This garden is a constant work in progress. The Rayners have been living on the property since 1991, first as caretakers of a much larger parcel of land that was then managed by Burnley, and since 2008 as the owners of the one lot, when the place was subdivided and sold.
Old baths are used as raised beds in the kitchen gardenCredit:Joe Armao
Since then they have been free to plant, pleach, pollard, coppice, espalier and re-jig as much as they like. While most of us are going to struggle to match this level of activity, perhaps the key takeaway is that the deep satisfaction they derive from their patch stems from the effort they put in.
“If you want more rich and meaningful plant combinations then you have to work at it,” John says. “Gardening is like any skill. If you want to be a good gardener there is a craft to it and you have to be prepared to put the work in. People want instant outcomes but that is not possible.”
No cut tree material goes to wasteCredit:Joe Armao
His advice to new gardeners is to get to know more plants and to understand their life cycles and the inputs they require. He cautions against being overly preoccupied with how a plant looks in flower in a nursery and to instead consider how robust it is and how it will stand up to your site and environmental stresses.
“My advice to everyone is the same: look around your neighbourhood, see what plants are doing well and, ideally, get some knowledge about how they are maintained. I don’t go for fashions of plants. Look for winners and learn from failure.”
The garden shed, built by John from recycled materials, and an inverted chaff cutterCredit:Joe Armao
Visiting gardens, joining gardening clubs and speaking to other gardeners are among his other suggestions for expanding horticultural knowledge.
John says you also need to carefully weigh up how much maintenance you are prepared to provide and to plant accordingly.
“You have got to make a distinction between plants in nurseries that are irrigated and plants in gardens that are not irrigated,” he says, adding: “You also have to accept that the middle of summer in many parts of Australia is not a peak time for viewing.”
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Except for here. While winter is when the Rayners usually put the most work into their garden, the couple has been hard at it all summer to ensure it’s looking tip-top.
The Rayners’ garden, “Brookdale Farm” at 12 Charman Avenue, Emerald, is open 10am-4.30pm on March 5 and 6, $10. Tickets at the gate and online at opengardensvictoria.org.au
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