AUSTRALIAN HOUSE & GARDEN / 141H&G GARDENS OF THE YEAR
T
his extraordinary edible garden is
a lesson in making the most of a
small space, and on a shoestring
at that. It provides food and a creative
outlet for its creator, Maggie McDermott,
as well as a precious space to share with
her grandchildren. It’s a garden made for
play, learning, foraging, love and laughter.
Maggie bought the pretty 1870s cottage
after seeing it on the internet five years
ago. “I saw it and said ‘That’s my house’,”
says Maggie. “I didn’t realise that the house
was a wreck inside and the garden was
nothing but weeds!”
Today the garden is a multi-faceted
wonderland. Garage sale and roadside finds
are arranged in whimsical tableaux. Most
of Maggie’s plants come from cuttings,
seeds and markets. “I like the challenge of
seeing what I can do for little money,” she
says. The area dubbed ‘Mrs Gunner’s
Garden’ pays homage to Maggie’s great-
great grandmother, who lost three children
to diphtheria in one week. It contains
medicinal plants of the era – rue, echinacea,
chamomile, mint, mugwort, and valerian.
Sweet peas, in memory of Maggie’s mother,
ramble over the fence.
With a climate that veers from severe
frost to 40 ̊C-plus, the variety of produce
in the garden is testament to Maggie’s
gardening skills. Raspberries, grapes
and strawberries, along with black- and
redcurrants are favourites in the foraging
patch. There are also quince, plum,
pomegranate and nectarine trees, bee-
attracting borage and lavenders, rhubarb
and potato patches, plus sorrel and chard
for the chickens. Several barrels collect
rainwater, while the chooks provide
fertiliser, eggs and pest control. >KEY PLANTS
Sweet peas
(Lathyrus odoratus)
Cornflowers
(Centaurea cyanus)
Shirley poppies
(Papaver rhoeas)
White valerian
(Centranthus ruber ‘Alba’)
Quince (Cydonia oblonga)
Plum (Prunus domestica)CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT Blackcurrants.
Maggie with Rainbow the chook in front of
the berry-filled foraging patch she planted
for her grandchildren. Old chairs and tubs
have been repurposed as planters. Maggie’s
miniature birdhouse collection on the
shed wall.