Rain gets me to the nursery

ALISON Paterson’s gardening column celebrates the joy of a little rain after a long drought

GLORIOUS RAIN: Recent rain has gladdened the hearts of green-thumbs but we must also support local nurseries and garden shops as the drought and bushfires continue to devastate our region.

RAIN.

It rained on Friday night!

While it didn’t so much more than wash the dust off the leaves of our trees, just the sight of the wet stuff falling out of the sky was wonderful.

And it certainly lifts your spirits to think that perhaps more could be on the way.

Because our farmers desperately need it as well as our firefighters.

Not to mention our shopkeepers, because when times are tough during droughts and bushfires, people by necessity tighten their purses.

With all the kerfuffle of Black Friday deals Christmas shopping and online sales, let’s choose to support our local nurseries and plant suppliers instead.

Because those giant discount gardening websites are all about profit and not about supporting our local community.

It’s great to get inspiration from online sources, but nothing beats seeing a plant for real.

A few years ago I bought a rose which the website ranked as “highly fragrant” but to my nose, a pumpkin would have a more intense aroma.

Try having this connection with that mega-online company.

No thanks.

When we shop at our local nursery, we help the staff retain their jobs, local suppliers and the shop owner keep their businesses going and this allows them to support and offer sponsorship to our garden clubs.

Yes, I can buy passionfruit vines online and yes they are about $1 cheaper (before I pay for postage).

But, if I buy passionfruit vines locally, I enjoy a chat with the nursery owner.

This might include a discussion about the wisdom of burying a lamb’s heart in the hole as my grandmother taught me – because she said these plants are greedy for food.

Or we could discuss whether I should add some potash to solve my gardenia yellow-leaf issue.

Or when I ask about which roses are more resistant to black spot, the advice turns to the wisdom of growing garlic as a companion plant and keeping the lower branches open to assist with air flow.

And that’s before we move on to talking about the footy and just what is going on with the council and the SRV?

Before you click and shop – hop on your bicycle, get in the car or walk the dog down the road for a packet of seeds, seedlings or a garden tool or ornament.

Because when we support out local nursery or garden centre, we all win.

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