After more than 20 years sculpting this garden, it was time for a new challenge. At the start of 2022 we opted for a new gardening adventure in Melville Forest (near Hamilton).
Below is the story of my Cathkin garden (90's to 2022).
It is a hectare in size and it sat among paddocks of grazing sheep. When I moved here in the 1990's, I was lucky to inherit several mature trees but a garden layout that directed visitors to the back laundry door – a typical farm house!
As the new bride, I started by bringing down the old garden fence and expanded well out into the paddock. This garden needed to have the same vast proportions as the big garden trees as well as the vast open landscape in which it all sits.
The garden now welcomes you through an avenue of mature Cypress trees that keeps the view of the house concealed until you round the last corner and reveals that you have arrived. Visitors now enter through the front door having left their car in the front parking fore-court.
The garden beyond is a sea of green-on-green. I wanted a cool, calming oasis that remained lush even in the toughest of our summers. In place of floral blooms, I have create interest by using different sized leafs, differing shades of green, and the odd splash of burgundy and purple to act as the unexpected as you move through garden rooms.
I am a mother of three and work full time as a landscape designer. This is a garden that provides the ‘big garden’ experience but is small in its maintenance demands. Each plant has been chosen carefully to be truly low in care and low in water requirements.
