TATURA PROBUS CLUB

Our last meeting on September 29 was a happy occasion with two very good speakers. The Member Behind the Badge was Betty Durston who spoke to us about her son who needed a kidney transplant, the lead up to this eventuating and the subsequent success of the process. Betty spoke beautifully of the ordeal and the ultimate happy ending with her son and daughter in law being the proud parents of twins. Thank you, Betty, well done.

Our Guest Speaker was Mary Connelly-Gale, Manager of Shepparton and District ‘Days for Girls’. An award-winning organisation which caters for the basic human rights of girls and young women all over the world, all voluntary. They provide information, teaching and special kits, some of which have been made in Tatura. The kits are made of beautiful cotton materials of which the girls can be proud. It was started in 2008 internationally, 2012 in Australia and 2018 in the Goulburn Valley. It was a fascinating talk beautifully told by Mary who is a wonderful speaker. Olwyn Milner, who organizes the speakers, thanked Mary on behalf of the Club.

Our next luncheon will be at the ‘Criterion Hotel’ in Rushworth on November 10.

Please contact our President Betty Smith on 0408 329 686 if you would like further information.

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Gv Tree Group

Spring Flowers

Flowers, flowers, flowers! We have grown a few special flowering natives along with our standard trees and shrubs.

Strawflowers (Bracteantha bracteata) come in a range of colours but most commonly hues of yellow. Plant in full sun in rich friable soil and these will produce waves of large showy flowers. They will also do well in pots. Pruning lightly, best done by cutting the flowers for display inside, will keep the flowers coming. Flowers last well in a vase and can be dried for arrangements.

Drumsticks (Pycnosorus globosus) (a.k.a. Billy Buttons) are a perennial, flowering year after year and of course the flowers last for ages. They like a moist well drained soil but can do well in heavy soils too. They are drought tolerant and like full to part sun. Planted together in clumps or in a row you will get more than just flowers as the silver/grey woolly leaves will provide a nice contrast to most other plants.

Another Spring flower is the Swan River Daisy (Brachyschome). The swan river daisy is a small annual groundcover. They are small flowering shrubs up to 50cm in height. They have flowers in shades of blue, purple, white or pink, but what they lack in size they make up for in number. Planted together they make a striking border or mass planted for a beautiful floral display. They flower through spring, summer and autumn. The beauty of the Swan River Daisy is that they usually self-sow from year to year so once established you can expect to see more pop up the following year. Swan River Daisy’s also look great in a pot or planter on the patio. All these flowering natives are in stock leading up to Christmas.

Good growing