Judy Morcom's garden By Kate Anderson
GARDEN lovers are in for a treat on Saturday, April 6 with the chance to visit two delightful Inverloch gardens, owned by mother and daughter Judy Morcom and Sue Jarvis.
Set just off the Bass Highway as you enter Inverloch from the Wonthaggi end, Judy’s garden is an inspiring owner-designed garden set on one acre.
When Judy and Allan Morcom bought the property 16 years ago, it was little more than a farm paddock with a stand of mature trees at the rear of the property and the headwater of Ayr Creek running at the front in an open drain.
GARDEN lovers are in for a treat on Saturday, April 6 with the chance to visit two delightful Inverloch gardens, owned by mother and daughter Judy Morcom and Sue Jarvis.
Set just off the Bass Highway as you enter Inverloch from the Wonthaggi end, Judy’s garden is an inspiring owner-designed garden set on one acre.
When Judy and Allan Morcom bought the property 16 years ago, it was little more than a farm paddock with a stand of mature trees at the rear of the property and the headwater of Ayr Creek running at the front in an open drain.
“Originally we planted lawn at the front, but our land is very flat and Inverloch’s wet winters made for very soggy lawns,” says Judy. “Now raised gardens occupy this space, with a dry river bed to drain the area.”
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The garden is planted with about 80 per cent native plants, selected for the contrasting colour of the foliage, and includes an array of banksias, kangaroo paws, a grass tree, acacias, leptospermums, leucadendrons, and proteas. These plants provide a haven for many native birds, including honeyeaters, wrens, parrots, and the bossy wattle birds. Close to the house, a fishpond is surrounded by a lush fernery.
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Open Gardens Victoria
* Judy's Garden, 9 Nesci Court, Inverloch * Sue’s Garden, 33 Estuary View, Inverloch The gardens are open on Saturday, April 6, from 10am-4.30pm. Entry $10 adults, $6 students, free for under 18s. Tickets at the gate or Trybooking. |
The productive vegetable garden supplies Judy and Allan with all the vegies they need in spring and summer, and during the winter, snow peas, onions, garlic, and broccoli keep them going.
Judy enriches her soil with wonderful compost made on the property using horse manure, garden waste, and autumn leaves.
Located just a six-minute drive away at the other end of Inverloch, Sue Jarvis’s one-acre garden was just a vacant block three and a half years ago. The garden is a mix of mostly native plants, with some foliage plants dotted throughout to provide colour and texture.
Judy enriches her soil with wonderful compost made on the property using horse manure, garden waste, and autumn leaves.
Located just a six-minute drive away at the other end of Inverloch, Sue Jarvis’s one-acre garden was just a vacant block three and a half years ago. The garden is a mix of mostly native plants, with some foliage plants dotted throughout to provide colour and texture.
“I first started planting the sides of the block to create a windbreak and screening from the road,” says Sue. “Then slowly we’ve formed the gardens one-by-one, using topsoil in some areas to build up and assist with drainage.”
Sue is a bird lover, and this young garden has a strong focus on planting native flowering plants for nectar-feeding birds and bushy shrubs for sheltering visiting blue wren families. King parrots have also started frequenting the garden.
A lovely raised vegetable garden provides fresh vegies all year round, with three round corten steel herb gardens placed close to the house for easy access. Towards the rear, an apple, apricot, avocado, lemon, mandarin, and orange tree have been planted, along with a kiwi fruit vine tumbling over a handmade support built by Sue. This area has recently been added to with additional raised vegetable garden areas for zucchinis, cucumbers, and pumpkins.
At the rear of the property, Sue and her husband Lochie have transformed an old cubby house into a wonderful chook house and run.
Open Gardens Victoria is a volunteer-run, not-for-profit organisation that promotes the benefits of gardens and gardening for all Victorians.