By Carol Parkinson
Best wishes for 2024 to all from the Whistle Stop Heritage and Community Gardens!
We cannot believe that another year has passed and we are already in the middle of January. This time of year is always the time we race to keep weeds and grass in check. The recent rain and outrageous heat has really moved things along in the garden. Whilst you will never hear us whinge about our full water tanks (they are our only water source).
We think our Mother Nature is confused about whether we are in El Nino or La Nina. Having said that, no matter what the conditions, the work put in over the past 15 years has paid off with the garden looking well-established and colourful.
This week we gratefully received a donation of petunia plants from Mitre 10. These will be planted in the garden to brighten and soften the hearts and minds of all who meander our beautiful grounds. For those looking to take some of our plants home, our sales nursery has a wide range of coloured and scented geraniums. These plants make a great mosquito repellant which is rather apt given the amount of water hanging around.
Many thanks to the important propagation work of our volunteer Kathy’. Whistle Stop garden would not exist without our volunteers so here’s a quick ‘thank you’ to all the volunteers who have worked in the garden over the past 15 years. For those not interested in the plant side of things, Whistle Stop Garden has recently updated the second-hand bookshop with the generous donation of new shelving. We have been working hard to put some order into our bookshop to make finding the right book much easier.
The biographic range is incredible with numerous titles on sports people. We are amazed with the range of donated history books (both UK, Australian and first nations people) which have attracted many happy customers. Our cookery section is growing and the self-help and fitness section has been very popular. Every week we receive new book donations so be sure to visit often. The books are priced at $3 each (4 for $10) with slim volumes and children’s books $2, all money raised goes back into making Whistle Stop Garden one of the most unique experiences for all of our community to share.
Whistle Stop Garden is open to the public Thursday – Saturday 8-12 noon. Come and see what everyone is talking about.
