Foxglove Spires, nestled into the foot of Mt Dromedary (Guluga), is the inspiration for many facets of my nesting and feathering. My love for this beautiful house and garden began way back in the Mecklenberg St days. Embarrassingly, my very first garden was a pathetic sliver of a bed along the outside of my living room window. I neatly planted polyanthus of bright, gaudy colours (none matching in anyway, shape or form) in a row. That was it! Beautiful…NOT!
Eventually, after much kind advice from gardening family and friends and some good, gardening for dummies-type books, I started to get the hang of it and there my obsession began.
I can’t remember the date of the first time I visited Foxglove Spires but it was around 1996 0r 1997 I think? I instantly fell in love with Sue Southam’s garden and house. The colour of the house became etched in my mind and I decided that, one day, I would paint our house that colour. In the end we sold our house in Mecklenberg St, still cream and green and in much need of a paint. On building our house here, in Fairview St, I was desperate to fulfil the purple house painting dream. This I did. After talking to Sue one day in her garden on one of my many visits to Foxglove Spires, I asked her what her house colours were and whether or not she’d mind if I used them for my place. She kindly said I could.
Her garden has been the inspiration for my own gardening experience. I’d love to recreate, even just in part, some of what Sue has done in her beautiful oasis. Each time I visit her garden I am refreshed and revitalised and I get another little idea for what I can do to make mine that much more cosy and homely. Her garden is just that…cosy and homely. It’s an extension of her home. She has the most gorgeous props and seats and benches and pots in her garden. My favourite section of the garden is the ‘working garden’ space. I love the rusticness of it. The mix of vegies and chooks and flowers and fruit trees…so productive yet beautiful to look at.
Last year, Sue had her book: Velvet Pears, published. I absolutely love her book and it takes pride of place on a trunk in my living room. It’s so lovely to have her garden and house at my fingertips every day:)
Here are some photos from my many visits to this inspiration in my life.
The pond,covered in green algae.
I love Sue’s garden shed. It’s like a museum and art gallery all in one! This photo does not do it justice. It is stacked to the brim with beautiful antique gardening implements, moss covered pots, garden memorabilia and more. Like her home, it oozes character and charm and cosiness. An outdoors nest.Thank you, Sue, for all your hard work and passion. You are the epitome feathering and nesting.
http://tilba.com.au/foxglovespires.htm
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