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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Another day at the Arty Farty Festival in partnership with the Banyule Sustainability Hub where BAAG staff members Kat, Nicole and Amy did a workshop of how you can grow your seeds in pots made from old newspapers, and reducing waste overall by growing some of your herbs and vegies from seed. We love supporting this festival not only because it is out local community, but also because it is artistic, creative and fun!
Great to see lots of our friends down there who called over to say hello, and we made lots of new friends too, including Sam, who had the amazing Butterfly Adventure tent in a stall next to us.
Plant tiles create stunning, alternative lawns and outdoor solutions instantly at half the cost of using traditional pots! Each tile covers the same area as ten traditional 100mm pots. As the plants grow, the roots bind the media together so that the Plant Tiles can be removed from the tray then laid on the area you have prepared. If required, simply cut to shape with scissors, then butt together and water in for complete coverage. Achieve full, green coverage instantly.
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Thank you so much to the lovely family who dropped in these cards and flowers today in support of BAAG’s fight to remain on this site as the plans for the North East Link start to unfold. We are constantly touched by the level of support we get from our amazing customers!
Stay tuned here as things are starting to ramp up a little this week with regard to the North East Link plans. We will be updating this post as information is released. We may need you guys to help us again!
Join us in our bug tent on Tuesday the 16th between 11:30am and 1:30pm for our Marvellous Minibeasts program. Your kids will learn how to feed and handle stick insects, butterflies, giant litter bugs, yabbies and more. Children will also have the opportunity to catch aquatic minibeasts and view bugs up close with microscopes to discover bug features and adaptations.
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Our customer base is a pretty savvy and well informed one, and this is always reinforced in March and April as sales of native plants soar. Good gardeners are well aware that this is the ideal time to plant natives, and all of a sudden we are 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!
Sculpture by Issa Ouattara
15th March to 21st April 2019
This exhibition will showcase the work of African/Australian sculptor Issa Ouattara. Although now based near Daylesford in country Victoria, Issa’s birth place was Cote d’Ivoire in West Africa. With a successful sculpting career in both Africa and Australia and family life in rural Australia, Issa demonstrates how a difficult start to life, including child labour, poverty and war, can be overcome. His contemporary sculpture draws on his West African cultural and artistic heritage as well as his life experience to create large figurative sculptures and functional sculpt-artworks .
More pictures and info at http://gallery.baag.com.au/?p=4052
Happy vibrant violas – easy to grow and easy to love.
Lower growing and more profusely flowering than pansies, their smaller flowers have the bright and bold colours associated with their larger cousins and are equally enchanting. They will flower most of the year, but avoid the summer sun, as excessive heat will make them yellow off. Great from early autumn all the way to the end of spring.
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BAAG will once again be supporting the Garden Releaf program in 2019 with Garden Releaf day on Sunday March 24. Focusing on the benefits of plants and gardens to enrich our lives, BAAG will be exploding with gardening ideas. The aim is to encourage people to get into their garden and get planting.
Get involved in a local community garden!
This year Bulleen Art & Garden will be holding a talk for people who would like to get involved in gardening, but who don’t have a garden of their own, as well as those who have thought about getting involved in a local community garden.
Marina Bistrin from MacLeod Organic Community Garden will be at Bulleen Art & Garden on Sunday 24th March at 11am to speak about what Community Gardens are in our local area, and how you can become involved.
Marina is very knowledgeable and is actively involved in many of the Community Gardens in our local area, and has a keen interest in cold composting and keeping things out of landfill. You may have heard of her if you subscribe to Local Food Connect, another valuable resource for local food and local gardens in our area, as she has had some articles published under the heading “Marina’s Musings”.
Half price blueberries all weekend!
All Blueberries at BAAG will be 50% off all weekend, with $1 from each Blueberry sold going directly to Beyond Blue. We will also be accepting donations for the talk and our gift wrapping service.
Atriplex nummularia
A summer growing perennial reaching 3m high and 2 to 3m wide. The attractive silvery grey leaves are variable in shape and size, and when dried and crumbled are sought after as a salty flavouring for many foods. Used fresh the leaves can act as a wrap around fish or other meats and grilled.
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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 summer sun’s intensity. For those who have been asking, our autumn bulb range is starting to arrive, and garlic, traditionally planted around the autumn equinox (roughly March 21), is due in the first week of March.
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Autumn is the best time to plant your winter vegetable garden. As the weather cools and the rain starts to fall more frequently it is a pleasure to get back into the garden, remove spent summer crops and plant vegetables such as cabbage, broccoli, broad beans and peas. It is an advantage to start planting at the beginning of autumn as many winter vegetables require a long growing period. Read on for everything you need to do to ensure a bumper winter vegie crop.
Espaliering is a fantastic way to grow trees (including fruit trees) in smaller spaces. It does require regular work and is definitely not recommended for the lazy gardener or those scared of secateurs, however the effort is well worth it.
Espaliering trees is a way of making them two-dimensional rather than three. It is all about maintaining the height and width of a plant while reducing the depth and is a great way of maximizing the productivity of a warm sunny spot along a wall or a fence. Effectively, it means you can grow what is normally a big tree (or two) in a much smaller space. We have quite a few examples for you to look at in our Edible Alley (located in our driveway) and all the pics on this page are
from that garden (except the large picture above, that one is outside our classroom doors in the nursery). Have a look next time you come down.
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Rustic art by Warwick Hillis
1st February to 10th March 2019
Many varied creatures are taking up residence in the Bolin Bolin Gallery this February. They are unique garden art sculptures created by Warwick Hillis using metal scraps, long-forgotten tools and a great imagination. What started as a hobby has turned into a passion for bringing these quirky characters and sculptures to life.
More pictures and info at http://gallery.baag.com.au/?p=4031
As the temperature begins to rise and water conservation continues to impact on gardeners, people are watering less and are looking to find alternatives for vegetation. But by using some simple planting techniques you can help to decrease the heat around your home and in turn reduce energy consumption.
In response to global warming and water restrictions across the country, politicians are suggesting quick fix strategies to combat climate change. The latest suggestion to come out of Western Australia is that we need to get rid of lawns because they are impractical. But as members of the gardening and landscape industry what we really need is long-term solutions.