Buda’s growing heritage It’s show time!

Now in its third year and already established as amust-visit on the gardener’s calendar, the Tuberous Begonia Garden in Ashbourne is open for its annual Tuberous Begonia and Fuchsia Show throughout February and March.

Peter Harris and Jesse Exiner put on this show which has grown from Peter’s passion for tuberous begonias. His interest in these plants has been almost lifelong since be began in the nursery industry at the age of 14.

Not to be in competition with the Ballarat Begonia Festival, this show is not just to look at, but you can also purchase these tuberous begonias that will flower until May. There will be hundreds to choose from ranging from hanging baskets to standard plants. And each plant comes with anaming right, as no two plants are the same. The perfect gift.

There are so many colours and shapes of blooms, it will be hard for you to choose. This beautiful plant will brighten up the inside of your home, verandah or porch. These shade loving plants will bring you joy and happiness year after year, just as Peter has discovered.

Looking after your tuberous begonias has been made easy with Jesse recording athree minute YouTube video: Tuberous Begonia Maintenance Tips. In his video, Jesse shows every stage of growing the tuberous begonia, and how to feed, water and store them over winter. Each plant comes with awritten sheet of maintenance suggestions too.

Also shade loving, and awell-liked favourite, is the fuchsia. Peter and Jesse will have about 50 varieties on show that will be able to be purchased as individual plants. Fuchsias are very popular again because of their shade loving qualities and their beautiful flowers with so many variations of colour. Asuggestion sheet for placing and maintaining your fuchsias is supplied with each purchase.

The show is free to enter with carparking is at the rear of the property. The show opens from 10am-4pm, Saturday and Sunday, on the first weekend in February, until the first weekend in April. Unfortunately, due to the increase of Covid in the community, there are no public toilets available on the property.

Buda’s heritage garden in Castlemaine is magnificent but to truly appreciate it, an acceptance of the local conditions and climate of this region need to be understood.

The seasons are typical of inland Australia -hot and dry in summer, cold and sometimes wet, with frosty nights with sunny days also prevalent in winter.

The landscape consists generally of underlying sandstone reefs and rock with athintopsoil of gravel and clay and asoil ph of 6.5. (This is partly due to the degradation caused by the alluvial goldmining that took place around the area in the 1850s)

The Buda garden is not a‘display garden’ as such, designed for year round flowers and lush surrounds –that would be unrealistic and impractical here in central Victoria. This garden has its value in the fact that it has survived virtually intact as awonderful example of alate nineteenth/ early twentieth century suburban garden, which was developed and tended for the most part by one family over 118 years. It is areflection of the Leviny family’s creative influences, the fashions of the times in which they lived, and their changing lifestyle throughout those years from 1863 to 1981.

The idea is to preserve and maintain the garden as much as possible as it was left by the family, keeping the crucial elements of the garden intact and renewing the old plantings with their own progeny as much as possible in order to retain its authenticity –a huge challenge considering gardens are aliving entity, constantly growing, dying and changing.

Maintaining the 1.2 hectare garden at Buda, for its historical significance as well as for the education and enjoyment of those who visit, is achieved by apart-time garden curator, assisted by adedicated team of volunteers. New volunteers are always welcome.

The Buda nursery has its origins as a stock of replacement plants all grown from seeds, cuttings, bulbs, corms or tubers collected from the historic garden. Many plants propagated from the heritage garden can be purchased as tubestock. It also stocks quality, hardy, water-conserving ornamental and productive plants.

This is aretail propagating nursery specialising in the great survivors of the goldfields.

Open daily noon –4pm (Photo: Lavelle hawthorn in autumn)

The3rd Annual TUBEROUS BEGONIA

691AshbourneRd, Ashbournevia WoodendVIC 3442 (Parkingatrearofproperty)

OpenEVERY WEEKEND from thefirstweekend in February 2023 until thefirstweekend in April 2023

10am till 4pm

We have hundredsofBegoniasand Fuchsias forsaleinpots, hangingbasketsand on display. Theideal UNIQUE GIFT (SpecialOccasions, Birthdays,Mother’sDay)

Formoreinformation please go to:

1. When will Castlemaine’s Town Folk Festival be held?

2. Tim Rogers and The Twin Set will raise funds for what at their Malmsbury Hotel gig in February?

3. Gisborne’s Craig Lloyd won the John and Judy Martin Commemorative Award at which music event?

4. Where will Castlemaine Idyll take place in March? (3 points)

5. What sport is the Kyneton Cubs associated with?

General knowledge

(1 point)

6. What is the name of Prince Harry’s 2022 memoir?

7. In which Australian state or territory is Shark Bay?

8. How is the letter ‘S’ represented in the phonetic alphabet?

9. How many stars feature on the national flag for Turkey?

(3 points)

10. 2022 Aussie film Blueback was based on abook of the same name by which author?