A Garden in Transition - September

For the past five years my garden has been a place of creativity and learning. I’ve moved things around, grown vegetables, tucked in plants, pulled them out again, and learnt through trial and error what I love. It’s been joyful, a little chaotic, and endlessly rewarding.

Now with a move ahead and an Airbnb project on the horizon, my focus is shifting. I’m less concerned with experimenting and more intent on creating gardens that are less work and more enjoyment, welcoming, and finished. There is satisfaction in finally crossing off jobs that have been waiting patiently on my list. Nothing like a deadline to get me moving! 

This month has been about mulching, pruning and tidying. I am planted a trailing hedge of wisteria that I can already imagine spilling with blooms in years to come, and I’ve turned my attention to front entryways, those first glimpses of a home that matter more than we think. In the vegetable beds, early spring plantings are starting to take shape, promising the rhythm of harvests soon to come.

The garden right now feels almost bare, holding its breath before spring, but there are hints of what’s ahead. The winter honeysuckle has been perfuming the air, and the daphne, both pink and white, has been welcomed. Blossoms are just beginning: magnolia, cherry, and soon the stone fruits will follow. Snowdrops and daffodils are already strong, little flags of hope for warmer days. Only a few weeks remain before the true rush of spring, when bees will buzz themselves giddy on the abundance.

And then there is Bobundara. How lucky are we to be moving into Trisha’s garden early next year, a place she has poured love into for many years. To inherit something so carefully shaped feels like the biggest gift. What excites me most is not just its beauty, but the way it has been designed to thrive in harsh climates of snow, hot summers, and without watering. It is even more remarkable when you consider that Trisha does not water her garden, yet it flourishes. She has always been ahead of her time, creating a space that is resilient, beautiful, and above all, a joy to live with. A garden should never feel like another job, and hers is proof of that!! 

As I leave the coast with its never-ending grass to mow and step into life on the Monaro, I feel I am stepping into the right garden at exactly the right time. With Le Sac growing, work and children keeping life full, I cannot imagine a better gift than this: a garden already loved, already established, that works with me rather than against me. It is the perfect timing, and I cannot wait to learn its rhythms and add my own layer to its story with the support of my generous and loving mother in law. 

Gardens, like life, are always moving forward. What once was about play is now about preparation, and soon it will be about stepping into a new phase of life.

What about you? What are you planting, and what’s growing for you in the garden or beyond?

Sahra x