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JOURNAL
Bits and pieces from time on site and out and about lately. Nice moments, details and plants that have caught our eye.

01
Magnolia
Magnolia flowers arrive before the leaves, held on bare wood at the end of winter.
An ancient lineage, magnolias evolved before bees, their early flowers adapted instead to beetles moving between thick, waxy petals in search of pollen.
Their history with people is long too. Cultivated in China for centuries, the unopened buds of certain species are still dried to make xinyi, used in traditional medicine.
The name came much later, honouring seventeenth-century French botanist Pierre Magnol.
02
Fireplace and pool our Ocean Grove garden
03
Ocean Grove Entry Garden

04
Ferns and brush fencing at Rose House

05
Cordyline overhead

06
Rose House light well
07
Fairy Garden planting day at Ocean Grove

08
Dicksonia antarctica towering above

09
Royal Park

10
Fatsia japonica and flash

11

12
Nandina domestica doing it's thing with little attention at Parker

13
The skeletal remains of Hydrangea paniculata. A beauty, even in the dead of winter.

14
Torquay pool site shots

15
Logs for children to climb on in Ocean Grove

16
Tapestry of found bluestone pitches at Govan's

17
Surface treatment at Rose House entry
18
Bees buzzing amongst the Gaura at Ocean Grove

19
Soleirolia soleirolii carpeting the Thomas House light well

20
One whole hectare of our Ocean Grove garden

21
The skeletal remains of Hydrangea paniculata. A beauty, even in the dead of winter.

22
Short house planting day
23
Pelargonium and Acacia
24
Palms in the breeze at Torquay House

25
Concrete benches between existing columns at our Torquay garden

26
Narcissus.
Daffodils, of the genus Narcissus, are beginning to appear. In Greek mythology, Narcissus was said to have become captivated by his own reflection in a pool of water, unable to draw himself away. After his death, a flower grew in his place, its bowed head recalling a figure still gazing into the water.
For most of the year, Narcissus exists out of sight, stored within a bulb beneath the soil. With the last stretch of winter, roots stir, leaves break the surface and flowers follow. It is this habit of disappearing and returning that has seen the flower become a symbol of renewal and rebirth.
27
Fairy Garden palette and Galvanised steel planters at Ocean Grove

28
Xanthorrhoea sp. at our Rose House

29
Hydrangea sp. at Thomas House

30
Ozothamnus diosmifolius ‘Radiance’ at our Back Beach project

31
Thomas House light well

32
Galvanised sand pit nestled in at Francis house

33
Leaves of citrus in a Bloss courtyard

34
Thomas house light well

35
Hardy planting coping well with the winds at Ocean Grove and Pelargonium citrosum helping to keep the mozzies away

36
Planting the circular driveway at Ocean Grove
37
Ocean Grove arrival garden

38
Recycled brick landings at our Spry garden

39
Flower heads at Francis house

40
Bluestone and groundcover plantings extending the gathering space at Francis House

41
Glass mosaic and stone at Torquay

42
Ocean Grove pool

43
Viola hederacea popping up between Soleirolia soleirolii at Thomas House

44
Eucalyptus pulverulenta, Gaura lindheimeri 'Belleza White' and Calamagrostis × acutiflora 'Karl Foerster' working magically at Thomas House

45
Torquay house pool and surrounds

46
Echinacea purpurea
Flowering through summer, its raised central cones and soft purple petals are as useful as they are ornamental. Native to the prairies of North America, Echinacea has long been valued as a medicinal plant, particularly for immune support, while its flowers are rich in nectar and pollen, drawing bees and butterflies into the garden.

47
Dicksonia antarctica unfurling at Francis House

48
Native ferns creating magical outlooks at our Spry Project

49
Francis house slowly (or rather, quickly) being taken over by green

50
Flowering Fatsia japonica up close

51
Tagetes lemmonii
01 / 51
Magnolia
Magnolia flowers arrive before the leaves, held on bare wood at the end of winter.
An ancient lineage, magnolias evolved before bees, their early flowers adapted instead to beetles moving between thick, waxy petals in search of pollen.
Their history with people is long too. Cultivated in China for centuries, the unopened buds of certain species are still dried to make xinyi, used in traditional medicine.
The name came much later, honouring seventeenth-century French botanist Pierre Magnol.
01
Magnolia
Magnolia flowers arrive before the leaves, held on bare wood at the end of winter.
An ancient lineage, magnolias evolved before bees, their early flowers adapted instead to beetles moving between thick, waxy petals in search of pollen.
Their history with people is long too. Cultivated in China for centuries, the unopened buds of certain species are still dried to make xinyi, used in traditional medicine.
The name came much later, honouring seventeenth-century French botanist Pierre Magnol.
0:00/0:00
02
Fireplace and pool our Ocean Grove garden
0:00/0:00
03
Ocean Grove Entry Garden
04
Ferns and brush fencing at Rose House
05
Cordyline overhead
06
Rose House light well
0:00/0:00
07
Fairy Garden planting day at Ocean Grove
08
Dicksonia antarctica towering above
09
Royal Park
10
Fatsia japonica and flash
11
12
Nandina domestica doing it's thing with little attention at Parker
13
The skeletal remains of Hydrangea paniculata. A beauty, even in the dead of winter.
14
Torquay pool site shots
15
Logs for children to climb on in Ocean Grove
16
Tapestry of found bluestone pitches at Govan's
17
Surface treatment at Rose House entry
0:00/0:00
18
Bees buzzing amongst the Gaura at Ocean Grove
19
Soleirolia soleirolii carpeting the Thomas House light well
20
One whole hectare of our Ocean Grove garden
21
The skeletal remains of Hydrangea paniculata. A beauty, even in the dead of winter.
22
Short house planting day
0:00/0:00
23
Pelargonium and Acacia
0:00/0:00
24
Palms in the breeze at Torquay House
25
Concrete benches between existing columns at our Torquay garden
26
Narcissus.
Daffodils, of the genus Narcissus, are beginning to appear. In Greek mythology, Narcissus was said to have become captivated by his own reflection in a pool of water, unable to draw himself away. After his death, a flower grew in his place, its bowed head recalling a figure still gazing into the water.
For most of the year, Narcissus exists out of sight, stored within a bulb beneath the soil. With the last stretch of winter, roots stir, leaves break the surface and flowers follow. It is this habit of disappearing and returning that has seen the flower become a symbol of renewal and rebirth.
0:00/0:00
27
Fairy Garden palette and Galvanised steel planters at Ocean Grove
28
Xanthorrhoea sp. at our Rose House
29
Hydrangea sp. at Thomas House
30
Ozothamnus diosmifolius ‘Radiance’ at our Back Beach project
31
Thomas House light well
32
Galvanised sand pit nestled in at Francis house
33
Leaves of citrus in a Bloss courtyard
34
Thomas house light well
35
Hardy planting coping well with the winds at Ocean Grove and Pelargonium citrosum helping to keep the mozzies away
36
Planting the circular driveway at Ocean Grove
0:00/0:00
37
Ocean Grove arrival garden
38
Recycled brick landings at our Spry garden
39
Flower heads at Francis house
40
Bluestone and groundcover plantings extending the gathering space at Francis House
41
Glass mosaic and stone at Torquay
42
Ocean Grove pool
43
Viola hederacea popping up between Soleirolia soleirolii at Thomas House
44
Eucalyptus pulverulenta, Gaura lindheimeri 'Belleza White' and Calamagrostis × acutiflora 'Karl Foerster' working magically at Thomas House
45
Torquay house pool and surrounds
46
Echinacea purpurea
Flowering through summer, its raised central cones and soft purple petals are as useful as they are ornamental. Native to the prairies of North America, Echinacea has long been valued as a medicinal plant, particularly for immune support, while its flowers are rich in nectar and pollen, drawing bees and butterflies into the garden.
47
Dicksonia antarctica unfurling at Francis House
48
Native ferns creating magical outlooks at our Spry Project
49
Francis house slowly (or rather, quickly) being taken over by green
50
Flowering Fatsia japonica up close
51
Tagetes lemmonii
- Logs and grass in Ocean Grove
- Helleborus and baby tears
- Windsor garden lightwell
- Window seat and sandpit
- Gaura and pelargonium with steppers
- Recycled brick entry path
- Flower heads
- Bluestone pavers and dichondra
- Native violets and baby tears
- Eucalyptus pulverulenta 'Baby Blue'
- Echineacea purpurea
- Tree ferns garden
- Tree ferns
- Timber arbour and bluestone pavers
- Tagetes lemmonii
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