My Son Is An Artist!

Dear Gardening
I had a car that skipped like a Kangaroo, I got used to that, it kept me awake, but occasionally it made a load bang, like it had blown up, so I realised that it might need a service.

My mechanic told me it was a carbi problem. I’m a mechanics dream, you could tell me anything.

So I had to drive it to Blacktown, that’s where the Carburettor guy had his work shop, we Kangaroo hopped all the way. It started backfiring too.

When I got there the mechanic told me to go for a walk, it would take him 2 hours, I started walking. I noticed the houses were from the same era from where I grew up. Nice timber houses and nice colours.

I came across this house, it was a lovely green and it had this amazing rose bush out the front, and it must have had twenty blooms, and even more buds. I reached in and gave it a sniff, the fragrance was amazing, I gave it another big sniff, I looked around nervously, men aren’t suppose to smell roses. It’s not manly.

I knew this rose straight away, it’s one of the biggest sellers, it’s called “Just Joey”, it has huge fragrant apricot flowers with wavy petals. Have I told you it smells delicious?

I took photos, the rose started talking to me, “make it work Timmy” I got lots of shots. I walked back, the mechanic told me he’d fixed the problem, it drove like a V8, it had stopped skipping and backfiring. I drove around his carpark 3 times honking my horn. He was shaking his head smiling, he could have charged me more. I bet he wished he had.

We have Just Joey Roses, it’s a winner, you need one. Plant it with Blue Moon, Mr Lincoln and Pope John Paul to make noses happy.

Cathy’s just been stitched up by her boss, but she’s still smiling. Her boss owns a business in Oatley called Edmonds & Greer, it’s a Cafe/Homewares business that’s become a destination says Cathy. “You must visit”.

Amie found out that Cathy lived close to Tim’s Garden Centre so she asked Cathy if she could swing by and pick up six bags of Tim’s Best Potting mix.

We strike up a conversation, I like Cathy straight away, and she’s beautifully dressed. Check out those glasses, she’s just so Arty!!!

It turns out that she’s not an artist, “But my son Scott, is an artist, and he’s just graduated and got his masters degree, my house is full of his art, and my friends call it the Art House”.

Is he famous yet? I ask.
“He’s not famous yet like your son, I follow him, but he’s famous to me”. We have a laugh.

She tells me other friends ask her to deliver our Tim’s Best potting mix everytime she visits, it’s become currency, just lucky Cathy has a station wagon.

I ask her if she would mind if I take a photo.
She’s off to help do stocktake today.

I’ve looked up Edmonds & Greer, the food looks amazing, I notice they have beautiful big shade trees out the front, I really will have to visit.
Have you been?

If you look closely you’ll see I’m getting photo bombed. This is an old photo, it tells the story about The Macarthur Rose which we released to celebrate the lives of John and Elizabeth Macarthur.

See that Ram in the photo, it tried to kill me. I’d gone out to Belgenny Farm to take a photo of a Merino sheep for the label. I’d got over the fence to take a photo of this guy. He wasn’t happy and he charged at me like a bull.
I’ve never run so fast.

We released the rose and it was a huge success. It has huge red flowers that are exceptionally petalicious. They have a nice fragrance, they are perfect for picking.

We’ve sold thousands of this rose over the years, it’s a popular gift for friends, it’s Macarthur’s Rose. We’ve just potted them up they will be covered in roses like this in spring. Plants cost $39.99.

I just cannot believe how beautifully these Big Red Geraniums are growing in the middle of winter. We potted them up about four weeks ago using Tim’s Best Potting mix and they have quadrupled in size.
What a great word “quadrupled”. Not sure I’ve ever used that word before.

But that’s what happens to your plants when you pot them up into Tim’s Best Potting mix. You start inventing words. Yes you’ll be flabbergasted by the results.

You can still have colour in your gardens over winter.
Fill all those empty pots you’ve got with Geraniums. Once you’ve got one, you can grow more from cuttings. You’ve just got to find the grannie in you.

A splash of colour makes you smile, it makes you get out of bed when it’s freezing cold, it reminds you that spring is coming.

Happy gardening
Tim