Welcome to In our Garden, where we feature gardens from throughout the Bundaberg region.
When Grahame and Rosalie McEnery bought their vacant block of land at Innes Park (now Coral Cove) 22 years ago, they had a plan to turn it into a low maintenance, native garden.
After many years of hard work and passion, their plan has been realised.
“Our vision was to have a garden that could look after itself to a large extent so that we could travel as and when we wanted,” Rosalie said.
“A garden that was predominantly Australian natives and an open backyard where kids could run and kick a ball.”
Rosalie says the garden is as much about people as it is about plants.
“The majority of plants remind me of someone who has given me a cutting, a plant, or just loved that particular flower or plant.
“So that means when I walk around and tend the plants I think of these special people who have crossed my path in life.
“I love the birds that visit, the peace, the beauty and resilience of nature.”
COVID-19 restrictions gave them a chance to catch up and enjoy their garden.
“The lockdown gave us the opportunity to refurbish and extend the nursery/shade house area, and being at home, we’ve been able to grow a few more vegetables.”
Rosalie has a simple philosophy to gardening that has served her well.
“Things I have learned over the years are that a garden doesn’t necessarily need to look like Buss Park or the Botanical Gardens all year round.
“It just needs to be loved and be a place of enjoyment, peace, challenge, adventure, contentment with winning some and losing some, and most of all a place where nature can be viewed and celebrated.
“I’ve learned that you don’t need to be super creative, super skilled, super knowledgeable to be a gardener… just super excited about playing in the dirt.
“That's why we love spending time in our garden.”
Would love to see a garden competition like we used to have and an Open Garden day. Gardens have brought solace and joy to those who create and tend them and serenity to those who stroll through them. Thanks for starting this series. Perhaps those in power could work on a garden response to Covid 19. Something for Creative Regions. If you do, please don’t forget the smaller outlying towns of the Bundaberg REGION. Cheers and thanks.