She specialises in propagating succulents and designing exotic and native ‘water wise’ gardens.
Ms Banfield has run Flourish on McLennan — "not your typical nursery" — for three-and-a-half years.
Flourish sells a range of indoor and outdoor "rare and unusual" plants and gift-wares.
It is also one of the only nurseries in Australia that stocks the elusive ‘Jelly Jam’ succulent.
Summer has now been and gone and we welcome the arrival of autumn.
Autumn is such a magical season when the spotlight falls on our trees and shrubs that bring a riot of vibrant foliage colour, berries and seed heads.
A few very carefully chosen plants will bring a bright splash of colour that will ignite your autumn garden.
Consideration of their position in your garden will help to maximise their breathtaking display.
So if you feel your garden is in need of that bit of autumn impact, get out there and have a look around at what is in your local area for that bit of inspiration.
This is also such a great time of the year for planting and transplanting.
The days have cooled whilst our soil temperature is still warm and hopefully there will be some nice rains around to add some much-needed moisture to the soil.
When our soils are warm and moist, new plantings settle in and establish new root growth before slowing down with the arrival of winter.
So, let's look at some of the things we can get stuck into around our gardens.
Lawns
Early autumn is the perfect time to do some lawn maintenance.
● Aerating your lawn prior to applying fertiliser will mean better air and moisture levels in the soil and allow the lawn root zone to take up the applied fertiliser much more effectively.
● Top dressing your lawn and over sowing with lawn seed repairs bare areas.
Vegetable garden
Now is the perfect time to get back into our vegetable gardens.
By this time of the year we will be clearing out our finished summer vegetables, making it the ideal time to be adding some good organic matter/fertiliser into the soil, ready for planting.
There are lots of varieties to choose from . . . beetroot, broad beans, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, leeks, lettuce, rocket, silver beet and spinach, just to name a few.
So let's all get out there and enjoy this most beautiful time of the year.
— Michelle, Flourish on McLennan
Flourish on McLennan is located at 120 McLennan St, Mooroopna. If you have any questions for Michelle, send her an email at flourish@sheppnews.com.au or text her on 0437 252 186.
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