Spring has sprung in Michele’s garden of Perennial Delights

Preamble

This is a garden of serious heart driven plant love. A naked back yard of lawn monoculture and a front yard with a couple of historic trees and not much else greeted my sister Michele when buying this property close to the heart of Launceston in 2014.

For this long term serious gardener with a lifetime and professional love of the visual experience all she saw was a naked palette to have much creative fun with.

Old garden hoses were laid over the mono lawn and various path and garden bed configurations were experimented with until her expert eyes confirmed the just right layout.

Trees were planted first, spade edges dug and garden beds created. Now some eleven years later the fruits of her labours are being realised with over eighty plant species plus countless varieties growing in this wonderful garden of Perennial delights.

Now …. to the detail.

This planet spins with an axial tilt around an explosive plasma ball, Sol.

Depending on what part of the planet is tilted towards that crazy hot ball, we have seasonal variations on our blue dot. In Tasmania we are coming out to the Spring side of winter.

The soil is still chilled, but daylight is half an hour earlier than what it was a few weeks ago with the sun heading to a higher arc to cast more light and warmth to the soil and plants that have been in deep slumber.

Buds of life are forming in a feast of shape, texture and colour. Early bulbs including Daffodils and a lonely but lovely scented Hyacinth are flowering while Tulip leaves are seeking the light above.

Winter has not been without its flowering delights of Heleborus (Winter Rose) from whites through to magic black which are there to be examined up close and personal in their beautiful detail. Meanwhile Anemone Poppies have happily seeded and grown pumping out vibrant flowers.

Gloriously flippant and lightly fragrant white flowers smother the Michelia’s that dominate the rear corner of the garden. Italian Pencil Pines stand as a green wall guardian from what can be pretty nasty prevailing westerly winds.

Sensible and smart design decisions went into the planning of all aspects within this garden of earthly delights.

The eye cannot help but to be drawn to the flow of the cooling green lawn path that whispers “walk along me into the heart of the garden”.

It is a place of contrasting movement and stillness that on the subconscious level forces you stop, look, listen and contemplate the space, bird song, breeze, various foliage and flower contrasts.

The ground layer, shrub and tree layers are all carefully considered in the play of form, sun, shade and views throughout.

Linden and Manchurian Pear trees stand as guardians over the perennial landscape below and are budding into blossom and later leaf in protecting humans and plants alike through the bite of summer sun.

Hydrangea’s, Roses, Dogwoods and Lilac have the tiniest buds appearing and are in no hurry to catch up to the Magnolias that are budding ferociously.

This isn’t just a space of ornamental perennial delights, it I also a space of fruit and veges that are sited to maximise the sun impact along the southern boundary.

Tomato seedlings of many varieties have sprouted and currently being nurtured under glass for grow bag planting late in September. Rhubarb, leek, rocket, various parsleys, herbs, spring onions and broad beans are just a few of the vege patch mix. Nearby is a Fig with the anti bird net casually draped ready to repel invaders later in the season and of course the obligatory lemon tree.

Nothing is wasted in this enterprise eventually ending up in the various gourmet dishes, chutneys and sauces that Michele lovingly prepares.

Meanwhile in the front yard the gaze lowers to random clumps of Daffodils and many Heleborus in glorious flower while marvelling at the abundance of miniature white flowers on the Sasanqua Camellia standing as guardian towards the back yard.

Ornamental Pears lining the drive are popping blossom buds all over and the sentinel historic Poplars stand stark in their leafless winter nudity.

Various ornamental grasses including Panicum ‘Heavy Metal’, Miscanthus transmorrisonensis (that’s a mouthful!), Calmagrotis ‘Karl Foerster’ that were hacked back to ground level in early winter are still to enjoy Spring vigour while a plethora of Dahlias and Asiatic Lillies remain hidden in their winter womb.

The wonder of a Perennial garden is in the anticipation of what is to come. Being familiar with this garden I know what just a few mere weeks will bring in change as the days extend and sun’s warmth increases.

Across all the garden an explosion of foliage, flower and colour will erupt in a non stop display of Spring happiness for the eyes to gorge on. Random flower scents will add to the pleasure fest.

Structure is evolving as the foliage appears on the understory plants greening what was a lifeless space not long ago.

I can’t wait till the next visit to Michele’s garden of Perennial delights.

For more of Michele’s garden and other delights including cats and food, please visit her Instagram:

http://www.instagram.com/michele_thegarden

All photos unless noted otherwise are by Chris Round.