sown during spring and autumn.
Thanks to Green Harvest for the information and pics – greenharvest.com.au.
Mar 052014
Tasmannia lanceolata
This lovely example of a bush food plant occurs naturally in the cool, temperate rainforest areas of Tasmania, Victoria and New South Wales. Also known as Native Pepper, Mountain Pepper is a tall, evergreen shrub or small tree. It grows to between three and five metres, and up to ten metres in native habitats. It has distinctive reddish branches and smooth, narrow green leaves. Its creamy flowers appear in small clusters in September, followed by dark red berries that turn black when ripe in around March or April. The leaves have a hot flavour when chewed, and the berries are enjoyed by native birds. Mountain Pepper was used by indigenous tribes along the east coast of Australia as medicine and also a cooking spice. In the kitchen both the leaves and berries can be used to spice up numerous dishes.
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Mar 032014
When it comes to planting good timing helps, but life goes on if you miss it. There are quite a few good horticultural reasons for planting trees, shrubs and perennials in autumn or winter; however life has a habit of ruining all the best laid plans. Plants are unavailable, you simply don’t have time, holidays are scheduled to suit school dates etc. I am often asked in the nursery if it is OK to plant in summer. My answer is that we keep plants alive in the nursery; you can do so at home, it is simply a commitment you make. Sometimes the plant you want isn’t released for sale until the warmer months, so you may have little option.
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Mar 022014
It’s harvest time in your vegie garden, and time to think about what you want to plant in winter. It’s also a great time for making changes to your ornamental garden… the soil is still warm but the sun’s heat is not as intense. For those who have been asking, most of our autumn bulb range is now in stock. (including garlic bulbs)
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Mar 012014
‘Getting ready for your winter vegie patch’ – Saturday March 15th 10-11am
A free talk as part of our monthly vegie swap. Some fantastic advice on getting ready for planting your winter vegie crop. Bring some excess vegies to swap if you like! With Angelo Eliades. No bookings necessary, just turn up!
Mar 012014
Saturday 8th March until Sunday 16th March
Autumn is a wonderful time to be in the garden. The extreme heat has all but gone and vegie patches are overflowing with their summer crops. There really isn’t much for us gardeners to complain about. We celebrate edible gardening all year round at BAAG, but the Harvest Festival is the one week of the year that we really cut loose and party hard… in an edible kinda way.
Come down and help us celebrate the splendour and seasonal bounty of fresh local produce at BAAG’s annual Autumn Harvest Festival. Join us for 9 days of fantastic events and specials, all guaranteed to get you gardening enthusiastically and, most importantly, growing your own food. Read on for a list of specials and events!
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Feb 282014
With Melbourne’s potential for very hot periods during summer, for exposed positions we need to think about heat tolerant produce plants. Even though there are many garden plants that burn and suffer through the heat without protection, there are also those that just seem to soak it all in and actively grow. For the home gardener, fostering happy plants can involve many different factors including good plant selection, appropriate planting time and soil preparation. One might argue then that for tricky spots, such as the hot and dry ones, good plant selection is the most important. It can be difficult however, to know from the myriad possible plant choices which ones are then most appropriate for those conditions. On top of all that, if you are like myself and want every plant in the garden to be edible, medicinal or useful in some way, the planting palate can become even more limited, but then the results of careful selection are very rewarding.
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Feb 282014
Any concerns we may have had about the weather were needless. Bushfires close by a fortnight earlier, driving rain the week before… but no, our Passata Day was blessed with brilliant weather, so it all augured well for a great day.
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Feb 282014
Make a bird scarer – Sunday March 9th, 10.30am
A fun activity for the whole family. Bring the kids & make your own colourful / noisy bird scarer mobile from recycled materials to help scare the birds & possums away from your fruit trees or vegies! Join Kat Irwin for this free workshop on Sunday March 9th at 10:30am. Bookings are not required, just turn up before the start. The workshop will run for about an hour, maybe a little longer if everybody is having fun. All materials will be supplied by BAAG, but feel free to bring along anything shiny and colourful to add if you like (milk bottle tops, old cds etc).
Feb 282014
What is a community garden and what’s the fuss about? There are many fabulous advantages for your community to have a shared garden. If you’re curious, or thinking about getting involved, here are a few aspects of community gardening you might find interesting.
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Feb 262014
Edible weeds in the garden. Monday March 10th – 10.30am
A number of our common garden weeds can be highly nutritious and surprisingly tasty, give them a chance in this 1 hour free demonstration where you will get an overview and introduction to using weeds in your culinary repertoire. Six of the best leaf vegetable garden weeds will be covered in this class, including identification, uses and benefits.
Bookings are not required, just turn up before the start.
Feb 262014
We sometimes speak to customers who are a little confused about what exactly an indigenous plant is. Yes, they are all Australian Natives, however the definition is a little more detailed. Specifically, indigenous plants are those that occur naturally in your local area. Obviously this term will refer to different plants according to where you live.
Indigenous plants are unique because they are perfectly suited to the environment that they belong to. This means that they can usually survive on local rainfall patterns and thrive in the local soil. Since white settlement, vast areas of indigenous habitat have been removed or out-competed by exotic plants. Indigenous plants look great are a very important food source for a wide range of local fauna. If you are looking to establish a garden in sync with the local environment, indigenous plants are an ideal choice.
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