Jane introduced our guest speaker David Van Berkel from Garden Express who had brought along a great selection of plants including seed potatoes, raspberry canes and bare rooted roses.
David explained that they are the largest online retailer of plants in Australia and provided members with a copy of their catalogue showcasing the variety of plants they stock.
They produce four catalogues per year, which is a major job for them. They specialise in bulbs and unusual and unique plants, which need to be treated before sale in Australia.
David’s grandparents came to Monbulk in the Dandenong’s from Holland in the 1940’s and established a business growing tulips, which David’s father took over in time. A fire destroyed most of their stock and they decided to specialise in other plants and packaging for bulbs. This is now done by machine but was done by seasonal workers in the past. They pack around 1.7 million lots of bulbs per year.
They purchased a small business called Bulb Express and have developed it into a flourishing mail order and internet business which has allowed a larger range of plants to be stocked and available to gardeners.
David explained that all bulbs are comprised of layers of starch to feed the flower – lack of water results in smaller flowers or none at all.
Some bulbs including daffodils need to be ‘boiled’ to kill pathogens. Excessive ground heat means that daffodils won’t flower and in northern states they need to be lifted after flowering. Do not put bulbs in the freezer and if you are putting them in the fridge, use a plastic container or separate crisper as methane from cut vegetables will stop them flowering. If they are placed in the fridge for 4-6 weeks they will all bloom at the same time. We only need to lift bulbs every three years or so if overcrowding but not due to the temperature.
David demonstrated bulb-planting trays which make it easy to lift them from pots or the garden and store them prior to replanting.
Fertilise the plants when flowering – Seasol is good to encourage the growth of healthy microbes and coffee grounds are great for deterring mealy bugs from plants. Manure should be composted before putting on the plants. Sugar cane or lucerne makes good mulch as they put nutrients into the soil.
