“TIME in the garden is meditative and a GREAT way to turn over problems WHILE reaping something TANGIBLE.”
You will always find me in the garden at weekends. What is it about digging, planting and mulching that has such a calming effect? I guess it’s the nurturing, the tracking of progress overaweek,andthesatisfactionofseeingthatthecontroversial, pungent worm tea you’ve been brewing really has helped new growth and unexpected flowers. Time in the garden is meditative and a great way to turn over problems in your mind while reaping something tangible.
This is our country-themed issue and while my garden is a modest patch of metro green, the homeowners featured in these pages enjoy vastly more substantial verdant expanses. I love the way they describe their houses: one owner says that walking inside is like a giant hug, another says they exhale as they approach the driveway of their rural getaway. I am content trying to parterre, espallier and fragrantly floralise my city oasis but I can appreciate the draw of the country. Have a look at the enchanting floral wonderland that Cathy and Eric Wright have designed and created on the border of their vast country property in Western Australia.
It is evident that garden appreciation begins at a grassroots level. We are pleased to report that by the time you read this, the young winners of our recent garden competition held in collaboration with Australia Post – the students of Townsville South State School in Far North Queensland – will have installed their new kitchen garden, designed by the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation. We hear that the whole school community has been involved in this project and there are plans for chickens, an arid garden, a pizza oven and a talking circle. Wonderful news.
While we are all still dealing with the far-reaching effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, there have been excellent examples of tech-led innovation and adaptability. Acclaimed portrait photographer Hugh Stewart shot a series of portraits for Ralph Lauren’s Pride campaign, using Zoom. He shot me and many others via our phones, all proudly wearing the chic Polo Pride shirt. A percentage of the sales of the capsule collection go towards The Stonewall Community, supporting the most vulnerable in the LGBTQIA+ community.
Most of the H&G team are working from home and I am very impressed by their adapatability and can-do attitude. This is our third issue during Covid isolation and, in the words of Kate Moss, this fabulous little team doesn’t ‘explain or complain’ they just get on with it and the results as you will see on the following pages are always captivating and inspiring.