Serenity Flower Garden: The Story of How a Passionate Woman Turned a Grassy Paddock into a Beautiful Garden

By Chris Kelly

Over the course of ten years Chris chronicles the creation of her cool-climate garden on the edge of the Blue Mountains in Hartley NSW, from bare paddock to established garden. Through flooding rains and hailstorms, droughts, impending bushfires and heat waves she takes us through the challenges and the successes, peppering the story with detailed growing advice. She describes how with an artist’s eye, hard work, passion and perseverance she designed and cultivated a flourishing environment with a perennial border, orchard, vegie patch, woodland, wisteria arbour, lavender garden, cutting garden, native heath, ponds, deciduous and flowering trees, a fairy garden, rose arbour and a rose garden with over 450 roses. Following the story of the transformation of the garden, the reader witnesses the creation of a beautiful, peaceful garden sanctuary abounding with birds, frogs and other local wildlife.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Balboa Press AU
• Release date: Dec 7, 2022
• ISBN: 9781982296155

Chris Kelly

Chris Kelly writes for HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher. He won an Emmy for his work on Michael Moore's TV Nation. He's been an editor at Spy and the National Lampoon, a staff writer for the Late Show with David Letterman, head writer at Politically Incorrect, and a writer/producer on a half dozen network situation comedies, some long-running and some that barely aired at all.

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Copyright © 2022 Chris Kelly.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

ISBN: 978-1-9822-9614-8 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-9822-9615-5 (e)

Balboa Press rev. date: 12/05/2022

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CONTENTS

Dedication

Garden Quick Facts

Chapter 1The Dream

Chapter 2Designing Ideas

Chapter 3The First Tree Planting

Chapter 4A Slow Start to Building

Chapter 5Laying the Foundations

Chapter 6Making Progress

Chapter 7Planting the First Roses

Chapter 8Moving In

Chapter 9The First Flowers

Chapter 10A Hot Christmas

Chapter 11Flash Floods and Snakes

Chapter 12Planting the Orchard

Chapter 13Four Milestones

Chapter 14Bare Rooted Roses and More Trees

Chapter 15Spring Brings Unwelcome Surprises

Chapter 16The Return of Good Weather and More Planting

Chapter 17Wetland and Water

Chapter 18Planting Phase Two of the Rose Garden

Chapter 19Spring Arrives Again

Chapter 20More Time for the Garden

Chapter 21Rabbit Exclusion

Chapter 22Continuing Growth

Chapter 23Taps, Gates, Steps and Compost bins

Chapter 24More Planting, More Paths and a Party

Chapter 25Structures and Sadness

Chapter 26Garden Art

Chapter 27The Guinea Fowl Saga

Chapter 28Hailstorm

Chapter 29The Few More Garden Beds

Chapter 30Heatwaves and Fires

Chapter 31The Perennial Border and Native Heath Garden

Chapter 32Good Seasons Return

Chapter 33The Biodiversity

Chapter 34The Wettest Year Since 1859

Chapter 35A Little More on Roses

Chapter 36The End That Isn’t an End

Appendix: Plant Lists

DEDICATION

This book is dedicated to my parents, Kevin and Judy Smith, and grandma Dorothy Sissons,

who taught me the basics of gardening and fostered my love of the outdoors; and to Kim

(Kimmie) Crawford, who showed me that one woman alone can create a large garden.

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GARDEN QUICK FACTS

That flower represents something fresh, beautiful, the Buddha inside of us.

Thich Nhat Hanh, All in One, One in All. 2001

CHAPTER 1

The Dream

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I am sitting on a seat in my rose garden sipping a cup of tea, the fragrance of hundreds of roses is wafting in the warm air around me, the gorgeous soft hues of old-fashioned blooms, spectacular hybrid teas and abundant floribundas and modern shrub roses greeting my gaze. As a backdrop I have the picturesque sandstone cliffs and eucalypt-clad hills of the Blue Mountains lending a very Australian feel to my growing garden. The young trees behind me have recently finished their spring blossoming – magnolias, crab apples, pears and plums were all in their delicate finery a few weeks ago, now flush with the lime green of fresh spring foliage. I can hear the chooks clucking contentedly in their pen, the wetland ponds are full of water and the frogs and native wood ducks have made them their home. I feel amazed at how much I have achieved – nature responds fantastically when given a little helping hand. After ten years of hard work coupled with creativity and inspiration and a good dose of determination, my garden is finally looking established and the plan I designed many years ago has come into fruition. It has been a long journey to grow this serene garden at my home in Hartley.

I remember driving through Hartley with my family when I was a child, and being captivated by the beautiful scenery. Travelling west from Sydney on the Great Western Highway, after the rugged beauty of the Blue Mountains the Hartley area suddenly appears as a tranquil, green valley of lush pasture and in earlier days, apple orchards. Most of the orchards are now gone, but the valley is still as beautiful as ever, backed by the rock escarpment that encircles the valley. At 800 m above sea level it experiences cold, frosty winters and has a true change of seasons.

I think I was born with an innate love of plants and birds – it was always there. Certainly around the age of seven I have clear memories of asking my mother the names of the plants in our home garden. I think my parents must have done a lot of planting in the garden around that time, as I remember visiting a nursery with them as well. One day I asked my mother the name of a particular plant and she couldn’t remember it, but she showed me a scrap book where she had glued all the plant labels from nearly every plant in the garden. I was enthralled! Here I could see not just the common name, but that every plant also had a Latin name! And some notes on how to grow the plant! I loved this idea. She helped me learn how to pronounce them, and I would walk around the garden speaking each plant’s Latin name out loud. I still remember some of them – Fatsia japonica, Cordyline stricta, Juniperus sabina…. My parents also had twelve standard hybrid tea roses planted along the edge of the driveway. They were all the popular ones of the 1960’s, and I thought they were beautiful. I must have seen a flower competition somewhere and I would create my own make-believe flower competitions, judging each bloom and announcing a winner. I had four siblings but spent a lot of time in my own dreamy world in the garden alone. I also collected insects and learnt the names of all the local birds. So I guess I was always a nature lover. When I was twelve years old my father enlisted my help with the mowing, as my older brothers were very reluctant. For some reason this made me feel special. It was hard work though, as we had a lot of lawn. My father had a self-propelled mower but one day it got away from me and was rolling along straight towards the azalea bed. I screamed for Dad and he brought it under control just in time. After that I only used the push mower.

As I grew older I dreamed of having my own little acreage somewhere in Australia, with an orchard, a veggie patch, a large garden with lots of flowers and chickens. It took many years through life’s ups and downs – marriage, a baby, divorce, marriage again, living and working overseas, another divorce and finally returning to Australia ready to make my long-held dream a reality. I always had gardens in previous homes so I had learnt a lot about gardening already, but there was still a lot to learn. And this would be my forever garden.

I started looking for suitable blocks of land whilst living and working in Switzerland from 2008 to 2011. Long winter nights were spent browsing real estate websites comparing different blocks for sale. I looked at a variety of areas to get an idea of what was on offer, considering different size blocks, some cleared and some not, some with houses others without. But I kept being drawn back to Hartley, which I had always loved. The land seemed to be good value, the soil is good, and the area is easily accessible being only two hour’s drive from Sydney or 15 minutes to the Blue Mountains or Lithgow. I was particularly drawn to a small new estate backing onto the River Lett. I kept an eye on it for a while, but as I saw the blocks selling off over a period of 18 months, I decided I’d better make a move before I missed out. I visited the estate first in October 2008, then again in December 2009, before making a final decision in January 2010.

2010 was to be a year of new beginnings for me, taking affirmative action to improve my finances which had suffered during my second marriage due to disappointing investments, and to start planning the life that I had been dreaming about for so long. I had a couple more years to live in Switzerland, so I had plenty of time to put the plans into place, step by step.

The block I finally chose is a 2-hectare (5 acre) rectangle, mostly level and cleared, with only 4 mature eucalypts remaining. This is what I wanted, because the local council’s regulations do not allow further clearing of remnant bushland, and I wouldn’t have the heart to cut down mature trees anyway. But I wanted a clean slate to build my garden with plenty of sunlight, so this was perfect. I was happy with 5 acres because I don’t want too much to look after on my own – any more than that would require stocking with livestock or horses to manage the grass, and that isn’t what I am after. I want to put all my focus and energy into building a beautiful garden and growing fruit and vegetables.

The estate is in a convenient area, only a few minutes off the highway but far enough away that the sound of the traffic is not disturbing, and is in a peaceful cul-de-sac.

Being a new estate, the power was already in the street, and the fences were new and in good condition. These were all added bonuses in my mind. The only thing that was lacking was a dam – but this could be easily built, and since this particular block receives the storm water run-off from the street, would not take long to fill and hopefully would stay relatively full except for during prolonged droughts.

But what makes the block so wonderful is the outlook. Although level and in a valley, on two sides are magnificent views to the surrounding mountains, with three flat-topped peaks, and further in the distance to the east the escarpment of the Blue Mountains. This gives an air of grandeur, enhanced by the low misty clouds on cold winter days and the startling blue sky on sunny summer days.

Since I wasn’t going to be moving back for a few years, the plan was to start building the house in about 18 months so that it would be ready for my return. In the meantime, I would spend my spare time designing the garden and planning what I would plant where. I couldn’t wait to get started, but I had learnt patience over the years and had to content myself with dreaming about colour schemes and shapes of flower beds. I started making a detailed plan of the garden design in a large sketch book, and fiddled with it for months. I also took the opportunity to visit some beautiful gardens in Europe while being based there to get ideas and inspiration.

I wanted a name for the house and garden. I was coming up with traditional garden names like Rose Cottage, but none of them suited the house style. Finally I mentioned it to my daughter and she immediately came up with a lovely name – Serenity. I think it captures the essence of what I want to achieve both in the garden and in setting up a new home. So that’s what it is – Serenity Flower Garden.

CHAPTER 2

Designing Ideas

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In March 2010 I decided to return to Australia for a short trip to visit family, in particular one of my brothers who was critically ill with a chronic muscle disease. It was his birthday on the 13th of March, so I wanted to see him, as something told me he wouldn’t be having too many more birthdays, which sadly turned out to be true.

I spent a few hours at the block having a good look around. I was so, so happy with my decision. It truly is a beautiful location and a wonderful outlook. To my surprise quite a few of the native shrubs that the developers had planted originally had survived and rejuvenated after the good rains in the late summer. I would at least have some more plants on the block to start working with than I expected. The grass was thick over most of the block and I would need to get it slashed by tractor, but it indicated good soil so I was happy about that. I took some photos from different aspects and truly, from every corner of the block there are magnificent views and a feeling of peace and security.

I felt a great sense of excitement and satisfaction knowing that this piece of land was mine. After living overseas for so long, I was longing for a home-base in my home country again. I so much wanted to plant a tree to mark the block as mine, but I resisted as I knew I would not be back for some months and it probably wouldn’t survive. The right time would come. Unfortunately it did sooner than expected, because my brother passed in August that year, and I planted my first tree for him the day after the funeral.

But I did get another nice surprise – as I left the block I found a small frog clinging to the chain of the main gate. Someone already lived here!! I felt happy that firstly, the block can support such delicate creatures as frogs, and secondly, that this little individual would care to call my block his home.

Spring finally came to Switzerland. The seasons are very marked in central Europe and the winter can feel very long. I expect winters in Hartley might be harsh too, but not as severe as here. I lived further west on the Great Dividing Range in eastern NSW back in 1997 – 1999 and I know the damage that frosts can do, shrivelling tender plants like dahlias, begonias and beans at the slightest whiff. But at least many perennials and herbs survived through the winter. Here in Switzerland, many plants are lost, even those that are supposedly hardy like sage, salvia and azaleas. In spring Europeans replant with gusto and don’t expect a lot of their plants to last more than 9 months. It’s quite a different perspective.

I designed the main rose garden for Serenity Flower Garden in detail, right down to exactly which rose varieties I would plant where. The rose garden was going to be one of the main features of the garden, and I just love roses so couldn’t wait to get them all planted. I had several of my rose books with me in Switzerland and I read up about each variety again, to be sure of their size, flowering time, colour, fragrance etc. I only wanted roses with fragrance, unless the blooms are spectacular. I don’t mind once-only flowering types if they are very special, for example some of the very old roses which have historical value. But preferably of course I wanted mostly roses that repeat or are perpetual (flower continuously). Many of the roses I was designing with I knew well from my previous country garden, but there was still much to learn. I started with a list of about 200 different roses for my design, covering all the different forms such as climbing, rambling, shrub, bush, bedding and miniature and all the different types such as china, tea, noisette, gallica, alba, rugosa, damask, centifolia, moss, hybrid perpetual, hybrid tea, polyantha, floribunda and modern shrub. I grouped them by colour – pink, white, crimson (I am avoiding bright red and scarlet), yellow/gold/orange, and striped (pinks, crimson and white combined). I am fond of the striped roses because of their novelty. Some of them are very old and historical. Most of the old roses are heavily perfumed and bursting with ruffled petals.

Of all the roses I selected, the pinks dominate, which is in some ways unfortunate but also a reminder of the genetics. Virtually all of the old original roses were of pink shades. It took decades of searching and breeding to bring in the yellow shades. The dark reds did exist and were highly valued. Whites were also there, for example Alba maxima which is five hundred years old, but the yellows were only introduced to the west 150 years ago, thanks to the imported Tea roses from China. Breeders are continually introducing new varieties, particularly the English roses of David Austin, and hybrid teas. Many of them are incredibly long-flowering and beautiful. I aimed to create a fusion of traditional and historical with modern and new. Every rose has a story to tell, every rose is beautiful in its own way. Together, I hoped, they would create a magnificent garden that stimulates and delights all the senses.

So what to do with all these pink roses? I decided that the main central beds of the rose garden would be with the pinks, plus a smaller island bed to the side to be planted with the pink English roses. I planned to grow roses from the full range of the colour pink – from the softest, palest baby pink of Pristine, a superb hybrid tea, to the richest, most vibrant hot pinks of the gorgeous new hybrid tea Parole. In between would be every shade, such as the apricot blends, the mauves of Blue Moon and Lilac Rose, the silvery Baronne Rothschild and Silver Lining and the true, pure mid pinks of Queen Elizabeth and Zepherin Drouhin.

Apart from the main rose garden, I decided that the 90 m long front timber fence would make a perfect support for climbing and rambling roses – I could fit about 35 of them along the fence in total. Some would grow too tall, so I would have to tie them down to grow laterally. I included all my favourites such as Madam Alfred Carriere, Albertine, Crepuscule, Lady Hillington and New Dawn. Some only flower for a few weeks but most are repeat flowering. Providing I kept them watered they would be a spectacular introduction to the garden, and to the entire estate, since mine is the first lot as you drive into River Lett.

I also designed an area for large shrub roses with a path running through them. I love the look of free-standing, mature rose shrubs in full bloom looking like huge, perfumed crowns of glory. I planned to have 20 of these. One of the most exciting things about designing a large garden is having the space to grow large features.

I was also busy designing the rest of the garden, because it isn’t all about roses. My aim was to create a serene, peaceful, healing garden and also a garden of surprises, with new areas of interest around every bend, unusual plants and garden sculptures. There would be gravel paths leading the visitor to discover every corner of the garden. My love of flowers would be evident, using them as well as the myriad of greens from foliage to create a living artwork.

I wanted large, shady trees in mown grass, dotted throughout in a park-land style. This would allow the wonderful view to be seen from different aspects of the garden, and is also it’s easy to maintain. There would be thousands of spring bulbs around the bases of the trees and edging garden beds, and with careful choice of planting for spring flowers and autumn leaves, it should be very beautiful.

About one third of the entire block would be for the native garden. There have been amazing developments in the breeding of Australian native plants over the past 20 years and I expected to find many beautiful varieties on offer at local nurseries, so I wasn’t too worried about planning the detail here. My vision was of eucalypts, she-oaks and wattles underplanted with many flowering native shrubs, grasses and ground covers dotted through areas of wood chip or bark mulch, interspersed with ponds to encourage the biodiversity.

I also planned something that I have long dreamed of and never had the opportunity or space to realise – a woodland garden. I would have a narrow meandering grass path with shrubs such as rhododendrons, camellias, viburnums, weigelas, dogwoods and azaleas on either side, under-planted with other woodland plants such as Japanese anemones, hellebores (winter roses), hostas and bluebells. The overall effect would be simple and peaceful. Whilst the rhododendrons and camellias only flower in winter/spring, the under-plantings would help to extend the interest. However, even in late summer when there would be no blooms, the cool of the shaded alleyway would beckon.

I also had visions of a gazebo surrounded by white climbing roses and lavender, a wisteria arbour, an orchard, lavender garden, peony garden, white garden, cutting garden, secret garden, perennial border, decorative bridges, garden art and seating here and there, a shade house and chicken coop all linked by gravel paths with little gates between the various areas. I needed a lot of plants, and I had a lot of work to do!

CHAPTER 3

The First Tree Planting

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The first tree was planted much earlier than I had expected, and not for happy reasons. My brother who had been battling a chronic muscle disease for many years grew very weak during the winter and went into hospital in August 2010. He passed away a few days later. My daughter and I managed to return to Australia just in time to be with him during his final hours. My sister-in-law, who had nursed him 24-hours a day during his long illness, supported him lovingly to the end. Their four children were by his side too, plus some close friends and other relatives. It was a very, very sad but special time. He was only 52 and touched the lives of many people in many different ways.

After the memorial service I decided to plant a tree in his memory. It had been so wet, and more rain was forecast, so I thought it would have a good chance of surviving without ongoing attention. My brother had been an avid supporter of the wilderness when he was younger and loved the bush, so I had in mind a eucalypt. But I also thought a deciduous tree with good autumn colour would be nice. So in the end we decided on two – a Nyssa sylvatica (tupelo) chosen by me and the other a eucalyptus chosen by my daughter. We selected a snow gum, Eucalyptus pauciflora, since my brother loved the alpine areas so much and I thought it would do alright in cool-climate Hartley. I borrowed a spade from my sister-in-law (I had no gardening tools with me) and planted them both. We wished them well, as we probably wouldn’t see them again for a year.

Despite the sad circumstances I was glad to have the opportunity to spend a little more time at the block that year than anticipated, and to see it during a different season. Because there had been so much rain, there was a lot of surface water on the ground. I don’t see this as a problem, as once the dam is built I will dig channels to funnel the rainwater into the dam. In Australia I’d rather have too much water than too little. If it does turn out that some parts are boggy, then of course the obvious solution is to put in plants that like wet feet, such as swamp cypress, birches, melaleucas and Japanese and Louisiana iris, around a pond or small wetland. There are also some species of banksia and eucalyptus that are happy in wet sites.

The native shrubs that had been planted by the developer had continued to grow well and were looking quite strong and healthy. I would need to do some sorting out as unfortunately quite a lot of large trees had been planted where they would block the view from the house, and were also too close together. So I would have to thin some of these out before they got too big. I understand that landscapers plant densely to allow for attrition as it is not expected that they will all survive. It seems in my case the majority did however make it through the end of the drought, frosty winters and two wet years without any attention, showing how hardy our native flora truly is.

I also took the opportunity whilst back home to help sort out another property that was owned by my ex-husband in Lithgow and put it on the market. I spent two days in the garden there, weeding, cutting back and tidying up. I had planted about 70 roses in this garden some years ago so I was happy to help. Most of them had been moved from my original country garden further out, so I had quite an attachment to them. Although they had been blooming well for the past few years, they had not been pruned, watered consistently or fed properly and most were not in a very good state. Quite a few had died. So I pulled out the dead ones and neatened up the beds as best I could. We left instructions for a relative to prune them all back hard, as being August it was not too late in this part of the country to prune. Some of the spring bulbs had started to bloom so in the end it looked neat and pretty. But the good news was that I was able to rescue all the rocks that I had accumulated over the years and had placed decoratively throughout the garden. Once we gathered it all up and loaded it onto the back of my stepson’s ute, it turned out to be quite a lot. Mainly sandstone, but also some beautiful large white and orange quartz. The majority of it had come from my father’s property near Hargraeves south-west of Mudgee. The Hartley block had no large rocks or stones on it, as it was previously pasture, so these would be invaluable as features in the garden. I love the natural beauty of rocks scattered throughout garden beds, particularly amongst shrubs and natives. So we took the load of reclaimed rocks and stones to the block, and put them in a neat pile just inside the front fence. I didn’t want the block to become a cluttered storage site for rubbish and old junk, but these rocks would be useful and shouldn’t look too offensive while waiting to be placed in their new positions.

As I was departing the block, walking back to the gate we flushed a pair of little quails. They flew off too quickly for me to be able to identify them, but I was excited as they are not very common and like my little frog, I was so pleased that they had made my future home their home. I supposed they like it there as there is virtually no disturbance. I hoped they would stay and raise a family.

I was sad to have to leave the block again, knowing that I wouldn’t be back for many months. But it was good to know that I had at least had the opportunity to plant my first two trees and claim the block as mine.

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The first tree on the block was planted in August 2010 (Nyssa sylvatica, Tupelo). Here it is showing its true autumn colours in 2017. It took a long time to grow having suffered several setbacks in the early years.

CHAPTER 4

A Slow Start to Building

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I also took the opportunity whilst back in Australia during August 2010 to visit the building company again and have another good look at the house