Are you one of those people who loves a beautiful garden, but has misplaced their so-called green thumb? Or maybe you never had one.
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It seems the Southern Highlands Botanic Garden Nursery has just the solution.
During a recent visit to the nursery, the advice from some of the volunteers on hand was like music to my ears.
They used words like drought hardy, frost tolerant, disease free and good for attracting bees.
But the best description of all offered by one of the volunteers was "it makes you look like a clever gardener".
Sold I thought. I could soon have one of those Southern Highlands gardens that everyone admires.
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You see, while I have had reasonable success in my Highlands garden, it would be fair to say that I function with a 50-50 chance of my plants living...or dying - all depends on whether you look at the glass half full, or empty.
I'll go with a glass half full and I put my 50 per cent success rate down to good luck, rather than good management.
So the plant at the SHBG nursery that promises my future gardening success is just what this amateur gardener needs.
I quickly learned the plant known as the Autumn Daisy (Ajania) offers a delicate yellow daisy that another volunteer described as "adding a little sunshine to a garden."
The description worked for me, so I made some more inquiries with the SHBG CEO and horticulturalist Charlotte Webb.
That's when I learned that now was the perfect time to get this little golden gem in the ground.
"This is our most popular plant in the nursery," Charlotte said as she pointed out the yellow daisy that was growing in various garden beds across the grounds of the botanic gardens.
"And now is the best time for planting, while the soil is still warm.
"That will enable good root growth through winter before it comes into its own in spring.
"By December there will be a good bun formation, with the plant covered in flowers from March to June."
Charlotte added that the Autumn Daisy always offered a beautiful floral display during the Southern Highland Botanic Gardens' annual Autumn Open Gardens and Plant Sale.
This event, held each year in April, is a major fundraiser for the gardens, which is a not-for-profit community initiative.
Unfortunately due to the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions the event could not be held in 2020, a major blow to the garden's fundraising coffers.
However, plant sales can continue at the SHBG nursery with all funds raised used for ongoing projects at the gardens.
Among the projects in the pipeline are an education centre, visitors' centre, boardwalks, amphiteatre, pathways, and an endangered ecological community of plants.
The Southern Highlands Botanic Gardens Nursery is opened from 9am to 3pm on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday of each week, weather permitting.
Most plants featured in the gardens are also available for sale in the nursery, which should be more good news for gardeners and budding gardeners. That means you can be confident that the plants available at the nursery are suitable for the Southern Highlands climate.
The gardens, located on the corner of Old South and Kangaloon Roads, Bowral, are open seven days from 9am to 5pm.
