Aren't we lucky to be gardening on the Coffs Coast?
Our geographic position on the NSW coast puts us into the sub-tropical climate classification, which has warm, wet Summers and relatively dry Winters and Springs. At the same time we experience elements of the temperate climate that exists further south, for example, we get the odd light frost in the depths of Winter, as well as the occasional southerly that brings wet, wild and windy weather for a few days each time. Of course, we can also experience a dreaded East Coast Low at any time of the year, which can have devastating effects on gardens as a number of our members know only too well.
The great thing is that this climatic overlap allows us to grow lots of different things, and to do so all year round. To be fair, though, our Summers tend to be a bit problematic with plants often bolting to seed, and we see lots of diseases and pests rearing their ugly heads. And, of course, the clay soils that predominate throughout our area tend to somewhat limit what we can successfully grow.
Despite all that, our members have managed to produce a wide variety of wonderful gardens, including fully sub-tropical plantings; decorative gardens that are at their best in Spring; formal landscaped gardens; fully native gardens, and pretty much everything in between.
Gardening is, after all, about personal tastes, and Coffs Harbour offers us a great deal of flexibility to do just about whatever we want in our gardening endeavours. That's one of the great benefits of living in a place that enjoys the "world's best climate". But there is also an important spin-off here, in that it helps generates diversity within our Club, which assists in making it a vibrant and progressive community organisation that offers something for everyone with an interest in gardening. I encourage all our members to take advantage of the opportunities this presents, be that though attending outings and workshops, or just simply by sharing thoughts with other members about best gardening practices here on the Coffs Coast.