Circling her entire home, Meta Lathouras is surrounded by a garden full of colour, wonder and old school charm.
The garden features floral intricacy, vintage statues and succulent arrangements everywhere you look, a true wonder for the passer by to see.
The property started with a basic garden 40 years ago, with its rock edging indicating the previous owner was at some point a gardener.
Meta and her late husband Theo have long since transformed this into the oasis it is today.
“It will be five years this August that I lost my husband and soulmate and when I am working in the garden I feel close to him,” Meta said.
“It is really my happy place. I enjoy tending to the plants and planning what changes I can do to beautify it.”
A love for tree ferns and palms developed in the 80s for Meta but she said their dense root systems made it very difficult to plant anything else under, so gradually a cottage garden evolved.
“Over the years they were replaced with bougainvillea and other colourful shrubs,” Meta said.
“I have also become interested in succulents and bromeliads.”
The Bundaberg green thumb said she inherited her love for gardening from her grandparents who would grow roses and cut flowers to supply some of the large florists in Brisbane.
“My mother also grew the most wonderful vegetables,” she said.
“My favourite plant in my garden would be the Pierre De Ronsard climbing rose.
“It has a profusion of deep pink blooms deepening into carmine pink in the centre with a soft perfume. The blooms hold their shape for several days.”
The garden proves to be a mental retreat and Meta said she joined a gardening group to meet with like minded ladies.
“I recently shared my garden with the Coral Coast Garden Club for their monthly meeting,” she said.
“A lovely group of like-minded ladies who enjoyed looking around my garden.
“Since then, another group of ladies has come to do a walk through.”
Last week’s garden: Liane’s colourful garden blooms from under the rocks
WOW, what a great effort you’ve put into your garden. Such a wonderful display, no wonder you’re so proud of it.