Calm and quiet - casting off the catkins

Greetings all.  Gardens, especially little beloved ones, have long been known to gather mossy-stump sitters, lantern carriers, feather fluffers, puddle watchers, tea drinkers, rainy afternoon wanderers and happy garden souls with pockets full of hopeful thoughts.

We are now well and truly into autumn with the temperature and clouds reminding us all. The garden is responding and slowing down.  The Deodara Cedar which is one of Allwood’s bones of the garden, has been casting off catkins, leaving a lovely display, carpeting the ground like large brown worms. The Brush Tail Possum who lives in the box amongst the Cedar branches above, peeps out whenever conversation wakes him at the garden table underneath.

The several Seville Oranges that line the long gravel walk are looking beautiful at the moment with their lovely hue of bright green foliage and young fruit which are hiding amongst the branches. Another Allwood original planting.

Follow the long path and you’ll find an opening of a red brick path that leads you to the heart of Allwood House to an open green inviting patch. Sit down under the Cedar tree and soak up some sun. Or perch yourself on one of our benches hidden amongst the garden.

The quiet of the winter days when most of the flowers are asleep, finds a pleasant atmosphere here at Allwood Neighbourhood House. Calm and quiet.   Our Flowering Quince, Chaenomeles japonica, a small to medium sized shrub, sometimes known as Japonica, can be seen along the gravel walk, is a very old fashioned cottage garden plant, an introduced species often found tucked away in older gardens as they are slow growing and long living. It will slowly drop most of its leaves for the winter, then give a brilliant show of red flowers similar to a single peach flower on bare branches in early spring.  Very ornamental when short branches are used as cut flowers, if you decide to grow one.

The delicate little Crowea, (Crowes saligna) have been giving a lovely show, with its star shaped bright pink flowers, A delicate native, you can find it nestled in next to the rose trellis on the northern side. The Fox Tail Lilly, (Eremurus robusta) has started sprouting sweet leaf rosettes. Teasing us all for the lovely late winter, early spring display with long stems of little white flowers. The whole thing looking just like a long foxes tail.

Enjoy the Gardens of Allwood House, the Heart of Hurstbridge whenever you need a break from the hustle and bustle of life. You are always welcome to join a group, come to an event or even volunteer. Every one is welcome. Open during the school terms.

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