The early parks and gardens directors, such as Weston, Hobday and Bruce, had such high aspirations. These leaders in horticulture planted a healthy blend of native and exotic street trees to give pleasure for all seasons.

This was combined with the promotion of residential gardens with free trees and shrubs.

But let’s look at the positive side and consider if there are small trees suitable for small blocks.

I consider a small tree being up to five to six metres with a spread of two to three metres. Admittedly, they’re not large enough to shade the house, but could provide shade for playing children.

Prunus “Versicolour” is an outstanding flowering peach with a mixture of pale and dark pink and white flowers appearing at the same time in spring. It grows to about three metres with a similar spread. A group of, say, three would look stunning on a larger block.

In winter, the bark sheds its outer skin, revealing beautiful shades of greys and cinnamon colours.

Many varieties are ideal for the very small garden, growing to just four metres tall. For example, the L.I. indica x fauriei “Lipan” is a stunning, vase-shaped Crepe Myrtle with an abundance of lavender colour flowers and rich autumn-leaf colour.

For bigger gardens, there are larger varieties that grow to eight or nine metres.

Dwarf Crepe Myrtles grow well in a large ornamental container, ideal for balconies in units. An example being Lagerstroemia indica “Bourbon Street”, which grows to 60 centimetres with a one-metre spread.

THE  Heritage Nursery in Yarralumla will be taking part in the national Garden RE LEAF Weekend (March 7-8) to highlight the health and wellbeing benefits of plants and gardens, and raise funds for beyondblue.

Between 2pm and 4pm, Heritage is hosting sessions in showing children how to pot violas and pansies to take home and grow. Other activities include a “Blue Plant Sale” with 20 per cent of the sales of blueberries, salvias, rosemary, convolvulus and brachyscome donated to beyondblue.

NEXT month’s Lanyon Plant Fair will feature about 30 exhibitors from all over southern NSW and Victoria with every plant imaginable – native plants to exotic, bulbs, sculptures, tools plus a host of activities for children. One of the last events under the Open Gardens Scheme, a series of garden experts will give free talks throughout the weekend.

Lanyon Homestead, 10am-4pm, the weekend of March 21-22. Entry is $10, under 18 free.

Jottings…

• Prepare the veggie bed for winter planting after removing the last of the summer crops. Adding well-mixed new compost from your compost heap, some garden lime and Neutrog Seamungus seaweed and chook poo fertiliser.
• It’s time to remove struggling roses because they are never going to get better. Thoroughly dig over the ground and prepare as above for the veggie garden. Then let it rest until the new rose-planting time in June/July.
• I advise against planting new citrus trees in the open garden as frosts can appear any time now. If in containers, think where they can be moved to undercover for winter.