Banksia Nurseries: Camellias, Vegetables and Orchids
Presenter: Melissa King
Episode: 23 (6th October 2007)
You may presume that a garden centre called Banksia Nurseries would just specialise in just natives, but there’s a great little story behind the name.
Banksia Nurseries is a family run nursery and the original owners were migrants from Ireland. The Banksia is the very first native plant they learnt so the name stuck. After 40 years they know a whole lot more and the nursery is jam-packed with a host of native and exotic plants.
They have a great selection of Camellias and if you choose carefully you can have a camellia in flower in your garden for nine months of the year. The sasanquas bloom in autumn, the Japonicas take centre stage in the spring and the season ends with the big blowsy reticulatas.
Hybrid Camellias just keep flowering and flowering. ‘Sweet Jane’ is a great variety and named sweet because of its long flowering habit and striking two-tone flowers. Rose pink buds first appear in autumn and continue well into spring, opening into pretty white blooms, blushed with soft pink. For something a bit more dramatic try ‘Night Rider’ with sultry midnight red blooms.
Spring is the perfect time to create a new veggie patch, because what you plant now will produce a bountiful summer harvest. Plus all of the tasty varieties are on offer like sweet corn, tomatoes, chillies and eggplants, which are such a part of our summer diet.
If you're lacking space, don't worry as you can create a potted feast. The key is to use a good quality potting mix and choose compact varieties like leafy greens and lettuces.
The best way to introduce blazing summer colour into the garden is to plant annuals and now it is all about petunias, impatiens and marigolds.
Now is the time to get seedlings in the ground. Plant them on mass in garden beds or container for a vibrant display that will colour your garden throughout the warmer months.
The best time to re-pot your cymbidium orchids is generally around October or November when they finish flowering. If your pots are over crowded, you can divide plants at the same time. The key is to use orchid mix, which is open and free draining. Shake the old mixture from the roots and then trim off any dead or damaged roots. Remember not to bury the bulb, just the roots. Choose a correctly sized pot, one that’s not too big so that the roots fit comfortably.
Banksia Nursery is a great place to hang around for a few hours. With a local pool shop, landscape and glasshouse suppliers plus a lovely coffee shop, Banksia is a proud family business and a top spot for plant lovers.
The Place:
Banksia Nurseries
530 Burwood Hwy
Wantirna South Victoria
Phone: (03) 5250 1971
The Plants:
Sweet Jane Camellia (Camellia, Hybrid Cultivar, ‘Sweet Jane’)
Night Rider Camellia (Camellia, Hybrid Cultivar, ‘Night Rider’)
The Products:
Yates Tuscan Window Box
These potshave been designed with the twenty-first century homeowner very much in mind. The fashionable colours and styling of these pots make them perfect for showingoff flowering plants, herbs and balcony vegetables. And, while the 'edge' in the name describes the contrasting colour band that decorates the top of each pot, it could just as easily refer to their 'edgy' design.
Episode: 23 (6th October 2007)
You may presume that a garden centre called Banksia Nurseries would just specialise in just natives, but there’s a great little story behind the name.
Banksia Nurseries is a family run nursery and the original owners were migrants from Ireland. The Banksia is the very first native plant they learnt so the name stuck. After 40 years they know a whole lot more and the nursery is jam-packed with a host of native and exotic plants.
They have a great selection of Camellias and if you choose carefully you can have a camellia in flower in your garden for nine months of the year. The sasanquas bloom in autumn, the Japonicas take centre stage in the spring and the season ends with the big blowsy reticulatas.
Hybrid Camellias just keep flowering and flowering. ‘Sweet Jane’ is a great variety and named sweet because of its long flowering habit and striking two-tone flowers. Rose pink buds first appear in autumn and continue well into spring, opening into pretty white blooms, blushed with soft pink. For something a bit more dramatic try ‘Night Rider’ with sultry midnight red blooms.
Spring is the perfect time to create a new veggie patch, because what you plant now will produce a bountiful summer harvest. Plus all of the tasty varieties are on offer like sweet corn, tomatoes, chillies and eggplants, which are such a part of our summer diet.
If you're lacking space, don't worry as you can create a potted feast. The key is to use a good quality potting mix and choose compact varieties like leafy greens and lettuces.
The best way to introduce blazing summer colour into the garden is to plant annuals and now it is all about petunias, impatiens and marigolds.
Now is the time to get seedlings in the ground. Plant them on mass in garden beds or container for a vibrant display that will colour your garden throughout the warmer months.
The best time to re-pot your cymbidium orchids is generally around October or November when they finish flowering. If your pots are over crowded, you can divide plants at the same time. The key is to use orchid mix, which is open and free draining. Shake the old mixture from the roots and then trim off any dead or damaged roots. Remember not to bury the bulb, just the roots. Choose a correctly sized pot, one that’s not too big so that the roots fit comfortably.
Banksia Nursery is a great place to hang around for a few hours. With a local pool shop, landscape and glasshouse suppliers plus a lovely coffee shop, Banksia is a proud family business and a top spot for plant lovers.
The Place:
Banksia Nurseries
530 Burwood Hwy
Wantirna South Victoria
Phone: (03) 5250 1971
The Plants:
Sweet Jane Camellia (Camellia, Hybrid Cultivar, ‘Sweet Jane’)
Night Rider Camellia (Camellia, Hybrid Cultivar, ‘Night Rider’)
The Products:
Yates Tuscan Window Box
These potshave been designed with the twenty-first century homeowner very much in mind. The fashionable colours and styling of these pots make them perfect for showingoff flowering plants, herbs and balcony vegetables. And, while the 'edge' in the name describes the contrasting colour band that decorates the top of each pot, it could just as easily refer to their 'edgy' design.
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