Suburban garden in the running for national prize
IT TOOK Keven and Amanda Corbett just six years to conjure a small suburban oasis from the red dirt of their Harristown home.
Now, the Toowoomba couple has been selected to represent Queensland in the Gardening Australia Gardener of the Year competition.
Their garden today, with its many distinct “rooms”, is a far cry from what it once was - a bare patch of dirt out the back and a simple garden running down the northern fence line.
While the couple said they’ve always had a love of gardening, it wasn’t until they saw an advertisement in The Chronicle for a Carnival of Flowers mentoring program that they took the opportunity to learn from local gardeners.
From there, they’ve steadily added to their garden over the years, growing in skill and knowledge as they experimented with different varieties, colours, and blooms.
Now, they have become the gardening mentors, offering advice to the budding green thumbs among the estimated 5500 visitors they hosted during this year’s Carnival of Flowers.
Mrs Corbett said she and her husband were “humbled” but also gobsmacked to have been named finalists for Queensland in the national competition.
They had entered on a whim - thinking they’d “give it a go”.
“We’re absolutely over the moon about it, but humbled at the same time,” she said.
Tune in to the ABC on Friday, November 2, to watch Gardening Australia’s segment on the Corbetts.
■ After the segment airs, you can vote for the Corbett’s garden by heading to www.gardeningaustralia.com.au/awards/ or by texting “1” (ensure caller ID is turned on) to 0400 545 556.