Canberra Organic Growers Society (COGS) goes online

The Canberra Organic Growers Society (COGS) started in 1977 and is still going strong. They have a new website up and running, making the most of the flexibility of WordPress - lovely work!

I've added them to the sidebar under 'Companion plantings', as well as to my RSS reader.

Now to finish reading the Winter edition (2009, Vol 17 No 2) of the COGS newsletter, on crop rotation and tips for winter plantings!

Books: Australian Plants for Canberra Region

While spending up big at the Botanic Gardens plant sale yesterday, we also purchased this book:

Australian Plants for Canberra Region Gardens and other Cool Climate Areas (ISBN 0 909830 59 2).

It's an informative book covering a broad range of grasses, shrubs, trees and more that grow well in Canberra's harsh conditions. It's published by Australian Native Plants Society Canberra Region Inc. (formerly the Society for Growing Australian Plants, Canberra Region Inc.) who describe the book on their website:

The purpose of this book is to assist people growing Australian plants whether they are starting a new garden, developing an established one, or just adding some native plants to any garden. It features over 10,000 Australian plants suitable for growing in the Canberra Region, and much of the information gathered here will have application elsewhere in temperate southern and eastern Australia. Many of the plants that grow successfully in Canberra's climatic extremes have a wide range of adaptability.

Well worth the $20 we think! A great addition to your book collection if you're aiming for a native garden in the Canberra region.

Gardening...with a good book

I've been dipping into our gardening books over the last couple of weeks, a lovely bedtime reading chore!

My favourite at present is Companion Planting, part of the Lothian series on successful organic gardening (1995). it's a bit hard to find now - Amazon don't have copies available, but I'm sure a local library or two would have it. I've been planning our planting cycles and companion plants as a result.

Another fav is The Canberra Gardener, published by the Horticultural Society of Canberra Inc. A must-have if you are planning on gardening in Canberra! You can read more via the link on the right of this page. :o)

Another weekend past-time we enjoy is listening to Saturday gardening with Genevieve Jacobs on ABC 666. Genevieve also put together a list of gardening books that would keep you occupied for weeks (a good winter activity!):

Gardening isn’t just about getting your hands dirty: it’s also about beauty and ideas, daydreams and inspirations. Winter is a great time to snuggle up with a book and make plans, or research plants and ideas which intrigue you. While gardening magazines are wonderful for quick bites of information and up to the minute news, there’s also a world of gardening history and culture to be explored.

I'd agree Genevieve, a wonderful past-time in which to indulge! Here are some other gardening stories from the program too.