I’ve never really been much of a gardener. My mum and stepfather (sf) used to spend hours, days and weeks pouring over plans spread across the kitchen table. Mum’s design skills, love of plants, wildflowers and all things frogs and dragonflies, combined with sf’s muscle power and occasional roped in help from his watch at the fire brigade, meant they had the tools at their disposal to create a wonderful garden with nooks and crannies to explore or relax in.
As a kid, I couldn’t really see the fascination. Gardening was boring. Gardening was for old people. IMO. Though it always looked great.
When I started working in publishing I worked across a number of titles in the early years. It was just at that point ‘gardening’ became ‘fashionable’ again. I think Charlie Dimmock had a lot to do with the renaissance, She was the redhead in the garden who never wore a bra. Thousands of men in the UK suddenly became interested in Ground Force with Alan Titchmarsh on a Sunday night, eagerly anticipating Charlie’s appearance. Hmm, what a great time for a publisher to be launching ‘Water Garden’ magazine (one of Charlie’s specialities). And there I was, I found myself in the world of gardening and water features, hobnobbing with the likes of Monty Don (who I have to say was a bit up himself). Suffice to say I did keep my bra on – most of the time.
Peter’s always been interested in the garden and over the years I’ve been so grateful as he was the one who took care of the weeds and the grass while I was more interested in anything else that had to be done. It’s only been recently I’ve been tempted back out there again. I am actually really excited about the potential to transform this property. It’s as if someone started the job but gave up. So this area of the blog will follow Lorikeet Lane’s transformation (and perhaps my own) in the gardens and the land in general. I’ll no doubt be asking a lot of “what the hell is this plant?” questions, so do comment if you have an interest.
Ultimately we would love an area for the ducks to swim. We have a few that come to visit, so a refreshing pond for them would be great. I’d also like a ‘healing’ garden or a relaxing space for my Reiki clients to sit before or after their treatment. It would also be a great place for me to sit and reflect on my writing. I share Peter’s passion for bringing natives in and getting rid of anything not native (like the weird cactus we have growing all over the place). Apart from anything else it would attract the wildlife and provide a home in an area that I’m sure will become more developed as people move from Sydney.
For now, it’s a case of figuring out what we’ve got and watching what comes and goes through the next few seasons. But the imagination has started ticking over. Who knows, before long Peter and I might be pouring over our plans on the kitchen the table … life’s a funny thing.