Part of the attraction of a country property is the opportunity to have a rewarding garden. I’m a keen but unprofessional garden and eager to make something special out of this block.

At one stage I believe the nuns had the garden looking beautiful with formal hedges, garden beds and trellised roses. However after about 40 years of low maintenance, there’s not a lot left to show. On the bright side, it’s good soil and a lovely open block and well fenced with gorgeous old ash brick fence front and back.

One of my first challenges was the back driveway corner, one of the few parts of the block that could be seen by the locals as they came to church. Pretty ugly – dry dirt, overgrown shrubs and so many weeds.

As there was already an existing Primrose Jasmine and the yellow Banksia Rose I had bunged in, yellow and white seemed a cheery and appropriate colour scheme. What started as a few marigolds and daisies in the corner, escalated into a serious garden bed of roses, perennials, herbs and fruit trees.

The trees include a fig, golden hornet crabapple, bay tree, quince, medlar and prunus. I have a feeling some may need to be moved elsewhere in the not-so-distant future. My money is on the Crepuscle rose (a miniature vigorous pale apricot climber) to be the star of the show.