Things I Want To Remember (The Garden Edition)

So often I’ll think to write down things to do with Eleanor, or life in general, here in my online space – so I can remember specific times and seasons, to look back on and see certain progresses and growth. My garden is no different, and although there’s nothing that exciting going on in it at the moment, I wanted to still document what the Brindabella garden is up to at this very moment, Winter 2016. Nothing ground breaking, no big projects like the veggie garden or arbour construction, everything is fairly dormant at this time of year anyway, but in a year’s time (or 2 or 3 or 5 years!) to look back on this post, to see shrubs and trees that were half their size, I know will be somewhat gratifying.

They say to plant a garden is to have hope for tomorrow. Or something. A theory I’ve struggled with in all the random and assorted farmhouses we’ve called home across Australia in the past almost ten years. Some places we knew we wouldn’t be for long, but I still tried to make the garden my own, all a part of this homebody feathering her nest. Now here at Brindabella, where we hope to stay forever, I can go about things more meticulously, with more care and patience and forethought. In other gardens I’ve been rushed and frustrated by the thought that I needed instant gratification with my plantings, nowadays I can plan a bit more, leave that gap there for the one-day plant or tree I have in mind or envisage different areas in the garden and how they will evolve over time.

I do have a grand plan in mind when it comes to the garden – so many plans and projects and ideas that are yet to come to fruition. And although I know the sooner we get started the sooner the garden will establish itself and take that grand plan shape, I also am very aware a garden is very much an evolution. The satisfaction can very much be in the never ending unfurling process of it all.

So, at the moment, whilst I await the arrival of our second Winter baby here at Brindabella, I also wait for my garden vision to come to fruition. Not right now, whilst my hands are full and days are busy, but soon and slowly we will create our ideal country garden – full of perennial borders by the arbour and rambling climbing roses, beds of foxglove spires and the already established camellias in our big lawns, the natives up the driveway attracting birds and the veggie patch next to the chooks laden with produce. I can see it all there…but, patience. Come Winter and emerging Spring of 2017 I hope to look back on these photos and realise just how far we’ve come, what’s been sown and grown and nurtured. And then, comes the next Spring, and the next, and the next…