THE POWER OF FLOWERS
COUNTRY STYLE READER LILLIAN BARRY’S MOVE TO THE SUNSHINE COAST DIDN’T QUITE GO TO PLAN. HOWEVER, SHE FOUND SOLACE IN HER GARDEN – AND NOW SHE HELPS OTHERS DO THE SAME.
Lillian Barry shares how her dream move to the country didn’t go to plan.
MOVING TO THE COUNTRY had been an exciting dream that we had planned for many years. And finally, 11 years ago, my husband Lindsay, 64, and I, 63, did it – we bought a century-old Queenslander in the Sunshine Coast hinterland.
But life unfolds in unexpected ways. Our move presented us with challenges we hadn’t imagined, as carefully laid plans fell apart and hurdles appeared in our way. We were both employable, yet work was impossible to find in our new location. My skills as a researcher and academic were no longer relevant, it seemed, and I found myself overqualified. But we couldn’t retire yet, so our worries mounted to a crescendo. I took solace in our almost non-existent country garden – it was really just a paddock.
In my former life as an academic, I had researched the benefits of nature for women recovering from trauma. One of the practical aspects of this research was enabling women to create a garden. Being in a natural setting, growing plants, smelling flowers or picking herbs can calm the mind and facilitate healing.
Now, I became a rather reluctant participant in my own research project. As I began to plan a garden around our house, I practised that old adage: “Doctor, heal thyself”. I was using the same practices that were foundational in my research.
At first, there were many failures. We found that, rather than having too much rain in this subtropical climate, our little pocket of hinterland misses out on rain that falls abundantly nearby, resulting in droughts. As a lover of old things, I turned my research skills to heritage plants. There were no nurseries nearby that sold varieties suited to our unique climate, so I went online, where I discovered old heritage roses. Having been told: “You can’t grow roses here”, I was determined to prove the naysayers wrong!
Not everything worked out – we will never have a show garden. Azaleas used to grow well here, but as the climate has warmed, these require too much watering. But I’m still making wonderful discoveries and having unexpected successes. Some plants normally thought of as cooler-climate plants thrive here. The sasanqua camellias are lovely in autumn and early winter, and they’re very tough, coping with minimal watering.
And we were amazed to see snowflakes (Leucojum) popping up through the lawns in winter. These are a reminder of the hope that often lies hidden. So now I plant jonquils and other bulbs to continue to delight us each season.
Every year, I plant more heritage roses. They are survivors and have become a focus, with tea roses and China roses thriving. Many heritage roses in Australia have been found near old cottages and gravestones, still blooming despite neglect. These rescued roses are integral to the community workshops I now run, focusing on the healing benefits of plants and flowers.
Did you know that the fragrance of roses can relieve anxiety? I didn’t realise this when I first planted them, but my husband said I was calmer after working with the roses. He even thought I talked to them! And I’ve seen this same effect during the workshops I conduct in the gardens. Participants automatically bend to smell the roses, and when I tell them they can ease anxiety, they smile in wonderment and nod.
Now, the gardens have become my life’s work. There is always next season’s planting to plan; new rose beds to fill; or trees to plant for shade. And despite this pandemic, I continue to organise workshops using the garden as a focus for healing and wellbeing. Tending plants, sowing seeds or simply spending time in a garden can cultivate a sense of hope. I know this because moving to the country and creating a garden has done exactly this for me.
And now I know that after everything falls apart, new and unexpected things start to fall into place. Challenges may arise but, for now, things are as they should be.