We are very lucky to have such talented gardeners as well as such talented photographers. Here are some beautiful images taken by Kevin Stokes, of Newcastle Group, of the garden of Ian Cox that a number of us visited on the weekend.
Ian’s garden is a two hectare bush block, geologically situated just below the Wianamatta shale on Hawkesbury Sandstone, hence the soils are nutrient deficient, shallow and very rocky. The natural part of the property is botanically diverse.
Plants include banksias, scribbly gums, grevilleas, hakeas, leptospermums and smaller heath plants such as boronias, epacris, tetrathecas, flannel flowers, lambertias and pea flowers. A lot of regeneration is taking place now as the bush was subject to a hazard-reduction burn two years ago.
The garden contains sun-loving plants like grevilleas and eremophilas and also features a fern garden. Ian says they attempted not to disturb the natural bush, and constructed gardens only around the house and part of the drive. They also tried to blend the garden into the bush surroundings.
The garden provides many rewards with the wildlife it attracts. Every day you see birds – mainly small ones like wrens, finches, robins and honeyeaters. Other visitors are welcome too, like wallabies, bandicoots, diamond pythons, green tree snakes, geckos, frogs, water dragons, lace monitors, and the occasional echidna.
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