Meet the gardeners and their garden

Peter and Lyn moved to this former dairy cattle farm in Glen Forbes about two decades ago. Such has been their success in reclaiming land and improving the soil, that it feels as if these extensive gardens have been here forever. It’s easy to get lost in their charming ornamental gardens – there’s a seasonal babbling brook, a bridge, an art studio and perhaps even fairies at the bottom of the garden? A wild hive of European bees has made a home in the poplar tree. Their home is surrounded by food production, including a large orchard, chickens, two vegetable patches and a selection of berries.

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How does your garden grow?

Our ‘secret ingredient’ is our huge compost pile at the top of our driveway.  It has allowed us to convert tired clay into a vibrant home for bio-rich organisms, allowing us to grow healthy vegetables throughout the year. Our veggie patch has moved several times over the years, with the yields of different areas depending on the rainfall and other growing conditions. We love the seasonal variety in what we grow and how we eat, whether it is brassicas in winter, peas and beans in spring, tomatoes and zucchini in summer, or pumpkins in autumn.

What are some of your gardening challenges?

Keeping a large orchard (including lemonade lemons, mandarins, tangelos, limes, feijoa, cumquat, damson plums, green gage plums, apples, figs, quince and pears) under control can be a challenge.  We usually have more fruit than we can eat, preserve or give away to family and friends.  Weeding is a constant chore, with many plants self-seeding and spreading across the garden.

Be inspired and learn!

Peter and Lyn say: The exercise from gardening keeps the arthritis at bay.  If and when digging and weeding become a burden, we can fall back on no-dig methods. When all is done, a gardener’s ashes can go back on the compost heap. The cycle of life continues!

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Garden extras

Lose yourself in the rambling ornamental gardens and fern glades that provide shady dells on hot summer days!