The Jerilderie Public School P&C Five Gardens’ Fundraiser held last weekend was a resounding success, attracting more than 300 green thumbed spectators.
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‘‘As one of the garden owners it was my pleasure to talk to people and share information about how our garden has developed, as I'm sure it was for all of the gardeners,’’ said event organiser Carmen Lawton.
‘‘All of the gardeners and the P&C committee have had amazing feedback on how lovely everyone's gardens were and what an enjoyable day it was.
‘‘We especially would like to thank the garden owners for opening up their places to the community and also putting in so much hard work to get them looking so good.’’
Greg and Mrs Lawton’s garden was one of five opened to ticket holders.
The others belong to Julie and Andrew Sleigh, Brett and Debbie Roe, Victoria and Rick Bryce and Roy Chaplin and Beth McMeekin.
The Sleighs’ offering is best described as an ‘English garden’.
Though the Sleighs had a lot to work with, including inheriting established trees and a vacant weatherboard cottage — which had been vacant for 15 years — it has taken 21 years of ‘‘trial and error’’ to grow the lot into something truly unique.
‘‘We didn’t have a garden plan so we just had to see what works; we started from scratch,’’ she said.
The garden continues to develop under the guiding hand of the Sleigh family who, in the last two years, have introduced a number of ‘rooms’ or sections to their garden.
But the real star of the property is it’s sweeping views of the Yanco Creek.
‘‘The outlook and position is just second to none,’’ Mrs Sleigh said.
The Lawtons’ garden is a colourful and vibrant affair, complete with an accompanying ‘man shed’.
The family moved to the property eight years ago when the property ‘‘was just a house and paddock’’.
With their three sons, they have made generous contributions to the garden, from rust sculptures to mowing and trimming the grass back.
Though working to a garden plan, which was drafted when the Lawtons first moved in, Mrs Lawton has since gone rogue.
“We started off following the plan, but really we just go with whatever plants are successful,” she confessed.
‘‘I particularly love colour. There’s lots of colours and flowers in the garden, along with Chinese elms; it’s certainly a ‘cottage garden’.
‘‘And something a bit different about our garden is the man cave out back. It’s a really cool space with corrugated iron walls — the perfect spot for our teenage boys to hang out.”
The Bryce family’s garden is a local attraction. Located on the main street of Jerilderie, the pair open their gates to visitors all summer.
Featuring multiple garden areas, water features, beautiful antiques and squat buildings there’s plenty of nooks and crannies to explore in this cosy garden.
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