Tasmania is known for such delights as King Island Cream, Cascade Beer, Cradle Mountain and ... apples! Apples in every shape, size and colour growing in orchards which line every back road and byway and available by the crate load at numerous roadside stalls. You can indulge your passion for apples in a variety of ways - fresh off the tree or an apple slice, apple muffin, apple cake, maybe apple strudel for dessert, all washed down with a glass of apple cider of course! I enjoyed this and much more on a recent trip to Tasmania in my role as president of The Garden Clubs of Australia, visiting garden clubs and attending associated events.
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On my first day I was a guest at the Hobart Horticultural Society Dahlia and Floral Art Show held in the historic Hobart Town Hall and opened by Her Excellency, Professor the Honourable Kate Warner, Governor of Tasmania. Her Excellency and I were given a tour of the dazzling dahlias before we enjoyed afternoon tea together and a lovely chat about a shared passion - gardening! That evening I attended a reception at Government House where Her Excellency welcomed me to the region and I met with over a hundred local garden club members.
A visit to the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens in Hobart is a must and you won't be disappointed - The Sub Antarctic Plant House, Japanese Garden, Cactus House, The Conservatory and of course Pete's Patch where Tino now films for Gardening Australia. My favourite spot is the tranquil Lily Pond, recently awash with the fluttering of pink and white Japanese Windflowers and the adjoining Fern House. A delightful sight was a plant unknown to me but now firmly on my bucket list, the Josephine Lily - a massive spiked head of red or pink.
Also, a visit to the vibrant Salamanca Markets with over 300 stalls selling just about everything a tourist could wish for including Pure Oils of Tasmania where I caught up with old gardening mate Angus Stewart.
I attended several meetings and visited numerous garden clubs during my week in Tasmania, giving presentations in the Hobart region, over on the east coast and up north. I visited some lovely gardens, historic villages and saw some breath-taking scenery but the one thing that stood out was the dryness of the state. Tasmania, like all of Australia, has suffered in this drought. The tinder dry bush exacerbated the situation during the devastating recent bushfires. Hopefully rain is on the way!
I concluded my visit to the Apple Isle with a night at Jennifer Stackhouse's lovely house and garden near Sheffield, set amongst the most glorious natural beauty! We dined on apple roly-poly and for breakfast, strawberry and apple jam - what else!
Happy gardening,
George
