Narmbool Open Garden

Today the boys and I went to a lovely open garden on a property now run and owned by Sovreign Hill. It's around 2,000 hectares and the garden I would estimate seems to be on about 10 acres. It was beautiful, we took a picnic and it was an absolute delight to see.

Narmbool is between Clarendon and Elaine. Perhaps it's so large it just is Narmbool and not in any town.

The homestead built in the 1800's.

The herb garden, there was a guy there who was the apothocary man.  He was awfully familiar.  Turned out he was one of my horticulture teachers many years ago!  We chatted as you do.

Lovely sculpture

The side of the house.

Even the grass was spectacular!

Gorgeous colour.

This shed had this massive steel door on it, I'd really like to know why they had such a door.....perhaps for the naughty kids!

This little quaint pot belly stove sat outside the suspicious steel door shed.

There were little sitting spots everywhere!

Unusual creatures everywhere.

I saw a lady mount this for a picture, silly woman, the sides are pointed sharp tin!! She yelped, I laughed!

There was a filtration stream leading down to a dam.

Spot the frog, he is green so it's not easy! But he is there.

There was a name the snail competition - these things were a good 10 feet long! We went for Archibald, Huebert and Annibelle. There were 3 you see.

Wish my Roses looked like the above!

Another clever sculpture.

This property was gifted to the place that owns it now, quiet remarkable, we were blessed to be given the opportunity to see the beauty.

The things we made this weekend

We've had a productive weekend and made lots.

I noticed some Magpies have moved into our paddock and they needed a good source of water.

The old pot was lying around and the bowl was not getting used in my linen closet.  It's basic but functional.

I like to have flowers for my yoga meditation room.  I picked these a different type of Buddleigh just come into flower.  My middle son calls it the cheezel tree....

My youngest cherub is having some trouble sleeping right now, so I made him this to hang above his bed.

Then he decided perhaps we needed more...they are hanging all over the house now! Sadly the bush they came from had to be removed to make way for more retaining wall. 

As hubby pulled apart the wall more and more little rocks were found.  So I made this! Excuse the background rubble - eventually it won't be a building site!

Jordan got into the groove and weeded a garden bed and divided 2 pots of Agapantha's and planted them.  I added the rustic old BBQ plate.

Tonight for dinner I made chicken soup.  It needed something special to go with it so I brought some sourdough bread picked some Rosemary from the garden, I put some Rosemary, some Bawdens Estate extra virgin olive oil - the Frantoio Leccino Kalamata one, a clove of garlic I to the food processor, then wiped over the bread and sprinkled some sea salt on.  

It was delicious!!!

The growing foods.

It's looking great in the veggie garden this year, my Leeks are doing well, we will have a bumper large crop of Onions I've nearly harvested all the Lettuce and my Spinach/Silverbeet is going manic.  Jordan's Potatos you might remember a post awhile back on those well they are growing fast so we have to keep the soil and straw up to that.

Starting to peak through.

Lovely Lettuce.

Going to have lots and lots of Lemons!

I don't remember planting Leeks but here they are!

Not my favorite food but if the chooks get their eggs into gear I shall make a nice Spinach quiche.

Another 2 months before harvest so these shall be quite large by then.

My grown from seed Corn and Zucchini just went in this week.

Lots of yummy Pears growing!

My Spring garden

It's going to be a great year for Roses when they all come out, we have the beginnings though, I have taken some garden snaps for you to enjoy.  :)

Pretty faces.

Mr Lincoln Rose.

Very dark Iris.

Nevaeh Tree aka- Crabapple.

The above two are my Hot Chocolate Rose.

Love these in a perfect position for clients to enjoy as they come to my clinic.

Beautiful Snapdragons.

More Irises.

This is just a very old climbing Rose, it deserves to stay as it might be as old as the house.

Elderberry Flowers, this stuff is potent for flu viruses, the berries are really what you should use and I do in yogurt in Summer but the Flowers are nice seeped in hot water, I don't have the patience to make the cordial, but also a very healthy drink.

Waiting for someone to move in...

Then when they get thirsty they can come here.  :)

Our school garden working bee

Today I am super proud to be a parent from our school firstly because my kids well 2 of them worked super hard the 3rd came for morning tea, lol, and to be a part of what a large group of parents and teachers achieved today and secondly because so many parents came together as a community to help out in this garden and I don't think I've ever seen so many parents at a working bee in a long time and I think once the other parents see what we have done they will be excited! They will come to the next one!

I've included before and afters as it's hard to imagine how hard we all worked unless you see them. 

Before the orchard.

After, some hard working people weeded and pea strawed the garden.

Little hard to see but this whole bank was planted out with Natives so in 12 months is going to look fantastic.

Some of the tyre garden beds, I think we are waiting to see whether we want to paint them or not, job for another day though, middle and lower tyres have trailing plants in them and these come January I think these will be stunning!

The entrance for parents to see as they walk in.

I'm really not a knome person but the colours they have used are great, I love them now and think the kids will too!

Before.....

After, simply brilliant!

Our sensory garden.

Weeping Cherry.  This bank is held up by a retaining wall. School council I was told decided no trees for sensory garden.....then we went shopping at Bunnings with school grants.  We had a pot I asked 2 garden assistants about roots, I got my tree :) in a pot but that's ok!

Out the front, what a great idea!!

Mid last year I sat at a parent rep meeting looking out from the old library onto this area where the sensory garden has been built and thought gee this looks barren, what can we do? I was helping with the Environmental team - a bunch of enthusiastic kids, one of which was mine that pretty much looked after the veggie garden, the bins, composting and did some weeding. I wondered about a sensory garden....I had learnt a bit about them when I did my Horticulture training, I had a son who needed one! With the encouragement of another parent rep I wrote a proposal.  It took off, school council said yes, another teacher who has become a friend took over the garden and environmental team and leads it so well, parents got involved and started bringing in plants, grants were applied for and granted and now we have this awesome garden! I think today is my proudest day as a parent in 9 years at the school :). Teachers and classes keep adding to the garden. I've had strangers mention the changes.  I'm excited as gardens just keep on growing....and our school is now a community and I am a proud mummy today.  :)

My kids did me proud.