Welcome to autumn. With a heartfelt sigh we all can get out in our gardens to beautify our homes and outdoors once again. Don and I, proprietors of Greenparkes Garden Centre, are proud of our design built garden centre which includes wheelchair access and a wonderfully relaxed atmosphere.

You will be spoilt for choice with our multitude of indoor plants & environmentally suited outdoor plants, seeds & seedlings. Whether you’re a green thumb or a novice, Jenny, Jen, Katie, Val and Jack are ready to assist you in all things outdoors. Soil Preparation: At Greenparkes we believe that garden preparation is of paramount importance. The area or hole prepared should always be larger and deeper than you may have prepared. Be wary of
organic matter you may be able to secure for free as this may cause you problems.

The quantity and age of organic matter you add to your planting area should be considered. Soil too rich or hot can burn roots!

Plant Choice: As an independent garden centre we take care that plants available at the time of your visit will be those suited to our climate and the season. New stock is received weekly during autumn, so we encourage regular visits to keep up to date with the latest and most suitable plants, shrubs and trees. See you at Greenparkes!

By Jenny Jewell

For windows you won’t want to stop gazing out of, Glassplace have a custom made range of aluminium and timber windows in sliding, double hung, awning and casement configurations. Doors are available in sliding, French, stacker or corner entry designs to suit all home styles. The professional team have installed 3 door units to demonstrate the expanse of product for entrance doors, alfresco access doors and commercial doors which can be viewed instore.

Their new shower screen display is also on show and comes complete with 5 new products which include framed, semi-frameless and frameless showers in attractive designs. Glassplace mirrors are made to order, ensuring you get the perfect one for you and can be framed, square or bevelled edged. Glassplace also build and supply insect screen doors with standard fibreglass or paw proof gauze along with decorative, security and privacy screen doors. If you need to spruce up your shop the team offer complete shopfront supply and maintenance service for the business community and are the only local member of the Australian Window Association (AWA) which guarantees that they meet quality requirements and provides assurance for all customers through their compliance to an annual audit on products Glassplace make and sell. For more information pop into the shop at 4 Clarke Street.

Parkes Decor Shoppe has been a cornerstone of design in Parkes that has spanned four decades after it was established at the southern end of Clarinda Street in 1975. Nowadays, window furnishings consist of a major part of the shops operations. Parkes Décor Shoppe is the brainchild of Barry and Margaret Robinson and although Barry sadly passed away ten years ago the business is still going strong with Margaret at the helm of an excellent team of staff. Ever aware of opportunities to improve, Marg joined the Lighting Network, a buying group with 50 stores down the east coast of Australia.

“This has enabled us to offer our customers a bigger range of home lighting at very competitive prices” says Margaret. Even after four decades of retail, Margaret is still enthusiastic when it comes to her shop. “We pride ourselves on our solid customer service and attention to detail,” says Margaret.’

Welcome to my new column…
I am so excited to have a regular feature each month in this amazing publication! I hope to show you just how easy it can be to turn your decorating dreams into reality. Trust me, it is never as hard as you think it is just simply knowing the tips and tricks to make the process easier. Every single person deserves a home that they love to want
to return to each night. And when you have this sanctuary from the outside world it can have such a positive flow on effect in every other area of your life as well.

My very first pearl of wisdom to share with you through this column is very simple and to the point. Getting help can be very liberating and make your journey on the decorating path a breeze because someone is there to hold your hand each and every step along the way. And that is my absolute privilege to hopefully be the one to help and guide you through that process.

I look forward to sharing tips and advice with you in these columns.

By Karen Creith

Karen is the owner of Parkes Furniture One and the author of the book ‘The Art of Fluffing’. Karen began her decorating journey a few years ago and quickly became an impressive voice in the journalistic world of decorating, attaining the role of interior stylist for National Magazine before becoming editor in chief of her very own magazine,
Style Your Home with Karen Creith.

Col and Rosie Lucas pride themselves on running the local, independent store, Parkes Plumbing and Hardware at 18-22 Forbes Road. The shop can cater to all your sanitation, pipes and fixture needs and is set to be fully stocked as Col and Rosie have just had a brand new order of cisterns arrive which are suitable for suites and generalised bathrooms. On the hardware side of things products on offer include Australian made vanities, garden hoses, drip irrigation fittings, Puretec water filters and a huge range of brass and gal fittings. Showers on offer have modern round or square heads with high rise and low rise gooseneck arms that are all the rage at the moment on popular DIY shows and are a must if you’re aiming for an elegant, stylish bathroom. Best of all, the team offer free delivery in and around town, taking the stress out of shopping!

For all your everyday needs, plumbing jobs large or small, Parkes Plumbing and Hardware have it all. Pop in and see the friendly duo at the store on Forbes Road from 7.30am -5pm Monday to Friday, 8am until 12pm on Saturday or give them a call on 6862 3045.

Parkes Bricks & Pavers and Potts Removalists have a massive range of stock available to view at 94-98 Forbes Road. Parkes Bricks & Paver have a huge range of garden and landscaping supplies, shipping containers and wine barrel features. Different types of brick in Austral, Boral, CSR PGH and Namoi Valley while their concrete block stock include Austral Masonry, Adbri Masonry, Boral Concrete and Masonry and Cowra Concrete Products and their variety of pavers comprise of Austral Paving, CSR PGH Paving, Adbri Masonry, Paveloc Industries, Cowra Concrete Products, Boral Concrete and Landscaping and Rocksolid Sandstone Products.

Next door at Potts they specialise in home furniture removals, transportation services, office relocations, container storage, interstate removals, furniture dismantling and reassembly, container packing services and container sales and rentals. Since the early 1950’s the name Potts has been associated with furniture transport, removals and
storage. The company was established in Parkes in the late 1950’s by Keith and Nola Potts and has always been a family business maintained through successive generations of the Potts family to its present day owners, Gary and David Potts, sons of Keith and Nola. Like their father, Gary and David are dedicated to the business of moving people and their possessions, new furniture transportation and the storage of all items either commercial or private. Today they offer services in residential, commercial, office relocation as well as interstate removals.