CONVENT AND CHAPEL

Since my teens I’ve grown herbs. I’m not sure of what triggered my interest but there’s such a deep history and folklore about them. I guess I’m also drawn to plants that are practical and have uses other than just looking pretty or filling in gaps and herbs fit that perfectly. In the main, they are also easy to grow, can be put to use and don’t take up much space!

The Convent garden is giving me the opportunity to now indulge my herb interest on a grander scale, and again, fits in with the garden concept of plants that serve a purpose. So far I have many of the usual suspects (some many times over). The garden gate path edging is home to Lavender, Thyme (Common, Lemon and Silver Posy) as well as Catmint. The driveway edging is similar, just replacing Lavender with Tuscan Blue Rosemary. The back garden wall is home to Sage, more Rosemary, including Prostrate, Winter Savoury, Chives, Mint, Triple Curled and Italian Parsley, plenty of Perennial Basil and French Tarragon – pretty much a gamut of kitchen herbs. A Bay Laurel sits in a pot in the midst of the raised garden beds.

The far side driveway garden bed houses a wider variety, including multiple Lavenders and Rosemary, Lemon and Lime Verbenas, Lemon Balm, Hyssop, Rue, Borage, Variegated and Pineapple Sage (which is providing great enjoyment to the Honeyeater birds). I’m trying out Chamomile in the lawn and also have some of the oriental herbs for cooking such as Coriander, Lemon Grass and Kaffir Lime. The Dill has finished but plenty of seeds have been sewn for next time around. Some Bergamot is planted but not flourishing. There’s also the flowers that double up classification as herbs such as the roses, marigolds, daisies, Heartsease.

I’ve now run out of space and know that some plants are not in the right areas. When I get stuck into the front yard, there should be much more area to work with. Until them I’m trying so hard not to order from some of the great online nurseries that have a broad selection of herbs that are not found in the local nurseries. Apparently there used to be one of the really good specialty nurseries near here at Capertee that has now closed down when the owner died. It is still spoken so highly of by the local gardening community.

To date I mainly use my herbs in a fairly mainstream way for cooking but in future hope to be a bit more adventurous with oils, teas and various herbal treatments.

The range of herbs and their uses continues to impress me. You could almost just collect the Thymes and have such a broad variety – same with Rosemary or Lavender. Anyway, I’ve posted some photos of the start of the herb residents in the garden and expect it to expand rapidly over the years.

Others that have made it into the garden include Lovage, Chervil, Sorrell, Chicory and Fennel. I’ve just discovered Cinnamon Trees but will need to hold off on that for now as they are very large trees. Maybe when I have the block next door…

The back of the Convent is now in pretty good shape – next comes the front, which is the lion’s share of the block.

The Convent is an imposing building but at present the front garden does not do it justice. There are a few large yet unattractive shrubs that add some greenery but little else.

A tribute to 1970’s bush rock has pride of place in the centre of the front, housing low maintenance/low pleasure shrubs.

In its heyday, the Convent had formal structured hedges and garden beds however with the departure of the nuns in the ’70s and a sole priest in residence, the garden was put in “low maintenance” mode. As a keen gardener, “low maintenance” has never been particularly appealing.

Over the next few weeks, the shrubs will come out and a new plan prepared for the front. So far I’m picturing large flowering (and fruiting) crab apples either side. I already have two purple wisteria’s being cultivated for under the windows. The front centre garden will be restored with possibly a standard weeping cherry and a seasonal (but self seeding/perennial/bulb) garden. Otherwise, I’m open to advice.

The old front wall will be host to a wonderful deep and sweeping garden bed. It shades the bed well so I can probably introduce camellias and azaleas as the conditions should not be too harsh. Two lilacs and a snowball tree are already awaiting in pots. At present there are no plantings at all so I have a blank canvas. I’m also pondering if I can manage a fish pond somewhere as I love the thought of water, fish and indulging in some water plants. It will also serve as a good birdbath/watering hole for the birdlife.

I’m feeling a little guilty as I know the small birds enjoy the old bushes, but am endeavouring to pace what comes out and quickly replant so there will always be protection and trees for them, as well as supplemented food. In the long run, it will be much more bird-friendly. It was pleasing to see tiny little hummingbirds for the first time who have discovered all the new salvias and sages and are having party-time. I’ll try and take some photos of the local birds for another blog. I’ve been told that the area hosts most types of native birds.

Anyway, the Convent is now receiving serious attention both inside and outside, which she so richly deserves.

After many anxious months, I am now the official owner of the Convent. Thanks to the generosity of the Church, I’ve been squatting for months whilst working on the garden, but now it has turned real. Quotes for work are coming in and hopefully we can start on painting and various renovations in the next few weeks.

In the meantime, work has progressed in the garden with pleasing results. The big achievement this week was the Grotto. Friends have helped over the past months in taming the wild mess of ivy but the remaining trunks were out of our league. Fortunately Dean who looks after the lawns and helps with various things I don’t have a hope of doing (eg the veggie beds) tackled it with gusto and it is now in pristine condition (outside at least). I have a bit more to do with cleaning out the inside but otherwise it looks great. This weekend I planted around it, including two small but voracious climbing roses, groundcover camellias, salvias, bulbs and acquilegias – colour scheme being predominantly white, blue and pink. I’m also planning on adding fuchsias however the locals have warned that the frosts can be vicious and they may not survive.

The side porch near the bedroom was so bare, as is most of the garden. This bed is yet to be properly structured and has started as I usually do – popping a few things in until it starts to take form. However, as with the rest of the garden, everything seems to have taken hold and is flourishing. The stars are two Good Samaritan standard roses – no surprises that they are the signature rose of the garden.

The back view of the property has always been impressive, however when I first saw it in winter, the lovely maples were bare and the grass pretty much dead. A change of season, rain and some generous feeding and weeding has made a huge difference. This is one of my favourite aspects of the Convent – cool, inviting but so much character.

Other advances this weekend featured invading the weeds in the Church carpark out the back, including pruning the shrubs that back onto my wall and flank my gates. I have a feeling friends and I will have a few goes at these before they get under control, but in the end they should look quite impressive.

Lastly, another crack at the privet is seeing further progress, although I estimate there could be anything from 50 – 100 of these to get through.

In a few months, the garden has turned around quickly. The soil and aspect are good and it seems as though it was just waiting for someone to take a little care. What I thought was bare dirt has come back to good grass with some water, feeding and regular mowing. The Convent garden has been a blank canvas. What could have been regarded as stark and bare has turned out to be pretty easy to redesign without having to do too much damage to existing plants.

So far I’ve only tackled the back given the front, although plain, at least didn’t have walls covered with ivy and garden beds that were full of weeds and hard as rock. This weekend, I could see real progress – with garden beds now taking shape and filling out, as well as how it will look over the next few months.

Big changes have been the back driveway side garden bed which started as popping in a few daisies and marigolds to cheer up a corner – the only part of the garden that can be seen from the back as parishioners arrive for Church. It ended up a major work with white, cream, yellow, orange and blue hues. Most of the plants are either perennials or self-seeding and have already started multiplying. Some original agapanthus, gazanias and a primrose jasmine remain as a nod to the original garden. A few substantial fruit trees have also been added – a golden hornet crab apple, a quince and dutch medlar.

The back garden path that leads to the old iron gate and Church path was so plain – dirt or grass either side and nothing else. This is now flanked by lemon and limes and edged with catmint, thyme and lavender which is now filling out, flowering and attracting the bees.

Four large timber raised veggie beds have been installed in the last few weeks and are now being planted out. One is full of berries – lower maintenance but will be great for jams and desserts. In keeping with this being a “kitchen garden” out the back, I have also added another edging of rosemary, thyme and catmint. Just planting this was such a pleasure with all the wonderful scents.

The old catoneaster, which can be regarded as a nuisance, has lots of character, good form and is very healthy. It deserved better treatment and has been tidied up and had it’s base planted out with freesias and snowdrops.

 

Every week I get up there it is exciting to see the changes. Next plan is to get stuck into the front (which is much larger than the back garden).

It’s still pretty rough but is showing great promise and beginning to feel a bit more like mine. Still hanging in there for settlement, which has been so close for months now. I’m sure once we get past that hurdle there will be a wave of emotion as I start considering it as a real new home and the start of a different lifestyle.

Since first seeing the Convent, it was obvious that the side hedge was an eyesore. It runs the whole side of the block and is backed by a high old galvanised fence, dominating the side boundary – taking up land, stopping other growth and shading rooms that side of the Convent.

I had thought is was just an old windbreak until a local told me that as a schoolboy, he used to trim the hedges and it was once a neat, formal hedge – well maybe 30 or more years ago! At over 20 feet tall, it is now an ugly nuisance.

My first reaction was to have it removed however given I’m having a number of established (but unattractive) shrubs taken out of the front garden, I’m conscious that I’m removing habitats for a number of birds, particularly the smaller wrens, finches and sparrows. The plan now is to see if I can get it back under control by thinning, and cutting it back and down over time. I’m pretty sure it’s a privet, which should be kept under control, rather than running rampant, and is near impossible to destroy. Anyway. I’ll have a go as there is an appeal in getting one of the old hedges back at the Convent and in having a hedge rather than a new fence. The privet is relatively easy to saw, there’s just so much of it. I’ll trial a few sections before making up my mind and will probably need some professional help if that’s the way I go. Otherwise, it will also be a big job to cut and remove it – although I think I’d be in for many years of regrowth.

This isn’t a Day 1 project, but something I’ll take on in between jobs.