Newsletter May 2025
Thanks to Roy Briggs, Bridgestone Somerset and McCarthys, we have successfully stabilised the wall above a section of our internal roads. See below for details.
Chairperson’s Report
A VERY RARE TREE
We are conserving a great number of very rare or endangered plants and trees in our garden. Highlighted this month is the Franklinia alatamaha, native to the Altamaha valley in Georgia in the South East of the USA. It has been extinct in the wild since the early 19th Century!
This flowering tree, a relative of the tea tree, grows very happily in the North America section of our garden. It is very healthy and obviously loves being here. Like all the species in our garden, we propagate these trees to assist in their preservation.
ROSETREE CAFÉ
Our café has a name, and a new identity! Following on from a suggestion from the local tourism authorities, we have named our café.
The commonly known name of the rhododendron species is derived from Ancient Greek. Rhodon in Greek means “Rose” and dendron in Greek means “tree”, so it became a no brainer to call our wonderful café “The Rosetree Café”. There will be an official launch of The Rosetree Café in winter. Watch this space for more details.
MEMBERSHIPS
These will be due for renewal in July, however if you’re not yet a Member, you can gain Membership for 3 months at a heavily discounted pro-rata cost. This will give you free entry for that period as well as a 10% discount on plant purchases.
You can join in person or by calling 03 6433 1805. Note per the 2023 AGM, membership fees will increase for the 2025-26 year, but we’re also working on ways to increase the benefits and expediate the process of joining. Watch this space!
RETAINING WALL
The security of our West bank (not to be confused with the West Bank in the Middle East!) has been a concern for many years. A very real possibility of major land slippage existed, which would have been catastrophic for our garden.
Into the breach stepped Roy Briggs, volunteer extraordinaire, who collected donated (by Bridgestone Somerset and McCarthys) truck tyres (at no cost to the Garden), and organised for a contractor (R.S Champion Contracting – a very appropriate name for this operator) to dig into the bank and place the tyres strategically, so avoiding any possibility of land slippages.
He also supervised the whole event, crackling the whip to make sure the contractor worked to expectation. The result is exceptional and will do an excellent job to limit any slippage. Thanks Roy, great job!
UPCOMING EVENTS
Wednesday Winter Warmers - As part of Tourist Tasmania’s “OFF Season” promotion, we are running our Wednesday Winter Warmers lunches from 4th June to 27th August. These will comprise a delicious two course meal with a free glass of Tasmanian wine or beer. The event will be advertised closer to the date, with how to book, as bookings will be essential.
Spring Festival 18th October – I know it’s a long way away, but the festival will have a new ‘flavour’. This is a clue by the way, more details later!
Ant Dry: Chairperson & Acting General Manager
Around the Garden
As the crisp Tasmanian air sets in, EVRG transforms into a canvas painted with fiery reds, oranges, and golds. The garden's diverse collection of deciduous trees, including maples, Ginkgo biloba in many forms, swamp cypress, Liriodendron tulipifera (or tulip tree) and oaks, complements the evergreens, creating such an enchanting contrast.
It really is a photographer’s paradise, still with plenty of colour around. I highly recommend that you try to fit us into your busy schedule before the colours of Autumn begin to fade. For those who can’t but don’t want to miss out on all of the action, be sure to see our facebook page for regular videos and photo updates.
We have had a problem area and for a long time now where we have all scratched our heads and put it in the ‘too hard’ basket. It is a section that has fretted over time on the front side of a decent size drop and continues to cause us grief. The road has now become narrow due to the soil erosion that has fallen onto it and we are continuously shovelling to clear the area. Roy Briggs came up with a plan to use large truck tyres to build a retaining wall to overcome this issue.
He made contact with an excavator driver who found time to fit us in before it rains and the area becomes slush, and boy, did the pair of them get the job done! Very impressed ! Here is a sneak peak of what the two of them achieved in only a day and a half. I can highly recommend Reuben – RJ Champion contracting and his sidekick, Roy. The tyre wall is now complete and I will be planting ground covers to cascade over the top of the wall very shortly.
There is always plenty to talk about but seeing as though it is Autumn and the garden is looking picture perfect, I thought it might be best to show you rather than add more words on a page, so enjoy this magical moment captured during the week.
Happy Gardening, Neet—Horticultural Manager
