
Jan Diprose was guest speaker at the April meeting.
The Forbes Garden Club April meeting was held in the lovely gardens at the home of John Browne. President Marg Dent welcomed 28 present with six apologies. The guest speaker was Jan Diprose from the Weddin Community Native Nursery at Grenfell. This volunteer nursery started under the Landcare banner, where seeds are collected sorted and stored. They are grown in hot houses and sold to farmers and Shire Councils. John Browne also spoke on his garden which is home to many unusual plants.
Flower of the month winners were 1st Denise Thurston (Clematis), 2nd Elvy Quirk(Dahlia) and 3rd Marlene (Huf-Rose). Raffle winners were Joy Hocking, Elvy Quirk, Janette Thomas, Meg Scholefield and John Browne.
The recent bus trip to visit the Tumbling Downs Olive Grove at Bogan Gate started out with a bus filled with members and friends all eager for an outing in this beautiful autumn weather. Participants were welcomed by Colin and Shelley Nutley with a delicious Devonshire Tea. Shelley spoke of the history of their farm and how they pick and press the olives, before tasting the oil and a variety of jams relishes.
The next stop was visiting three gardens at Parkes. The first garden was at the home of Leah Douglas, who had been inundated with the 2022 floods. The garden featured numerous advanced trees, a large area to explore and tend. The next garden was that of Nancy McColl – a large cottage type garden which led visitors along lots of paths around her home filled with trees and shrubs. The last garden of the day the group visited was Fay and Kelvie Blackstock’s home. This garden featured all manor of creations from old machinery made by Kelvie with succulents planted everywhere. Garden Club members are very appreciative of Denise Thurston for planning this fantastic day.