Murray and Vicki Fletcher represented the Friends of Orange Botanic Gardens at the Australian Association of Friends of Botanic Gardens (AAFBG) conference in Geelong at the end of April. These conferences are always worth attending and it would be good to see other FOBG members at future conferences as well.Significant groups, such as RBG Sydney, were not represented at the meeting although there was representation from Tasmania, South Australia, Victoria, ACT and New South Wales.The pre- and post-conference tours to the Bellarine Peninsula, The Great Ocean Road/Otways and Western Plains were excellent despite difficult weather and included visits to several regional botanic gardens in southern Victoria.Most of the conference presentations were informative and entertaining. The weekend included guided walks in the Geelong Botanic Gardens which were established in 1851 and a tour of the cultural precinct in Geelong which has a wonderful new library and art gallery.

The Heritage Rose Garden in the Orange Botanic Gardens was established in 1991 and is now approaching full maturity with some 200 roses in the garden. The collection includes China roses, Tea roses, Damasks, Centifolias, Albas, Hybrid Musks and Rugosas. There is also a section devoted to Australian Bred roses. With the co-operation of the Council staff a large proportion of the collection now have identifying labels and this job should be completed before the end of the year. We also hope to install two plaques on the lych gate at the entrance to the garden which will commemorate the opening of the garden by Australia’s most prominent rosarian.

The volunteers meet the first Monday of each month and enjoy a social few hours maintaining and pruning this important collection. It contains the largest collection of species roses in NSW.

We would love to welcome more volunteers who may enjoy learning about these lovely old roses.

CULTIVATED CHATSDr Murray Fletcher FRES.A talk about Murray Fletcher’s recent trip to Madagascar, where the flora and fauna evolved in isolation from the rest of the world.Wednesday 12th October, 11 for 11:30, $20 per person, sandwich lunch included.

GUIDED WALKSBird Walk - Sunday 4th September, 8:30am.Bring binoculars. Morning tea available.Wattles with Waffles - Guided Walk with Chris Mills10:30am start followed by waffles.

THE FRIENDS’ SPRING PLANT SALESunday 6th of November 2016From 8:30am - 1pm.

VISIT BY FRIENDS OF THE SYDNEY ROYAL BOTANIC GARDENSFriday 28th October 2016Volunteers to help with catering would be much appreciated.

WHAT’S ON

In conclusion, I would ask everyone to keep spreading the word about this fabulous space where we work as VOLUNTEERS... to keep OBG as free from commercial development as possible so we can gather here always and look out in any direction and enjoy the birds, fresh air, peace and quietness. Above all enjoy the space we have helped create, without intrusion of commercial enterprise and the constant whir of coffee machines.

The Friends of theOrange Botanic Gardens

Ne w s l e t t e r W i n te r 2 016

President ’s Repor t

Firstly, thank you for trusting me with this job as President of FOBG for the past two years. On reflection I feel a lot has happened in that time, some of which has caused us unnecessary grief, the rest has been filled with happiness, companionship as a group and progress in the Gardens we love and want to

continually protect for this community. The Propagating area continues to thrive and the recent and past sales are simply outstanding in their professional presentation, eagerness of all the team and of course the bottom line - lots of money which we continue to spend on the Gardens itself. Thank you everyone who has worked in this area, we are very proud of what you do!

The recent decision to install Dennis Croucher as a liaison officer between this group and the Council itself will I am sure be of extra benefit to us all.

The long protracted compilation and subsequent signing of the MOU has meant an area is available for us to work in again in the Gardens proper.

The Botanic Room has seen some wonderful events in this time. The Cultivated Chats, Bird Walk morning teas, and other catering requests have all been professionally carried out, with many compliments to the AWESOME team... Libby, Monika and Julie. The inclusion in 2016 Orange FOOD Week activities with Charlotte Thodey’s exhibition and workshops was a fantastic experience for all involved. We are keen to do something similar again next year. These activities provide us with public attention again, monetary gain for OBG. Thanks again to all who helped over that 10 day period.

I couldn’t have done my job without the fabulous help I receive from Murray. You are truly a fabulous secretary and keep me on an even keel always.

Monika, you are Treasurer Extraordinaire... so efficient and obliging. Thank you so much. You have had an enormous job this year and we are very, very grateful.

The Friendsof the OrangeBotanic Gardens

Orange Botanic GardensYellow Box Way (Off Hill Street)

P.O Box 17Orange, NSW 2800

AAFBG CONFERENCEREPORT

Written by Lyn Gough

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FOBG COMMITTEE AND OFFICE-BEARERS 2016/2017President Dennis Croucher 0418 631 409 croucher_glover@bigpond.com

Vice President Maureen Pilcher 0407 243 059 maureen_pilcher@hotmail.com 

Secretary Murray Fletcher  6362 9965 murvic2@gmail.com

Treasurer Monika Rickli

Public Officer Dick Niven 6365 1355 rjn@bsnlaw.com.au

Publicity Officer Trevor Gazzard 0411 413 259

Newsletter Editors

Libby West  ladysteptoe@bigpond.com 

Julie Collin collin.julie@gmail.com

Committee Members

Bernie HuxtableJohn and Lorraine Milla Susan Sanders Ann Snape

Judy Kilby Chris Mills   Denise Serbutt

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ROSE GARDEN update

Jean started by giving us an overview of the botanics, where the crucial point to consider is pollination. Hazelnuts are air-pollinated but not self-pollinating. They need to have different and appropriate genetic varieties growing nearby, releasing pollen over a long enough period when the female flowers of the main crop trees are out, to ensure fertilisation. The flowers are pollinated in June/July but fertilisation doesn’t occur until about November when the weather warms up.

Hazelnuts grow where apples grow and need a certain number of chill hours. But late frosts are a great challenge and also very hot summers as the leaves have no mechanism for coping with great heat. They do very well around Orange but need irrigating when the kernel is growing, from late November/December. The nuts fall in March and can be harvested from the ground rather than picked from the tree. Once dried, they store very well if left in the shell.

Basil talked about hazelnut growing around the world and the history of the industry in Australia. Having no endemic varieties of hazelnut, growing in Australia remained limited. Possibly because of a lack of understanding of the genetics of pollinators. His scientific research trialled hazelnut growing over 5 sites in Australia, gathering data on all aspects of the nuts, trees and yields. Great differences were found between sites, both in rates of growth and in yields. (For full details see The University of Sydney’s website for Basil’s PhD dissertation!).

Jean and Basil established their hazelnut orchard in Orange in the 1990s. The first trees are approaching maturity and they have continued planting, increasing their crop yield and evolving their business and products.

When the weather is warm and dry at harvest, the nuts can be dried for a couple of days on racks in the sun. They have constructed drying cabinets for gentle drying for when the weather is wet.

Maintenance of the hazelnut bushes: pruning is limited, the tree only needs to be shaped when young to attain the vase shape then lightly pruned to maintain an open centre. Suckers need to be removed and ... cockies need constant discouragement.

As our contribution to FOOD week in April, the Friends of the Orange Botanic Gardens invited Charlotte Thodey to show an exhibition of her paintings and to run a workshop in acrylic still life paintings of fruit and vegetables.

Charlotte Thodey is an accomplished artist with lifetime body of beautiful work. She focuses on bold renderings of luscious fruit and vegetables, some perfect, some happily blemished, in the great tradition of still life painting. Her exhibition jumped off the walls of the Botanic Room. There were paintings from small to very large, reproductions, cards and bookmarks, all with her signature intimacy with her subjects.

Charlotte says: “I see beauty in very simple things. I’m lucky that way. A bunch of carrots or radish, are perfect, like jewels. They are ordinary things with a vibrancy of their own. Everything has got something. Every painting is a journey. I’m just lucky to do something which I consider profound and which is so quiet and singular”.

The exhibition was opened on Saturday the 9th of April by Angela Hammond, a local artist, in the afternoon, so that it could include the participation of the Combined Schools Band led by Chris Mickle. It was wonderful to hear the children play pieces they had practised as part of their ensemble work, but even more so when it came to a piece where they played carrots and sweet potatoes! A vegetable orchestra had long been a dream of Charlotte’s, and we were as excited as she was to see Chris realise this.

The two day painting workshop was held outside the Botanic Room under the light shade of the former Bonsai House in ideal conditions. Charlotte brought inspirational reference materials, technical aids for the construction of the works, props, and an amazing range of gorgeous fruit and vegetables to paint. Thirteen people participated and had two paintings each to show for their efforts. Charlotte conveyed her technical knowledge of composition, colour, light and shade, but also the poetry and joy in making these works of art.

To finish off a very full week, Charlotte gave a Cultivated Chat entitled “Things My Father Taught Me”. Charlotte reflected with great affection on the influence of her father and his gardening history on her work. A slide show ran behind her showing more of her paintings and also the refuge where she creates them.

We were honoured to have Charlotte. She made a profound impact on all of us.

Charlotte Thodey FOOD WEEK 2016

FRIENDS OF THE ORANGE BOTANIC GARDENS INVITE MEMBERS AND FRIENDS

TO THE FIFTH IN A SERIES OF

CULTIVATED CHATS with Dr Murray Fletcher FRES

MADAGASCAR: A PLACE LIKE NO OTHER

Wednesday 12 October 2016

Time: 11.00am for 11.30am Sandwich lunch $20 per person

RSVP Libby, Friday 7th October 2016 m: 0488 625 640 h: 6362 5646 e: ladysteptoe@bigpond.com

BOTANIC ROOM, ORANGE BOTANIC GARDENS

FRIENDS OF THE ORANGE BOTANIC GARDENS 1 YELLOWBOX WAY (OFF HILL ST) ORANGE

Cult ivated Chats

Hazelnutswith Jean & Ba s i l Baldwin .

The Nex t Cu lt ivated Chat