Ann’s knack for gardening blossoms with flower power

A sea of floral colour brings  Ann Riseley’s garden to life and, while not a natural green thumb, she isn’t afraid of taking risks on delicate blooms.

Along with her husband, she started digging in two years ago to upgrade both the front and back yards.

“Our ideas are just colour and flowers, so we are buying pretty plants all the time,” Ann said.

“My husband is good at organising and doing the manual labour such as the lawn and digging out old plants.”

Ann said while she had never been much of a gardener before, she had always loved flowers and experimenting in the garden has now led to success.

“A coffee on the chair looking at the garden is the best, along with enjoying it with my husband and family,” she said

“It gives me pride and it looks lovely.”

Ann said although she loves the colour flowers provide, she also likes to feature tropical plants on the back patio, a vegetable patch, and native and citrus trees in the backyard.

“Last year there was a raised veggie garden made,” she said.

“We have chilli, coriander, tomatoes, lettuce and watermelon growing.

“My husband tends to the lawn so he’s currently adding a soil top layer and fertiliser to it.”

Hardy and heat loving flora is a must for Ann.

She said she does like to take risks with plants such as fuchsias and orchids.

“I love sweet peas and roses for the scent, geraniums for their vibrancy and hardiness, fuchsias for their delicate beauty and my maidenhair because it is doing so well,” Ann said.

"Our German Shepherd likes to pounce on lizards and butterflies amongst the flowers."

Ann said the garden was a constant work in progress as she had many ideas to continue transforming it into the future.

“Hopefully our camellias will grow, and I would like to add an arbour with a climbing rose,” she said.

“I would also like to grow a jade vine which I’m on a waiting list for.  

“My dad is going to build me a potting table and I am going to grow seedlings of different varieties that I can’t buy here.”

Last week's garden: Morgan Parremore's picture perfect garden