Episode: #9 28/10/06
Presenter: Melissa King

In spring it is hard to beat a weekend drive through the bushy town of Warrandyte when the surrounding hills are alive with colour but the real incentive comes when you discover that the area is home to one of Victoria?s most beautiful garden centres.

Warran Glen Garden Centre has been nestled on the banks of Jumping creek for over forty years and the real give away are the stunning mature trees and landscaped gardens. The natural creek runs right through the property and provides the setting for 5 acres of gardening paradise. It is also home to families of ducks which are a great drawcard for the kids.

It is a garden centre with a great history, but when it comes to plants and advice they are contemporary in every sense of the word, with a massive selection of plants to suit every style of garden, an impressive gift shop and the latest trends in pots, ornaments and water features.

Being water conscious is the modern way to garden and as an accredited water saver garden centre Warran Glen is at the forefront of this movement. That means qualified horticulturalists that have all the right answers and a great range of tough, beautiful plants.

For foliage colour you can?t go past Libertia Taupo Blaze (Libertia ixiodes?Taupo Blaze?). With rainbow coloured foliage and striking modern form it is a top choice for stylish glazed pots or massed in garden beds.

For those of you with tough narrow areas Woolly Bush (Adenanthos sericea?Silver Streak?) is a real beauty. It has the softest grey foliage and grows to 2 metres tall and only a metre wide so it is great for growing along fence lines. Birds also love the colourful nectar filled flowers.

Eriostemons are up there with the showiest natives around and are damn tough, tolerating drought, frost, full sun and tough clay soils. Plus they have fragrant flowers and foliage. For a real treat try ?Flower Girl? (Philotheca cv. ?Flower Girl?) with deep pink buds that open to starry white flowers (1.2 m).

While you are at Warran Glen don?t forget to pick up some mulch for your garden beds as now is a great time to do it. You can choose from earthy, organic mulches perfect for natural-style gardens or even pebbles for a modern look. Lay it on around 10 cm thick to keep the water in and the weeds out!

Melissa loves going to garden centres that have a feel good vibe. There is no other way to describe the nursery than visually stunning and the best place to take it all in is up on the caf? balcony with a glass of wine just soaking up the atmosphere.

Warran Glen Garden Centre and Caf?
373 Warrandyte Ringwood Road
Warrandyte
Ph: 03 9844 3027