Here are the gardener's stories.
JENNY'S GARDEN: JENNY CORR
When I was a child, I could never understand the time that my mother spent in her garden and the raptures over each delphinium that withstood the western district gales. That is until I started gardening myself!
We arrived in Glenlyon in the mid 70's with three very small children. The house, Circa 1860's, was a complete ruin, the garden consisting of two very large radiata pines (which shaded everything), two viburnum tinus, a lovely wisteria and lots of old double daffodils and narcissus. The rest was a paddock, a wide expanse of philaris grass surrounded by an old, sprawling hawthorn hedge. The grass in summer would grow over the children's heads. The giant pine near the house was eventually removed and finally we had light.
The first plants that I planted were vegetables, including lots of zuchinis. We finally had water with the installation of a bore, but it constantly ran dry. We moved the veggie patch to around the old chook house and installed a new bore. I find that the flowers in the garden bring the good insects to the veggie garden- hover flies, native bees and many others.
I became very interested in roses. My mother had grown beautiful roses and my sister had opened a rose nursery. I went overseas in the 1980's mostly to view gardens, especially roses and on my return, I was more familiar with the many varieties. In my garden I have planted 0ver 100 roses including albas, gallicas, centifolias, bourbons and mosses.
As the seasons change and vary, the weather has challenged us with droughts and flooding. Water is a constant concern. So the garden remains a work in progress.
Jenny Corr
MARGRET LOCKWOOD AT VIZSLA LAK
Margret Lockwood is one of those people who can do anything. Tall and strong, she manages a range of community commitments as well as tending a large and very pretty garden. Her strong work ethic is grounded in her mother's saying that "The best way to keep cool is to keep working".
Margret's involvement in gardening started as a small child, when one of her jobs was to water the garden. She graduated to looking after a patch of her own, where she planted snapdragons. And there was always fresh fruit and vegetables from the veggie patch tended by Grandpa Davey.
Margret's property is named after her favourite dogs- the vizslas, Hungarian hunting dogs. And lak means 'home' in Hungarian. In 1996 she and her husband Darryl started building the house, with a focus on sustainable living and in particular, a property that was fire-ready.
They planted a substantial orchard and over the years, it became severely overgrown. So Margret, in typical fashion, took to it with a chainsaw, culling old diseased trees and leaving only those that were healthy. She now has a healthy small orchard and an apple tree that was grafted with a range of apple varieties, during a Horticultural Society workshop.
The garden bursts with energy-meandering paths, colourful salvias, healthy lemons and a little bridge that Margret built herself.
The garden provides an ideal outlet for someone who never stops. "There's peace in dirt", says Margret. "I find it very therapeutic".
IAN & JENNY JORDAN AT WALLABY CREEK
Musicians Jenny and Ian Jordan are surrounded by their favourite passions- music and gardens. Purchased in 1999, the property is now an established woodland garden.
Planting of the many established trees at Wallaby Creek started when they lived in the Warby Ranges, well before they built and moved to Coomoora. The cool climate, unlike the Warby Ranges, allowed Jenny and Ian to plant the garden of their dreams, a reflection of their childhood experience of growing up in the Dandenong Ranges, with its wonderful woodland gardens.
Jenny's grandparents were marvellous gardeners and Grandpa in particular, was Jenny's favourite gardener. They had a huge rambling garden with masses of cool climate plants. Now Jenny has established a large rambling woodland of her own.
Ian's passion for planting trees goes back to his childhood. The tree that still stands in front of his parents house was planted as an acorn by Ian, aged eight, from the old oak tree that stood outside his grandfather's blacksmith shop.
The garden at Wallaby Creek is a creative outlet for Jenny and Ian, as is their music. Ian's skills in wood and metal work are also utilised, with sculptures and a lovely old gate embellishing the garden.
Planting of the many established trees at Wallaby Creek started when they lived in the Warby Ranges, well before they built and moved to Coomoora. The cool climate, unlike the Warby Ranges, allowed Jenny and Ian to plant the garden of their dreams, a reflection of their childhood experience of growing up in the Dandenong Ranges, with its wonderful woodland gardens.
Jenny's grandparents were marvellous gardeners and Grandpa in particular, was Jenny's favourite gardener. They had a huge rambling garden with masses of cool climate plants. Now Jenny has established a large rambling woodland of her own.
Ian's passion for planting trees goes back to his childhood. The tree that still stands in front of his parents house was planted as an acorn by Ian, aged eight, from the old oak tree that stood outside his grandfather's blacksmith shop.
The garden at Wallaby Creek is a creative outlet for Jenny and Ian, as is their music. Ian's skills in wood and metal work are also utilised, with sculptures and a lovely old gate embellishing the garden.
This is a special place to share and to relax.
Jenny reflects that "The garden is an opportunity for renewal and creates a deep sense of calm".
GREENLION: JOHN CABLE AND JILL TESCHENDORFF
"Call it destiny Johnno" said John's brother when he met his first girlfriend again after 32 years. Now John and Jill share an idyllic life at the top of a hill, overlooking the Loddon River in Glenlyon. John's passion is bees so he established 100 hives to keep out of mischief. His other passion is growing veggies, so a large veggie patch was planted, providing food all year round, except during the depths of winter.
Jill's passion is gardening and she set to work to transform over two acres of mudstone and clay into a thriving garden. It was a massive task. Observing the unyielding clay, she realised that it would need loads and loads of compost. "We're not going to live long enough to do it like that, Jilly" said Johnno. "I'm going to get you two loads of soil". So the bulldozer man brought the salvaged soil from local dams and the task began.
Their shared passion is restoration of the bushland. In the early days the river was hidden by a wall of blackberries and gorse, which not only hid the view of the beautiful river, but smothered the indigenous plants. It has now been transformed into the most peaceful riverside, teeming with birds and ringing with the sound of frogs.
"Digging in the earth is such a primal activity" says Jill. "It's part of our human heritage and it brings a deep sense of peace and satisfaction".
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