Feature garden

Take two for Kialla garden

When Lea Watts devotes her spare time to working in her garden it would be fair to say she might sometimes experience a sense of déjà vu.

That’s because the evolving Kialla garden has been a work in progress for this self-professed “greenie”, not once, but twice. Lea built her elevated-style home in 2002 and nurtured her garden from a bare block of land that was originally covered in noxious Paterson’s curse as tall as she was. Fast forward to 2010, and the home was surrounded by established trees and gardens, and myriad native birds, small reptiles and insects had also taken up residence.

But it wasn’t to last. A move to the Northern Territory, which lasted seven years, and leaving renters in her home,

STORY: SHARON WRIGHT PHOTOGRAPHY: MEGAN FISHER

saw Lea return in 2017 to a garden that more resembled the desert she had seen on her travels.

“I had to start the garden again, but there were a few trees that had established themselves and managed to survive, so at least I had something to start with,” Lea said.

A stately gum tree, olive trees, a few citrus and bottlebrush were still growing in the backyard and a native frangipani and silver birch trees in the front yard became the foundation of the rejuvenated garden.

Now there are garden beds dedicated to different plants, a rose garden here, irises there and cacti and succulents in another well-mulched section. Pathways of decorative rock and stepping stone pavers have a twofold effect— they create an inviting walkway to meander around and enjoy the garden as well as suppress the ever-present weeds.

“I don’t use spray at all, I pull all weeds by hand, so the paths make the garden less labour intensive for me,” Lea said.

Battling the heavy clay soils has been an ongoing challenge but with the addition of compost Lea is slowly seeing the garden return to life.

“Once the sun hits this clay soil it turns to concrete, I usually garden with a crowbar in the summer,” Lea said.

“I’m just working to get some height into the garden with the natives, so I can create pockets of shade to protect the exotic and more delicate plants.”

Blending the two gives Lea the best of both worlds.

“I know the value of natives for the wildlife, but many exotics flower for a short time, so you look forward to them, they’re like a little gift,” Lea said.

While her garden was never designed to be “neat and prim”, it was planned to be water-wise and productive.

“The way I see it, you have this big block of land, so you should do something productive with it,” Lea said.

Vegetables, herbs and fruit trees are flourishing, but it’s not just for her own benefit where Lea sees the value in productivity.

“I have rocks in the garden out the front and I have little lizards coming into the garden again now, and when I cut things down, I leave little bits and pieces for the animals and insects,” Lea said.

“They all help to make the soil healthy. We all live in the one world, from the little critters to the big critters.”

Water Saving Tips

We may have experienced more rainfall this year, but that’s no reason to become complacent about prudent water use. Goulburn Valley Water manager planning and climate resilience Regan Flanagan offers the following tips to make every drop of water you use in the garden this spring count.

• Change the frequency settings on automatic sprinklers in line with rainfall and if there’s rain forecast, turn them off entirely. • Water lawns or gardens before 10 am or after 6 pm to reduce evaporation, and remember longer and less frequent waterings will encourage more drought-tolerant root systems. • The application of a good, chunky mulch on garden beds can signifi cantly reduce evaporation. • Create planting zones of plants with similar water needs to ensure you’re only watering plants that need it.

• If you’re looking to refresh your garden, choose drought-tolerant plants and fl owering options suited to the Goulburn Valley climate such as the desert rose, native fuchsia, blue hibiscus or the many varieties of bottlebrush.

• Check taps and fi ttings for leaks, one dripping tap can waste about 10,000 litres a year. For more waterwise tips, including a link to a plant selector, visit

www.gvwater.vic.gov/every-drop-counts

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