I am the festival director for the Lockyer Arts Festival 2012, which will run from 13-16 January 2012 in Gatton. We are promoting art, music, writing and produce of the region (Ipswich – Toowoomba). As such, we have a “Plants/Food” section.

Are you interested in exhibiting to promote your business and make extra sales over the four days of the festival?

We have Australia’s leading nutritionist Lola Berry and ABC TV’s Gardening Australia presenter Leonie Norrington as special guest speakers. Both are authors, so they feature throughout the entire festival.

Please take a look at our website (noted above) and get back to me if you are interested. The festival will be at the Gatton Indoor Sports Centre.

Kind regards,
Jacq

Rhubarb does best in cooler areas, but with care, you might be able to get it growing okay in Brisbane. Plant it in a pot, or choose the coolest part of the garden, and make sure it gets at least afternoon shade. In a sunny position you will need to throw some shadecloth over the plant during the hottest part of the day, and ensure it receives regular watering. The soil will need to be full of organic matter – this will improve drainage, but also retain moisture like a sponge.

The problem with rhubarb in the subtropics isn’t so much summer temperatures (it gets just as hot, or hotter, in Victoria), but the lack of cold during winter. In my climate the plant dies back to the crown during winter, giving it a rest and saving energy for the growing season ahead. In the subtropics, the warm winters mean that the plant tends to lack vigour. To overcome this, some growers dig up the crown during winter and put it in the fridge or freezer for month, others leave the plant in the ground, and put ice around the crown once a week during winter. If this is too much mucking around, there’s always the option of buying stems from Queensland growers. There’s plenty of rhubarb grown here at Hampton and more at Highfields closer to Toowoomba.

We sell crowns in bare root form from late June until the end of August, with orders starting with the release of our catalogue in March next year. Varieties include Highfields Ever Red, Wandin Red and Sylvan Giant, though supplies are usually very limited.

Hope that helps,

Justin

Glad to hear that most of the trees are away and doing well. Quinces tend to be slow in their first year after planting, but it really should be starting to leaf out by now. Try doing the scratch test – simply scracth off a sliver of bark with your fingernail. If the wood underneath is green the tree is alive. If the bark is hard to scratch and the layer underneath is brown, the tree is likely dead or close to it. The other thing you might try to enourage the tree to shoots (assuming it’s alive), is to cut it back by about a third to half, pruning a centimetre or so above an outward facing bud. Often this will free the bud up to shoot. If the tree’s caput, we can look at replacing it for you next year.

Orders start in early March with the release of our 2012 catalogue, so you should have enough time before you go away. I’m guessing your garden is looking good at the moment.

Cheers,

Justin

I have 40 acres in Ravensbourne and saw your community note at the Hampton store. I’d like to establish a number of fruit trees this spring. I hope you can supply same.

I’d like avocado, peach, apple, orange, apricot and a pear. Also, would you have any idea where I can purchase vines for table grapes?

Many thanks

Andrew

Just wanted to say a big thank-you! Picked up our trees from the post office today and they are in beautiful condition. Can’t wait to get them planted and start reaping the rewards (well, in awhile anyway!)

Thanks

Erik

To date we have two varieties of quince, a persimmon, two crabapples, a plum, and two hazelnuts alongside some maples, liquidambars, and birch. This winter we’ll be planting more crabapples, a damson, another persimmon, a medlar, and more if we can find the sapce. All are being grown informally without much training or attention.

Cheers,

Justin