Coral Page was last week's speaker (25 May). Coral has been president of Waverley Garden Club for over five years, and she shared some tips on how to keep a community organisation thriving during tough times as well as her top three bits of advice for creating and improving your own garden--the insights might even overlap.
The past couple of years have been a trial for many organisations in our community, with in-person meetings hampered or suspended for large portions of the height of COVID. But the Waverley Garden Club, with a long history as the pre-eminent volunteer-run garden club in the east of Melbourne, has continued to meet the needs of its members.
First, the top three tips provided by Coral for gardening success:
- Know where the sun hits your garden area throughout the whole year. You can't change some bits of the environment, so knowing what constraints you have will help you make plans that are more likely to succeed.
- Understand your soil. If you know the ground is sandy or wet or just right it'll tell you what you can plant with a realistic chance of it thriving.
- Improve your soil. You should spend as much time on your soil as you do on your plants. Making it more hospitable will allow for more growth.
And the club has seen similar attention and success. The garden club is 360 strong, has regular engagement activities across a number of interest areas, meets regularly and has an active member base willing to share ideas and knowledge.
Thanks to Coral for her presentation, we have some great ideas about both gardening and organisational strength.