Shoobra Avenue.. Garden #2

My final house/garden. This is another one that I visited last Spring, when it was in its peak bloom. The garden looked simply stunning and it was most importantly unique. It has a combination of the overgrown and natural and the planned and focused. That is why I loved it so much, it was different, yet purposeful. In Spring I spoke to the wife, Ruth, who discussed much of the garden with me. This time around it was the husband, Peter who took the time to answer my questions. Unfortunately I could not find my Spring photos, but it's clear in my mind how different the garden has become since then. Now before I keep commentating on the garden, here are some context photos: 

I think one of my favourite features of this garden is the use of Alyssum. As you can probably tell if you have read my other posts, I really do love this plant, but what's great here is how the Alyssum has naturally spread. Peter explained that whilst it is cutback sometimes, it is mostly left alone, which is great. I think a couple more of these type of 'wildflower' style flowers would really bring a fullness to this garden. Perhaps some larger wildflower style plants, such as Foxglove and Lavender or some bush Roses would add to this garden in that way. However, as I have said the garden has been done generally really well and as I noticed, what was a large and dominating Olive has now been replaced by a variegated Agonis which is a great choice, as the texture and colours of the smaller Agonis will blend the rest of the plants (especially the remaining Olive) really well together. 

After a couple more minutes discussion with Peter, I found that I couldn't really offer any advice to him and his wife. As Peter told me, the garden was more of a process and an ever-changing space. I could easily tell that their garden management was more of an enjoyable challenge and hobby, rather than just a duty to giving the house a good front look. Here are some final photos of the garden that I feel really wrap it up. 

It should be noted that there were - exemptions excluding of course - quite distinct differences between the houses and gardens of Hawthorn East and the Caulfield area. The houses and gardens of Hawthorn East were generally smaller in terms of land and more compact in their aesthetic designs. The gardens of Caulfield however, have much more space allotted to them. I think this was due to the eras and intent in which the suburbs were created. Caulfield has more space as it is based further from the city and that can be clearly seen in both garden and house design. Also, interestingly, the Hawthorn East gardens typically adopted a more British and cottage style look, whilst Caulfield had far less of that theme. I'd imagine this was more based on the heritage of the area, as one lady told me "Hawthorn East is an old and proper suburb and it's important that the gardens are correct in that look". I think she was referring to the picket fenced standard roses and the general crowdedness of the 'traditional' British garden. 

Anyway, I am rambling. I hope you enjoyed my journey through these two suburbs! 

Shoobra Avenue

Hey everyone, so this blog post is going to be small as I could not speak to the owner at all (they said they were running out the door, and they meant that literally) however I wanted to include it as the garden truly looks fantastic, which is quite an achievement for this time of year. Unforuntately my ignorance of plants will be my undoing with this post, as I cannot accurately label the plant that I love so much in this garden. It's the purple one. Yeah, that's literally the best that I can do. 

Check out that purple! The garden is so full, which is great, but the purple is really what gives it that complete and well, awesome look. It's a detailed garden, yet simple. It's clear the gardener (be it professional or not) has made specific decisions regarding which plants will grow where and it has paid off. The several Yucka in the background only add that intrigue to the garden which suits it well. 

There was also (and my lack of knowledge is a let down again) a great tree that if I had to guess would be some type of Eucalyptus, though the bark looks more like a Crepe Myrtle. Either way, the texture and the canopy really added to the front entrance, even after most the leaves had fallen off. 

Well that is all I can really talk about this garden, but as you can hopefully see, I really did have to include it. 

Etna Street

Etna Street

Is anyone out there? Who knows really, but if so, I hope you enjoy these next few blogs. Now that I have examined both Hawthorn Easts residential gardens as well their local nursery it is time to go back to my old neighbourhood of the Caulfield area. The houses and gardens I have chosen for these blogs are ones that I had taken photos of during Spring, so I found it quite interesting to take a look at how they are doing during Winter. Unfortunately I could only find the photos from the first house, and none from the second or third, which is indeed a shame. 

As we can't do anything about that, let's just focus on the first house. Number 9 Etna Street, Glen Huntly. Interestingly, this was the first house both last Spring and during this assignment that has not been overly friendly towards me. The owners name is Eva and she wasn't all that interested in talking to me – though she was fine with me taking some photos. Here are some of the photos, and afterwards I will get into the words. 

Spring time: 

As you can see, number 9 Etna Street is not just a house and garden, it boasts a sidewalk  garden as well! Now I love this idea, I truly do. If I could plant just a couple of streets in this way I feel it could grow and grow and eventually change the streetscape in Melbourne forever. It just has so much potential and personally I feel like it creates a really noticeable look and spark to the front of any home. Anyway, here are some of the photos I snapped more recently:

Winter time:

As you can see, more fake flowers fill the spaces where the bloomers died off, which is understandable. I do feel though that the general choices of flowers are not the most ideal for the conditions and year-round look that a sidewalk garden really should have. If I were the owners, I'd be picking Alyssum as the primary flower and perhaps some structure plants such as Rosemary and some Hebe. That way, there will continue to be some bushiness to them all year round, with the Alyssum providing the constant colour. I'd also add some Autumn/Winter flowers such as Heleborus as they look very pretty when in bloom. Unfortunately, the owner was not very keen to chat, so I only gathered a few details from here. Her husband does the sidewalk gardens whilst she (Eva) does the front gardens behind her fence. In Spring both look great, and interestingly the fake flowers really do help during Winter. It was pretty clear to me that Eva did not really enjoy gardening, similarly to Launa, which is why the fake flowers appealed to her so much. However there are moments in her garden that are very pretty and as I have said – during Spring the garden really shines. 

Spotlight On: Greener Life Garden Nursery

Hi all, so today I thought it was time to look at the local nursery. From my previous interviews it seems clear that this nursery is important to the residence around the area. They may not necessarily buy plants there, but they definitely buy potting mix and plant food/sprays whenever they require it. Most importantly, this is their first place to go whenever they have an issue or a question regarding their gardens. 

The first thing when walking into Greener Life for the first time, I noticed all the "Special" and "Hot Offer" signs and of the immediate appeal they were making on customers. I remember wanting to pick up a few bags of soil and whilst I knew Bunnings would be cheaper, my laziness won out and I went to this closer nursery. The bags were quite a bit more expensive comparatively, but the offers really did help reduce the sting. 

Another noticeable aspect to this small nursery is the refreshingly helpful staff and customer service. Even though I could manage with the soil I bought, they insisted on walking with me to my car and assisting me with the bags, all the while chatting to me about such and such tips and advice that they had. It was great to see and experience and it really solidified what the previously blogged about gardeners had told me - even though the prices are higher, the advice and friendly atmosphere that the staff bring make it worth those extra few dollars. 

So this time around I went in and reintroduced myself to Gary, the nursery manager. He remembered me from before and asked how my course was going and afterwards I asked if I could interview him and take some photos for my assignment. He happily agreed and went to work around the nursery as I asked him questions. 

As I learnt from him, Greener Life was apart of a semi-grouped business apart of Plants Plus. Unlike a typical franchise, this nursery is owned and operated completely separately from Plants Plus, but by being apart of this larger organisation, which boasts ties to over 70 nurseries in Australia, Greener Life is able to benefit from larger/cheaper plant supplies and the extra advertising from the online catalogues that Plants Plus maintain. Greener Life itself has been open for just over 30 years now and in terms of business, not much has changed, as Gary explained. With his knowledge and experience on the table for me, I continued to ask some curious questions about the business and it's customers. The majority of the customers are repeat buyers who are locals to the area and who are loyal to the nursery. They are aged between 30 and 90 years old and surprisingly, Gary thought 60% were female and 40% male. From what I had assumed about the hobby gardener, I would of thought there would be more female customers compared to males. 

The nursery supplies most it's customers with a couple of plants at time usually and commonly some plant food/potting mix as well, which leads me to believe that most customers are being small bits over time to add to their garden. Gary agreed but he also explained that Greener Life has it's own soft landscaping design service, where either himself or the owner go out to a house and assist in the design and creation of a new or renovated garden. This seems to be a popular aspect of most nurseries these days, which is a bit of a shame for someone like me who can't help but see this as a competition for my future business! However, Gary explained that the interest in that area is more of a side aspect and not such a significant part of the business itself. 

Now, as some of the previously blogged about gardeners brought to my attention, powdery mildew is really one of those diseases that cause a lot of trouble and frustration to the everyday gardener. So I decided to ask Gary about his thoughts on the subject and provide a brief review of his recommendations. 

Yates Fungus Gun (http://www.yates.com.au/products/disease-control/ready-to-use/yates-fungus-gun-ready-to-use) is his top choice, as it is a general all-rounder gun that focuses and eliminates powdery mildew as well as rust and black spots that are quite common in the everyday garden. I have used this myself on some Azaleas and I can honestly say it worked really well! It's a pretty simple fungicide that attacks the powdery mildew from within the leaves outwards. 

Sharp Shooter Triforine (http://www.heinigerhg.com.au/productflyers/Ausgro_triforine.pdf) is his other recommendation, which is more specialised towards Roses rather than other plants. It works similarly to the Yates one, but has to be mixed with water into a spray can instead. It means it has a bit more value compared to the above, but requires some more work and of course, for Roses only. It is also more expensive. 

When I asked Gary about powdery mildew and edibles he made it very clear that both of these remedies strictly require a minimum of 14 days before any edibles should be eaten and even then they should be washed vigorously before ingesting/cooking. Whilst Gary said there are some other 'organic' products, he didn't really feel many were quite as successful as these ones. He did however suggest a traditional remedy that is natural... Fill a spray can with 1 part milk and 10 parks water and spray it on the leaves each day until the powdery mildew disappears. I asked where he learnt about this and he said from his parents, but it was also recommended at the University where he studied, Swinburne, as a natural solution. I'd be very interested to hear from anyone who has used it! 

Stanley Avenue

Hi everybody! So today I had a lovely conversation with a lady who has lived in Stanley Avenue for over 25 years! Her house is a beautiful one, of the typical mid-Victorian and Edwardian styles, though it really does stand out amongst the rest.

The owner of this house was named Launa and when she and her husband originally moved in to number 15 Stanley Avenue the front garden was a messy English cottage style garden, but one that was mostly overgrown and just too crowded. “We decided to do some bold and we changed it up completely” Launa told me, as she explained the bulldozing and the laying of the bricks that now define their front garden. 

Launa went on to explain the planting and original intention behind the Diosmas which were planted to create a bushy undergrowth for the standard David Austin Roses. It was clear that they did not like the resulting look, as a frown covered her face as she showed me the gaps in the hedge that they were trying to form. I thought out loud, saying that the Roses probably required too much root space and she agreed confirming that of her gardeners opinion. For those that don't know, Diosmas love their space and love to spread! I personally dislike them, and was glad that she was in the process of removing them. I noticed the recently planted Buxus (English box hedge) and agreed with the choice, as they are well-known for being an easy hedge that doesn't require too much space. 

Finally, I had to ask about the Roses. They were such a great colour had a brilliant smell – but she didn't know what variety they were! To Launa, gardening is not a particularly enjoyable hobby, but a duty to her house and to her street. Whilst I was a bit surprised by that honest explanation, I feel this is probably the case for many gardeners and I can respect that. Anyway, Launa said her gardener of 20 years comes each July to prune the Roses and twice a year she feeds them with some organic fertiliser. When I asked her where she bought the fertiliser, she simply said the nursery down the road. I knew of the nursery (which I will attempt to blog about later on) and asked her what she felt about the prices. A lot of small nurseries are very expensive compared to the bigger ones, so I was interested. Launa told me that whilst she would never buy her plants there (as Bunnings is just much cheaper), she always buys her food and fertilisers. I figured it was due to the customer service and 'support your local businesses' ideal that many locals hold dear. 

Here are some of the photos of Launa and her husbands Roses: 

Victoria Grove

Victoria Grove is a small street that I usually walk down on my way to Auburn Station. Now that I've been in Hawthorn East for a little while, I feel like this road is a prime example of the area. The houses all very similar, with many of the gardens clearly several years old and more than a couple that have just been completely overgrown. It is a pretty street though, based on a slight slope with an entrance to a nearby park as well.

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The first garden that really caught my eye was across the road from the park entrance with some tall and closely clumped together Silver Birches (Betula Pendula) in the front which act as a type of screen.

Here are some pictures of the house and garden:

It's quite funny, about six months ago, I decided to take some photos of interesting and particularly inspiring gardens in my local area, but as I didn't want to confuse anyone by taking photos of their gardens, I decided to knock on their door to say hi and request permission. Some owners were friendly, some comparatively weren't – but they all gave me permission to take those photos. I chose gardens that were not professionally done, but of a high and clearly cared for standard. When we were given this assignment I kept thinking.. what a great way to undertake the same activity again! In business and in art, the most successful are typically those that have a wide understanding of the genre and of others in their field and I feel the same goes for gardening as well. The more I see and examine of my future field, hopefully the more I will have to draw on when I am ready to design gardens of my own.

So I decided to do the same thing, I rang the doorbell and waited for the owner to come to the door. I knew exactly the first impression I would be giving off, and I knew I only have a few seconds before they sigh and say “sorry not interested”. See, I used to door knock for the Seeing Eye Dogs, so I know the feeling.

Instead of talking too much, I decided to keep it simple.

Hi, my name is Jeremy and I am a Horticulture student at Burnley – and I love your garden!

I then explained that I'd like to take some photos for my assignment, to which I was quickly approved. Surprisingly though, she stayed around to watch. To avoid the awkward silence I started to ask her some questions about her garden. I realised this had so much potential! Have you ever walked past a garden and had some questions about it? Well I sure have, so I got the ball rolling.

Her name was Natalie and she had been in 17 Victoria Grove for just over 9 years. Since then her garden has been pretty much the same, though she has noticed damage from the drought a few years back. I had noticed that too, which I pointed out to her, in a talkative way. I explained that the Helleborus and Azaleas seemed to be the primary victims, which really seemed to pique her interest.

She explained that her goal was to build up the garden again and help it recover, hopefully by bringing in some more Camelias and Azaleas and they were her favourites. She explained that her Camelia seemed to grow quite well the garden and I agreed, explaining that Camelias are quite happy with not too much sun. I, also of course, explained that I was just a student who did some part-time work at a nursery and that I wasn't always in the know, to which she smiled but continued to ask questions. She explained that powdery mildew was a big problem and that she had tried to remedy it but had been struggling. We talked some more and I suggested a powder that can be bought at most local nurseries that fixed my Azaleas at my parents house. She thanked for my time and suggestions and that was mostly it. I left with a smile on my face after some more photos, I left.

Here are a few more photos of her most recently bought plants: