By Callum Ludwig
Winter is flying by and Upper Yarra residents are as keen as anyone to spruce up their garden in time for spring.
The Upper Yarra Valley Garden Club (UYVGC) is the place to go for all things gardens, meeting on the third Monday of every month and providing residents with the chance to share and swap their tips and tricks.
President of the UYVCG Kevin Hince said the long-standing club was established back in 1984.
“We’ve been around ever since then and currently have 121 members, with quite a few people who join in every now and then at our meetings in the Warburton Golf Club clubrooms,” he said.
“We think there are a lot more people out there who could join up with us, with their own very nice gardens and we’d like to encourage them to sign up if they’re interested.”
Membership for the club costs only a yearly $20 fee.
Mr Hince said the monthly meetings host guest speakers talking on a range of topical gardening news.
“We talk about whatever the members who would like to talk about, from rare plants to roses, pruning to bees, anything and everything related to horticulture,” he said.
“At our last meeting, we had a teacher from Warburton Primary School talking about their Kitchen Garden and the way it fits in with their educational program.”
The UYVGC host a number of events throughout the year, with an Autumn Flower Show has taken place in April this year and a Spring Flower Show set to come in October, as well as numerous Open Garden weekends where four, five or six members open up their gardens to members of the club for a weekend to raise funds for the club.
Mr Hince said the goals and interests of the members are very eclectic.
“People are interested in gardens from those are very strictly native to those full of other very rare and beautiful plants, it’s very much a cross-section and we try to cater for that,” he said.
“We do Garden Walks in various members’ houses on the fourth Monday of each month, where we assembled a garden and have a cup of tea and walk around to see what people are doing in their own garden. We do keep busy.”
Anyone interested can find more information at their website: www.upperyarravalleygardenclub.com/
Mr Hince said everybody and anybody is welcome to join the club.
“Gardening is very social, and people get to know other people as well as see what’s growing in the area and talk to people about their problems. It becomes a community thing once people get together,” he said.
“Even if they just want to come and visit to test the waters, they’re welcome to come along. Our yearly $20 membership fee isn’t all that much and we encourage everybody. We have members all the way from Woori Yallock out to Reefton.”
