Country Road Nursery

05/08/2026

After 24 years here I still can't get over the beauty of some of the flowers. 😍 This is a Black Tulip Magnolia flower. Just stunning. Available now but do need to stay in the pot for a while yet.

03/08/2026

Back to our Spring, Summer and Autumn trading hours again. 😊

28/07/2026

Blueberries, plenty in stock. 4 varieties atm, plant 2 or more different varieties for cross pollination to get heavier crops per bush.
If planting in pots, use azalea, camellia and gardenia potting mix & feed with azalea, camellia & gardenia fertiliser.
At $30 to $40 per kilo at the shops, it won’t take long for them to pay for themselves.

15/07/2026

In stock now...
Bright colours for your gardens ✨️

14/07/2026

Closing at 1pm today, Wednesday 15th, and tomorrow, Thursday 16th July for the Grafton Races half day holidays. Sorry for any inconvenience.

12/07/2026

✨️ happy Sunday ✨️

Open today till 12noon...

10/07/2026

Interesting to note this warning on the flower punnet labels. I have successfully had nasturtian, marigold & calendula grow & self-seed in my vegie patch & I regularly add the petals to salads

I attended a workshop recently on edible flowers and planting for bees. It was a really enjoyable session, but one thing caught my attention during the planting activity.

As I looked over the plants, I noticed that many of the tags had "Not fit for human consumption" printed on the back.

At first, it seemed a bit confusing. After all, many of these plants, such as violas, calendula, nasturtiums and lavender, are well known for having edible flowers or leaves.

The important thing to understand is that the warning is usually not about the plant itself. It's about how the plant was grown.

Many ornamental nurseries use pesticides, fungicides, insecticides, and growth regulators that are perfectly legal for ornamental plants, but they're not approved for plants intended for consumption. While these products help produce healthy-looking plants for sale, they may leave residues that aren't considered safe for human consumption.

So, if you buy one of these plants from an ornamental nursery, it's best not to eat the flowers or leaves that are already on it. Instead, plant it in your garden, grow it using food-safe methods, and wait until it produces a fresh flush of new growth before harvesting.

It was a great reminder that there's a difference between a plant being edible and a plant being grown as an edible crop. As gardeners and permaculture enthusiasts, it's worth paying attention to those little details so we can enjoy our gardens safely.

Have you ever noticed this warning on the back of a plant tag?

10/07/2026

Up close with the flowers & foliage

07/07/2026

New supplier, new varieties

04/07/2026

I'm sure we can all relate!
My mistake from yesterday... not covering the broccoli at night 😒 all 3 plants 'trimmed' & so I wait again for new shoots & hopefully something for us to eat!

A PHILOSOPHICAL QUOTE WORTH REMEMBERING

On the ABC news website last weekend there was an article by Virginia Trioli (who is retiring from the ABC) reflecting on her long career in journalism, in that article she made a comment that resonated strongly with me as it accords with my philosophy on food gardening, she said: “I am now in possession of enough mistakes to claim a small amount of experience.”

When you become a food gardener you go down a huge rabbit hole that is without end as it will take you along endless passages fraught with errors and dead ends. I have often repeated the words “the more I garden the less I realise that I know about gardening” to try and explain just how unfathomable it all is. And central to this journey are all the mistakes you have made and will make in the future and the resulting setbacks. But mistakes are a great teacher and central to life itself, not just food gardening.

So when those mistakes and setbacks occur just remember that we all have them and get back on your bike and keep going. Eventually the successes will outnumber the failures and you will be able to reliably grow a wide range of tasty fruit and vegetables.

This is another quote worth remembering:-
"Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better
- Samuel Beckett