From blank canvas in unforgiving dirt to a garden haven for all the family

A blank canvas for your new garden, boasting two lone mature trees (a Cedar in the vegetable garden and further away, a Peppercorn) and a few gums along the perimeter, red soil and the prospect of less than 300mm rainfall for the whole year.

This is what Trish Palmer of ‘Overnewton’ near Darnick, north-west of Ivanhoe, faced after she and husband Philip rebuilt their house six years ago.

Not to be beaten, Trish set out to create a lush garden for the whole family to enjoy.

First to go in were more trees. Five Chinese Pistachios, 11 stately Manchurian Pears and Platypus Gums are scattered throughout the garden to provide welcoming shade.

“I just started, and hoped for the best. A friend north of Broken Hill has Chinese Pistachios and I thought if it grew there, it would grow here,” Trish said.

“I just wish I knew about Platypus Gums before. I would have started growing them long ago.”

Always working within the conditions of their environment, a tough dwarf oleander hedge provides an informal boundary along the perimeter.

There’s a rose arch bought by Philip’s parents from the former Crisp and Halley store in Ivanhoe which remained in storage until Trish found a purpose for it in her new garden.

A formal line of small-leaved saltbush topiary closer to the house lends a certain structure and grandeur to the surrounds.

With grandchildren first and centre in Trish’s planning, there is much for them to enjoy, create or ‘just play’.

Their favourite is the exploratory garden created by the family. 

“The first thing they want to do when they get here, is to check out the pond, the bird bath and the bird’s nest,” Trish said.

The sandpit used by Philip as a child remained intact while builders and tradespeople were milling around, his children’s old Tonka toys neatly lined up.

A mud kitchen sits under a tree, right next to the very important tap which ensures water is always on hand for ‘baking’. Old kitchen utensils complete this part of the children’s paradise.

And then there are the bowerbird bowers; a must-see every time the grandchildren visit.

“Those birds love the colour green,” Trish explained.

“They pinch my parsley, take my silverbeet and we’ve even found green Christmas decorations in their bowers.

“But that’s not all they collect. There are tech screws, a cartridge, tags and plenty of coloured glass pieces in one bower alone.

“They are also excellent mimics, from barking like a dog to crying like a baby.”

From scratch, Trish and Philip have created a family home in an almost unforgiving part of Australia; a place where grandchildren are making lasting memories of a childhood filled with old-fashioned play, creating mud cakes and learning about animal behaviour; all within the safe sanction of their grandmother’s garden.