Christine and Bob (Manly West, Queensland)

Christine and Bob Brimson are passionate about their garden in Manly West, Queensland.

Bob describes Christine as the green thumb and at Neutrog, we hear that a lot. One partner describes the other in that way; but at Neutrog, we know it’s team work. Someone dreams and plans and someone brings those ideas to life.

Christine is an ardent follower of Graham Ross, listening to him every weekend, taking on board his advice and also travelling on Graham Ross Garden Tours with either Graham or his crew. Last year they visited the Chelsea Flower Show and also visited some wonderful gardens around the south of England including Prince Charles garden at Cornwall. Christine also enjoyed a visit with Graham early this year, to India.

Knight’s Roses Tips for Spring

An excerpt from the Newsletter produced by Knight’s Roses for Spring.

Here are some top tips from Knight’s for growing great roses:

Living Legends, Melbourne

Situated in the outer northern suburbs of Melbourne, lies Living Legends, home to many retired champion racehorses.
A visit to meet the horses at Living Legends will have you saying hello to Apache Cat and other old favourites too; including Who Shot the Barman, Tom Melbourne, Fields of Omagh, Brew and many others.
Living Legends is not only about the horses, but also about the historic homestead and the beautiful gardens which surround it. Andrew Clarke, CEO, and veterinary doctor at the property has been a driving force in the development of the entire site, including the gardens around the homestead. Neutrog is delighted to have been along for the entire journey.

Mica Grange, Victoria

Perched amongst granite rocks on the foothills of Mount Alexander in Victoria sits Mica Grange, with its stunning panoramic views across the Sutton Grange valley. Mica Grange is a 40 hectare property and the pride and joy of Mary and Bede Gibson.

Fourteen years ago, Mary and Bede had just sold their house in Sydney when they received a phone call from their daughter asking them if they would look after Mica Grange while she resettled in Melbourne. Reluctantly they agreed, but only on the basis that it would be for no longer than a year. Instead, they fell in love with the property, purchased it and set out on a project to create a studio/catering facility and a vast garden using the contours of the land.

September Birth Flower

Much like birthstones, birth flowers signify the month someone is born. Many people believe the flowers reflect certain personalities. September babies are lucky to have a few options as their birth flower.

First is the gorgeous Aster which is well recognised as the September birth flower. Asters are a group of perennials and annuals with starry-shaped flower heads. They bring delightful colour to the garden throughout late summer and autumn when many other summer blooms may be fading. The name Aster comes from the Ancient Greek word άστήρ meaning “star”, referring to the shape of the flower head. There are many species and varieties, all of which are popular garden plants due to their attractive and colourful flowers. The Aster flower comes in many shades of pink, purple and white. Various butterflies and moths will find the flowers a great food source.

Annuals

The seedling section of your garden centre is where you go to dream. To dream of how wonderful you could make your garden. We can all appreciate the enormous amount of work which goes into the floral displays which are often highlighting public parks and gardens. Areas such as these make a positive impact upon you as you’re driving or walking around them. They can be so inspiring. Colours might be blended to complement each other, other patches may be a beautiful burst of every colour imaginable and you may even have a mix of colours which you wouldn’t have ever considered; but somehow, they work.

Highcroft Garden, Harrogate

Highcroft Garden is a 2 acre garden at Harrogate in South Australia. Maureen & Chris Highet’s beautiful property, which also farms Red Angus cattle, captures the wonderful views across the ranges. After retiring 12 years ago, Maureen was disappointed when she realised she had absolutely nothing to do. At the time, Maureen had no interest whatsoever in gardening other than maintaining the lawns and shrubs. “I found myself wandering out into the front garden and doing a bit of pottering around, and you know what, I enjoyed it!” enthused Maureen. “It didn’t take long before I fell completely in love with gardening.

Garden project in Rutherglen

Joy & Ray Nolan made the tree change from Hoppers Crossing in Melbourne to Rutherglen 6 years ago. Joy & Ray had had many wonderful family holidays along the Murray and when it became time to consider making the move, Rutherglen was on their list. What a great decision it has been for them too. Nothing is too far away and they’re living in a vibrant country town.

Joy describes their home as being on a “battle-axe” of a 1 ¼ acre block. Built in 1994, some of the original owner’s garden plantings were evident, although the overall impression was of a neglected garden. However, they could see the potential for an impressive display. There were 12 very neglected roses in the driveway roundabout with the plan being to save them. The removal van put paid to that and squashed five of them! Today though, there are 18 roses in the roundabout.

Seymour Racing Club

Horses, racing and a day out – if you love going to the races, some of the most enjoyable days are at a country race meet. The Seymour Racing Club has long been synonymous with country racing in Victoria, however in 2016, Seymour become a premier racing destination with a $5.2 million racecourse upgrade, thanks to the Victorian Government, Racing Victoria and the club itself.

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