The Bass Coast Shire Council’s outdoor team is racing against time to get everything spick and span for the triumphant return of the Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix at Phillip Island on Friday to Sunday, October 14 to 16.
And it was all hands-on-deck this week at roundabout gardens, town plots and along roadsides to get the grass cut, the plants watered, and the gardens weeded and looking their best.
So, everything will look great as the two-wheeled visitors start arriving on the Island over the next few days.
The bonuses, and there are two, is that the Island will also be ready to welcome the influx of visitors from now until Christmas… and guess what – it’s also National Gardening Week from October 9 to 15 – who knew?
Consistently one of the most popular services supplied by local government is their work on town feature gardens and the Bass Coast Shire Council is no exception with gardens across the shire and also lawns and reserves receiving high praise for their consistently fantastic order.
Dig in and celebrate!
National Gardening Week offers a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the simple joys of gardening and to promote an activity that is good for both mind and body!
Over the last few years, we as a nation have faced droughts, fires, floods and the uncertainty that a global pandemic can bring to our lives. But gardening, whether it be on country acres, a suburban block or a high-rise balcony, has been a faithful refuge from your day-to-day worries, a haven to lose one’s self and a pastime to find peace with nature.
The focus for National Gardening Week 2022 is all about that journey of discovery. Discover the garden, discover the plants and discover the passion! Dig in and discover the simple joys that gardening brings!
Plant a tree for the Queen
In 2022, we also celebrated Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee and to mark the occasion, the Queen’s Green Canopy initiative or “treebilee”, was launched. The aim is to plant trees to extend the ‘green canopy’ in the UK and across the world.
Given our recent devasting bushfires and the loss of so much of our own green canopy, “treebilee” presents a great opportunity to plant a tree and celebrate National Gardening Week.
National Gardening Week is proudly supported by the Garden Clubs of Australia (GCA). Established in 1950, GCA it is the nation’s premiere organisation for garden clubs and other like-minded groups and today has more than 750 affiliates representing over 50,000 members.
National Gardening Week fulfils one of the organisation’s main aims of extending the culture of gardening into the wider community for the benefit of all citizens, with many of the affiliate garden clubs celebrating the event each year.
The driving force behind National Gardening Week is passionate gardener, immediate past president of the GCA and National Gardening Week Ambassador, George Hoad AM.
“This year marks the 6th year National Gardening Week will be celebrated across the country and it’d heartening to see so many ‘new’ gardeners coming onboard each year – digging in and celebrating this most enjoyable of activities.”
National Gardening Week is open to everybody – people of all ages, organisations, businesses, local communities, local councils, schools, etc. – to participate in and celebrate gardening in any way they choose. Throw a garden party, visit a local park, join a garden club, plant a tree, visit your local nursery or just spend a day relaxing on the lawn – the list of possible activities is endless!
Post your best 'selfie in the garden'
So, why not share your love of gardening and one of your favourite places in the garden with a “selfie” posted on the Sentinel-Times’ Facebook page (make sure you or someone else is in the photo) and the best photos will be featured in the Sentinel-Times’ print edition next week in a special ‘House & Garden’ edition to celebrate National Garden Week. Post your best selfie in the garden at https://www.facebook.com/sgsentineltimes
