SUBURBAN EDEN
Until 1950, the suburb of Ashwood was a patchwork of market gardens, orchards and poultry farms at the far southeast edge of Melbourne’s creeping urbanisation.
Even today, its suburban blocks are large and, at 1000m2, Leanne Mason’s is bigger than most. She does most of the work herself, though she admits line trimmers and chainsaws are beyond her.
LEANNE IS DETERMINED TO MANAGE HER GARDEN ALONG ORGANIC LINES — SHE USES NO SPRAYS, NOT EVEN ORGANIC ONES — AND ACCORDING TO PERMACULTURE PRINCIPLES.
“For open garden events,” she says, “I call on my knowledgeable and hardworking friends to help me tidy up.”
A former nurse, currently working part-time as a “sensory panellist — also known as a food taster”, Leanne counts reading, dancing, yoga and
