Meet the gardeners and their garden

Rhagodia is home to an artist, Frances, and a horticulturist, Paul.  A hedge of Rhagodia candolleana acts as a fire retardant, with the property being named after this bright red seaberry saltbush as it’s located in Seaberry Court and the plant suits the coastal and windswept location.  In 2019 Paul and Frances moved from the NSW South Coast where they had managed large acreage gardens to this 600-square metre block.  Here, they have crafted an exquisite small garden combining edibles, ornamentals and native plants. 

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Come to see, learn and be inspired!

• Beautiful flowers combine with over two dozen vegetables in large raised timber beds; there is a strong focus on succession planting and growing small quantities of many different foods for culinary enjoyment

• When growing vegetables, Paul’s advice is to remember that ‘you don’t have a pollination problem, you have a flower deficiency’ – more flowers are always the solution!

• Fruits and berries in this garden include plums, grapes, raspberries, strawberries, youngberries, figs, lemons, cumquats, apples, pears, pomegranates and blueberries; check out the grapevine on the back patio which was struck from 100-year-old cuttings before the previous owner was going to destroy the vines

• Espaliering fruit trees allows maximum light and air around growing plants, as well as saving space in small gardens

• Ask Paul about his interest in using Australian organic fertilisers that are based on black soldier fly larvae which are fed food waste and help to reduce carbon emissions

• Paul is a frequent guest at gardening events and free-lance garden writer – he always has a story to tell!

 

Parking and accessibility

Park on Seaward Drive as entry to the garden is via Seaward Drive.  This is a flat garden, but some pathways are narrow.

 

Address

5 Seaberry Court, Cape Paterson