The Shambles opening this Easter

It's been five years since we opened our garden, "The Shambles". Every opening is special for us and we see it as a way of sharing the garden and inspiring people to garden . It also brings the community together in fundraising and is a chance for us to catch up with return visitors as well as meeting new people. 

Our garden has seen many new changes that will interest visitors and we are kept interested with seasonal growth the addition of new plants and the on going work of maintaining the garden. I love the variety of work that a garden offers. On a really hot day I can find a shady corner to weed and I tend to work around the garden in stages and will attend to an area such as the fernery or the south rose garden so there is always something new to work on. Michael likes the planning , the documentation and maintaining the website . He has been responsible for the advertising for Open Garden events and looks forward to talking plants with visitors to the garden. 

This garden is set on less than one acre and so it is the smallest in the group and yet it is a full and complex garden. Through thoughtful design the garden is totally accessible and as it has developed over thirty years it has a maturity and sense of permanence that only happens over time. The garden surrounds a 112 year old workers cottage . It has seen our family grow up and has provided the backdrop for numerous social gatherings of family and friends over the years. It is a hide and seek garden that children love to explore and it is over flowing with plants and , secret pathways and art works. It has survived droughts an intense wet seasons and has a resilience that  gardens in Queensland need.

This year with reliable rain we have seen substantial plant growth and the garden is looking lovely. By Easter there will be a variety of flowering shrubs in bloom and perhaps a nip in the air . We really look forward to seeing what

people think of our new additions to the garden. See you in the garden, Kyleigh