This week we take a walk around the delightful garden of Ross and Ramona Lane at Innes Park, featuring permaculture, unique garden art and even a labyrinth.
When Ramona and Ross Lane built their home at Innes Park in 2009 they had already started planting.
“It was a vacant, overgrown block,” Ramona said.
“We planted native trees before we had even built our home, so the oldest of the trees planted by us is 12 or 13 years old.
“Our goal was to plant lots of native and I wanted a ‘fertility' garden.”
Since then it has developed, despite, or maybe because of, natural disasters.
“We have had to design everything taking into account that we have had a couple of major floods where the property was inundated,” Ramona said.
“We have also planted a number of medicinal herbs and have been given lots of plants and cuttings.
“The soil here is highly reactive clay, so we have to make sure that we select plants that will grow in those areas.
“We have had to build the soil up over the years.”
The nourishment of the soil has paid off, with their vegetables thriving.
“Earlier this year we installed a wicking bed with the help of members of the Bundaberg Organic Gardening club,” Ramona said.
“We also built our first permaculture bed after I did an introductory permaculture workshop.
Ross has also created art for their Innes Park garden using recycled and salvaged materials.
“We have also built a labyrinth, as well as a spiral to be walked for ceremonies.”
Ramona and Ross get great joy from their garden, no matter the time of day.
“We love sitting on our front verandah early in the morning, enjoying a cuppa and watching the sun through the trees,” they said.
“We have lots of birdlife, as well as lots of other wildlife such as water dragons, along with bees, butterflies and beneficial insects.
“We love walking around the garden in the late afternoon and noticing how the plants are coming along.”
- Last week’s garden: Bullyard beauty
Love visiting Ramona and Ross and taking in their garden, which is full of a calm energy. They have put a lot of effort into developing it and it is appreciated by all their visitors as well as providing sanctuary and produce for this lovely couple and Burt the dog.