Plotlines: open garden
Open garden
An Edwardian glasshouse, 100-year-old trees and an established orchard are all part of a 0.4-hectare (one-acre) Geelong garden open this weekend. Claremont, a house and garden established in the late 1850s, has been owned by the same family for 120 years and displays all the layers you would expect of a landscape intensively gardened by successive generations. It is at 143 Noble Street, Newtown and is open from 10am to 4.30pm, Saturday and Sunday (March 14 and 15 ), $8. Go to opengardensvictoria.org.au for more information.
Claremont pergola in autumn.Credit:Open Gardens Victoria
Autumn sale
A range of perennials, succulents, herbs and fruit trees, as well as second-hand books, will be on sale at next weekend’s Kevin Heinze Grow autumn fair and open day. The event will run from 9am to 3pm on Saturday,March 21 across both the Doncaster (39 Wetherby Road) and Coburg (512 Sydney Road) sites. Staff will also be on hand to discuss the programs offered by this organisation that caters to a broad spectrum of vulnerable and marginalised groups. Go to kevinheinzegrow.org.au/events for more information.
What to do this weekend
Recent rains have given all plants – unwanted ones included – a growth spurt so keep on top of weeding.
Cut back Cotton Lavender (Santolina chamaecyparissus) after flowering to keep it tight and full.
Harvest ripe figs before the birds devour them.
Start planting leafy greens, including lettuce, either as seedlings or from seed.
Look out for the first appearances of autumn bulbs such as cyclamens and sea squill.