I’ve fallen in love with Australian native flora and fauna. The Melaleuca Thymifolia was the start – I now find myself pulling out plants that aren’t native unless we can eat it. And sometimes even if we can.
There is something beautiful, peaceful and grounding about planting a native. It feels primal. Natural. Right.
It feels right to plant natives, to care for them. Watching them flourish. They have been adapting for millions of years to our climate here in Brisbane so when I plant a native, it’s already got a better chance to thrive.
A little bit of history about our garden, when we bought the house in September 2021 the previous owners had a number of non natives including but not limited to a Chinese elm. Of course when we first moved in I had no idea what that was. I had everything chainsawed down to ground level. It was overgrown, very untidy and I really had no clue about gardening I wanted to start fresh.
We have some beautiful native plants lining the back of our garden, sort of as a screen between us and the neighbours. I had those sawn down to the ground, and now they have grown back so well. I trim them every autumn and they have grown amazingly well. It’s lucky really, I originally didn’t want them to grow back. But I fell in love with the resilience and their beautiful soft leaves. They smell wonderful and the birds love them.
Much like my love of art, my love of gardening has evolved. I still love a good cottage garden but a native garden when I walk into it makes me feel real. Follow me on my journey where I will show you how my love of the garden and my love of art come together to build a wonderful life for my family and I.
Whispers from the Garden 
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