Around The Grounds

Who would like to take a stroll around the garden and yard of our new/old home?

When we lived here in 2010-2011 we built a new fence, encompassing a bigger yard after 17 old cypress trees were removed down the western side of the house (along with various falling down outbuildings/sheds/rubbish/old machinery/general farm junk). This effectively made the yard twice as big, as the house itself was the old paddock boundary. The new fence we built together over many weekends, often in 40+ degrees, and is where I learnt a lot all of my fencing skills from Matt. We built it from hard to climb chicken wire on the bottom with the intention of one day having children in this house, as there is a dam quite close to the house.

Our engagement party was just a few weeks after we originally moved into this house, so most of our family gave us trees to plant in our new home, to grow with us. We have a crabapple in front of the house, a Manchurian pear near the front driveway gate, a Chinese pistachio in the new lawn area, a lemon tree and a magnolia. We had another ornamental pear and orange tree which are unfortunately no longer here. And let’s not talk about the silver birch which I ran down with the mower…

The main garden bed in the backyard used to have the original falling down garden fence through it, which we pulled out and made the bed twice as big. Lots of things to be planted in there before the Winter chill hits, since last weekend I’ve already put in a white protea (Matt’s native choice), a lavender and my pot of chrysanthemums has been plonked there while they flower. Some established camellias used to be in this garden bed, which unfortunately are no longer there. There is also a garden bed down the path to the back door, hoping to grow some herbs here as it’s just out the kitchen door, and get something quick growing to climb on that fence (star jasmine or happy wanderer perhaps).

There are a few established camellias and rhododendrons, left from the family who lived here for 60 years prior to my family buying the property. As well as the piece de resistance: the gorgeous big horse chestnut tree in the backyard. I’m not sure how old it is, probably about 40-50 years old, but it’s so nice to have some well established trees and shrubs in the yard as well as room to put your own stamp on the garden. There is another horse chestnut tree in the yard, not as old but flowers pink instead of white. The wishing well in the backyard is from the original owners also, we have sometimes debated whether to keep it or not. I think I want to get a spreading creeper to plant in it and spill over the edges.

So, my green thumbs are definitely twitching! Just some simple things like herbs by the kitchen door or getting a climber started on that fence would suffice for now though I think. All in good time.