MEMORIES

On April 25 1993, 6 months before our first son was born we bought this property which consists of 37 acres. It was rundown, the house was half finished and as for a garden - there wasn't one, just a collection of broken down sheds, cattle yards, a haphazard chook pen over grown lomardy poplars and rubbish lying every where - WHAT A CHALLENGE!

With help from my Dad and his old trusty fordson tractor with a blade on it we set about cleaning up. The huge straggly poplars over shadowed the house so they came down, cut and heaped up and burnt up along with the sheds and yards. The chook house rebuilt so we could keep the chooks off the verandas.

The first plants I had were a collection of pot plants on the verandas. By the time we cleared the area around the house we had put in one winter putting up with mud for a front yard - in September our new son arrived and things were put on hold for a month or two. We then got the front part of the house fenced so I could start our garden. The first trees were weeping willow, 2 black willows, a powton tree, silver birch, and silver maple. One of our first garden beds was row of roses along the front of the house. Along the fence we planted daises, and an assortment of perennial plants which surrounded the willows. Over time we added more to the garden beds. My sister, Janine gave us a jacaranda tree which we nursed for years. In 1996 mum decided she would open a nursery, as our front and side paddocks were vacant, very overgrown and messy - another big project was undertaken.

We had two children by this stage, Bradley and Aimee, things in the garden really started to grow and develop. In 1997 we were expecting our 3rd child and I decided to get Grant to build a bridge and roses arbores, I had seen in a gardening magazine, and to rock the garden beds as well as make new garden beds. The year after Ryan was born we extended the rose garden, had a garage built and cemented the driveway, what a difference, when it rained the water that ran down the hill didn't fill the veranda up.

In year 2000 we had a row of Blue gums that ran down the side of the yard harvested. Dad as called on again to extend the fence. We then put a limestone wall up and boxed in rose beds, we proceeded to shift all the roses we had in the orginal garden as the garden has become to shady for them, a row of conifers gives shelter to the new garden area. Lawn areas surround the raised rose beds.

In April 2002 we decided to turn a wet area into a water feature, we proceeded to dig a series of trenches going down to a large pond - This idea came about because I wanted a pond for my ducks which roam freely around our garden. After much hard work and help of a friend with a excavator the job completed when we lined the ponds with plastic and the edges with sandstone rocks. In the process a few more garden beds were created and lot more special plants for special people have been planted.

We now, (2005) have extended the garden further to cover most of the paddock below the house with approximately 300 Deciduous & Evergreen Trees and Conifers, including a Bradford Pear Avenue, 2 mirror imaged Roses beds, a native band for the birds and a 'Peace' Garden with Camellias. In time this will just add more peace and tranquillity to our place.

Along side our garden is what we call the Nursery Garden (Gardeners' Getaway Gardens), which consists of large lawned areas great for picnics, weddings etc. There is also a huge age old peppermint tree (Agonis Flexuso), which is under planted with Hydrangeas, Azaleas, hostas, cilveas and hellebores. These make a great show at different times of the year. There is also a standard rose walk and an oval rose bed, conifer and native area, along with a water feature surrounded by cannas lilies, agapanthus and Louisiana irises. In December and January these gardens are both at their peak flowering time. Both gardens have beautiful shady areas so you can feel totally cool and relaxed while enjoying and ambience of the area.