{"id":37344,"date":"2024-06-25T12:15:33","date_gmt":"2024-06-25T10:15:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/0fcab469-b2e9-4170-a25b-448736bcc09b"},"modified":"2024-06-25T14:32:49","modified_gmt":"2024-06-25T12:32:49","slug":"when-my-husband-fell-ill-our-colourful-joyful-garden-became-a-place-of-solace-and-nurture-in-hard-times","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/gardensillustrated\/rss_feed\/when-my-husband-fell-ill-our-colourful-joyful-garden-became-a-place-of-solace-and-nurture-in-hard-times\/","title":{"rendered":"When my husband fell ill, our colourful, joyful garden became a place of solace and nurture in hard times"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ann-Maree Winter\u2019s joyful Australian garden became a place of solace and nurture in hard times. Words: Georgina Reid, Images Claire Takacs <\/p>

By <\/p>

Published: Tuesday, 25 June 2024 at 10:15 AM<\/p>

\n\n

Ann-Maree Winter knows better than most the transformative power of gardening. Her garden on the Mornington Peninsula in southern Australia is a place of solace, joy and plenty of colour<\/a>. She and her husband Paul bought the property in 2015, moving from a 450 square metre suburban plot with sandy soil to seven windswept acres of rich volcanic soil. \u201cI can stick my finger in the ground here, and it should grow,\u201d she says, with a chuckle. <\/p>

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When the couple first arrived, the garden was sparsely planted with native plants strangled by weed mat, gum trees planted along fence lines and not much else. Now, around one and a half of the seven acres are gardened. Entering the property from the front gates, visitors are greeted by lawn<\/a> with a sculptural cluster of three eucalyptus trees, followed by the productive and picking garden.<\/p>
\u201cAfter what we went through, it\u2019s such a good thing to have a bit of a laugh and say, \u2018why don\u2019t I put these two together\u2019; \u2018why don\u2019t I do this, or that\u2019. The garden is very much rooted in that sense of unbridled joy.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>
As the drive sweeps around the house, the jewel of the garden is revealed \u2013 Ann-Maree\u2019s high-octane perennial garden<\/a>. Further below is is a new \u2018subdued\u2019 garden area, which is being planted with native and endemic species, creating a strong connection with surrounding grassland and distant views.<\/p>
Ann-Maree studied fine art at university and her eye for colour and composition is obvious within her garden. Here, Agastache aurantiaca \u2018Lilac Sprite\u2019 and Echinacea purpurea are repeated throughout the garden. Panicum virgatum \u2018Heavy Metal\u2019 provides vertical interest and illumination. \u00a9Claire Takacs<\/figcaption><\/figure>
While one of the reasons for the move was to have more space to garden, when Ann-Maree moved in, she says she \u201cspent a lot of time up on the deck of the house looking out, wondering what we\u2019d gotten into and being really intimidated by it\u201d. The first summer<\/a> was very dry, with the clay soil<\/a> cracking and hot westerly winds ripping up the hill. Anne-Maree\u2019s response was to begin planting a windbreak and making an \u201cinner sanctum of over-the-topness\u201d to counter how inhospitable the environment felt.<\/p>
$\"Garden$
Portuguese laurel (Prunus lusitanica) hedges frame views to farmland beyond the garden. The emergent forms of Cotinus \u2018Grace\u2019 and Miscanthus transmorrisonensis were planted by Ann-Maree to catch both the light and the winds. Society garlic (Tulbaghia violacea), Nepeta racemosa \u2018Walker\u2019s Low\u2019 and Verbena rigida f. lilacina \u2018Polaris\u2019 border the gravel paths. \u00a9Claire Takacs<\/figcaption><\/figure>
My initial approach to planting reflects having gardened a much smaller, suburban space. <\/p><\/blockquote>
The site\u2019s slope and exposure to harsh winds have been the greatest challenges to the creation of the garden. Ann-Maree placed large rocks to break up the slope, and planted a hedge to protect new plantings from wind and harsh western sun. The stepping of the slope, and buffer plantings, have created a number odifferent microclimates within the garden, suiting a wide variety of plants. Inspired by local garden designers such as Jo Ferguson<\/a> and Jac Semmler, Ann-Maree\u2019s perennial garden is an experiment in colour, texture and resilience.<\/p>
There\u2019s musicality to the garden, with lulls and crescendos that are accentuated by the play of light.<\/p><\/blockquote>
More importantly, it\u2019s a place of abundance and joy, a salve in challenging times. A few years after they purchased the property, Ann-Maree\u2019s husband Paul was diagnosed with lymphoma. \u201cIt turned our world inside itself,\u201d she says. The garden became an oasis for both of them. \u201cIt was good for Paul, because it gave him somewhere to be while undergoing treatment. And in between treatments, he was able to do things in the garden.\u201d Then the Covid-19 lockdowns struck. \u201cIt was such a weird, dystopian time \u2013 we felt very lucky to have this place,\u201d Ann-Maree says. \u201cIt nurtured us.\u201d<\/p>
$\"House$
Close to the house Ann-Maree has created a warm colour-palette bed featuring red kangaroo paws, coreopsis, Phlomis russeliana and Agastache aurantiaca \u2018Copper Rose\u2019, with Monarda \u2018Jacob Cline\u2019 enjoying a moist area of soil. In the background, endemic Leptospermum continentale envelops the deck. \u00a9Claire Takacs<\/figcaption><\/figure>
She describes the perennial garden, variously, as the \u201ccolour bomb\u201d and \u201cjewel box\u201d. She approaches colour with a sense of musicality and movement. \u201cI group warm colours and cool colours together in each area, and so even though there\u2019s a whole lot of different colours, it\u2019s actually transitioning through the spectrum rather than being a mix of the spectrum.\u201d<\/p>
$\"Close-up$
Close to the house Ann-Maree has created a warm colour-palette bed featuring red kangaroo paws, coreopsis, Phlomis russeliana and Agastache aurantiaca \u2018Copper Rose\u2019, with Monarda \u2018Jacob Cline\u2019 enjoying a moist area of soil. In the background, endemic Leptospermum continentale envelops the deck. \u00a9Claire Takacs<\/figcaption><\/figure>
The colour relationships of the entire garden space are considered, not just within particular garden beds. Pops of colour appear in one spot, drawing the eye onwards to another. Colours move in waves within the space. \u201cThere\u2019s musicality to the garden, with lulls and crescendos that are accentuated by the play of light.\u201d<\/p>
While highly considered and skilfully tended, the garden is also pure fun. \u201cSo often I\u2019ll come out to the garden and just laugh,\u201d says Ann-Maree. \u201cAfter what we went through, it\u2019s such a good thing to have a bit of a laugh and say, \u2018why don\u2019t I put these two together\u2019; \u2018why don\u2019t I do this, or that\u2019. The garden is very much rooted in that sense of unbridled joy.\u201d<\/p>
$\"Colourful$
In this cooler border, bold forms of Cordyline australis \u2018Purpurea\u2019 and Canna \u2018Pink Magic\u2019 contrast with the feathery, soft plumes of Miscanthus transmorrisonensis, and flowers of Cosmos bipinnatus \u2018Dazzler\u2019, Hylotelephium \u2018Herbstfreude\u2019, Echinacea pallida and Daucus carota \u2018Dara\u2019. \u00a9Claire Takacs<\/figcaption><\/figure>
Now, after nearly ten years of living at the property, Ann-Maree says her approach to the garden, and the place itself, is evolving. While she\u2019ll always have her \u201cjewel-box centre\u201d, her current approach is less a reaction to the place and more of a conversation with it. She\u2019s experimenting with more native plants in the garden, and the paddocks beyond will be planted with endemic species \u2013 forming part of an important local vegetation and wildlife corridor.<\/p>
\u201cMy initial approach to planting reflects having gardened a much smaller, suburban space,\u201d says Ann-Maree. \u201cI feel differently now. We\u2019re hoping to give back to this place. It will be interesting to see how that feeds back into the inner garden. I\u2019m curious to know how it, and I, will change.\u201d<\/p>
Discover Jo Ferguson’s colourful Australian garden <\/a><\/p> <\/body><\/html>\n
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