Greetings Fellow Gardeners.
“Raodasider couch, the sort I get off the side of the road” is how she explained her lawn. Looking fresh and green, it makes a great foundation for the low care gardens around the Rose Cottage of Roseanne and Charles down Greenough way. It doesn’t mind the bit of salt that comes up with the bore water she said.
Hidden away across the Greenough River the house is an excellent example of the architecture of the late eighteen hundreds. Roseanne and Charles have used their talents to create a pleasant, open garden of low care plants that give the feel of country and space. Using odds bits and pieces Charles designed the eye catching examples of his art positioned carefully in the surrounds of Rose Garden cottage. They have a feel of the times gone by with their rustic character.
The two grand old pepper trees have spilled there seeds out and down along the river where they have taken root here and there. A golden shower tree, which was a gift, is doing well in the front yard. This deciduous tree (Cassia fistula) is the national flower of Thailand. It blooms in late spring with masses of yellow flowers. It will grow well in dry climates and is best in full sun on well-drained soil; it is relatively drought tolerant and slightly salt tolerant.
The front fence is made of sheets of corrugated iron along the bottom and ringlock wire neatly stretched along the top. In a garden bed were hundreds of tiny geraniums which had sprouted after Roseanne pulled the older plants up, forming a geranium ground cover! Species of Gums stand on the Northern boundary of the yard along with oleander, a palm tree, a protea, a couple of small lantanas leading down to the iron framed shade house. The iron came from old buildings at Nazareth House. Various garden beds sport different species of succulents all around the edge of the lawn.
Apart from two well trimmed tee tree hedges, a prominent agave, the front yard is definitely low maintenance but very pleasing to look upon, framed by the old house with its timber verandas facing the river down yonder. Further to the South and lined up below Charles’s odd little fish cleaning shelter with its Kalbarri 140 KM is a row of old fuel drums cut in half and filled with soil and planted with Frangipani’s. All the old material left behind by the previous owner has been recycled for ornamental or practical use by Charles.
Around the back the colourful Bougainvillea’s grow alongside a large jade bush and nine olive trees line up on the South side, which were loaded with fruit this year as was the lime tree.
Fourteen years ago they were going around Australia when they saw Rose Cottage (the roses have long gone) and fell in love with it and got nicely stuck here Roseanne said. Prior to that they were both working up on Port Hedland and Greenough is a sea change, for family reasons they are planning to move on soon so it will be goodbye to Rose Cottage and the rural life.
I can imagine me mate Bob living here, he would have a brew going in the shed and a fishing rod growing cobwebs against the wall while he lays back and says “C’mon mate, let’s have another one for the one that got away!”
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