New Holland

The first time I drove through Coffs Harbour - at the end of last October, although that seems like years ago now - I didn't expect to see The Clog Barn advertised along the Pacific Highway, but it seems that there is a reasonable Dutch population here. Ella and I went to visit The Clog Barn today as a treat after I'd dragged her around three gardens in East Boambee which were opening as part of the Australian Open Gardens scheme which is, as its name implies, modelled on the British scheme.





Lots of windmills, as you'd expect














The owners do make clogs on site - including some beautiful examples with chip-carved decoration



All the model buildings are handmade using latex moulds for each individual brick... A labour of love. By the way, can you spot Spiderman?








The gardens were reasonably interesting, but it was another very hot day and Ella really was quite well-behaved considering the heat, how tired she was after a week of school plus a ballet class this morning, and how little she relishes being dragged around gardens (unless they have play areas in them, of course).


A lovely rainforest walkway created over a small creek; bromeliads tied onto a chicken-wire and moss column suspended from a tree (left)

The tall palms are native, and apparently grew this tall in less than 10 years!

The lake is bigger than our dam will be, but I love the lotus flowers (and dragon- flies) in it, and the edge of canna lilies

I went to see the gardens because I'm interested to see what will grow here and how it all looks when put together into a garden design. These gardens were an essay in how quickly things grow here: trees, shrubs, palms, ferns... All three gardens had shade houses too, and I found that interesting: shade houses are ideal for orchids. Looking at other people's gardens also makes me realise that I don't want vast expanses of lawn with complicated edges and that I like things looking lush, so tropical is more my style than traditional (whatever that is in a land of immigrants!).