Hayhoe’s hands on tropical garden reaps rewards
Julie and Paul Hayhoe began developing their tropical haven 28 years ago after moving to Bundaberg from Darwin in 1993.
The couple walked away with a love of palms after living in Darwin for 11 years, inspiring their rainforest garden journey.
“In the beginning the soil was of fairly poor quality but with constant mulching it has improved out of sight,” Julie said.
“After the first 10 years we could see it starting to come together.”
Paul said practicality was at the forefront when designing their outdoor space with trees planted to create privacy and protect from wind and dust.
“The golden canes were the first very first things that we needed,” he said.
“The circle garden at the end of the house of course put there to block to wind.”
The gardening pair would attend local markets where Julie would buy plants for aesthetics and Paul would look after the practical side.
“I love anything that provides a lot of greenery with a good splash of colour and a heady perfume,” Julie said.
“Spending time in the garden for me is very calming and enjoyable.”
Hard work has paid off but according to the Bundaberg green thumbs, it was no easy feat getting the soil up to standard.
“Once we turned it around, we got lots of earth worms and it started to develop its own eco system and that's when it really took off,” Paul said.
“We have a constant supply of palm fronds which my hubby mulches and bamboo mulch from our wind break at the rear of the property,” Julie said.
As the garden has constantly evolved, Julie and Paul said it was refreshing to take in the sights of the space throughout the week.
“It’s nice to go for a walk in the garden, stroll around and take it all back in,” Paul said.
“There’s always something to see and there’s definitely always a weed or three to pull out.”
Last week's garden: Creatures take comfort in Sasha's tranquil garden
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