In a sea of concrete, lawn and yucca trees, David Binch's garden is a sanctuary for
birds, bees and humans.
birds, bees and humans.
By Catherine Watson
WALK down the quiet streets of this newish Dalyston housing estate and you’ll see the usual rows of tidy lawns, yuccas and concrete driveways. One garden bursts into view: a dense, layered wilderness alive with colour and movement. Honeyeaters flit between scarlet and apricot blossoms. A grevillea the colour of sunset leans companionably towards a pale yellow cousin.
When David Binch and his wife Cathie built their new home in Dalyston six years ago, he knew a standard lawn and hedge wouldn’t satisfy him.
“I actually wanted 10 acres of gardens,” he says. “We realised we couldn't get that so I had to settle. I thought the only way I could live in a housing estate is if I have a bit of breathing room with space for my garden. So we bought two blocks, one for the house and one for the garden.
WALK down the quiet streets of this newish Dalyston housing estate and you’ll see the usual rows of tidy lawns, yuccas and concrete driveways. One garden bursts into view: a dense, layered wilderness alive with colour and movement. Honeyeaters flit between scarlet and apricot blossoms. A grevillea the colour of sunset leans companionably towards a pale yellow cousin.
When David Binch and his wife Cathie built their new home in Dalyston six years ago, he knew a standard lawn and hedge wouldn’t satisfy him.
“I actually wanted 10 acres of gardens,” he says. “We realised we couldn't get that so I had to settle. I thought the only way I could live in a housing estate is if I have a bit of breathing room with space for my garden. So we bought two blocks, one for the house and one for the garden.
“Cathie said, ‘You design the garden, I’ll do the house.’ That worked perfectly.”
His design combines raised beds for drainage, winding paths, and an ever-changing mix of colours and textures. It’s designed to be explored, and admired through the floor-to-ceiling windows.
“The family loves watching the birds come in. We’ve created a little safe haven here, a place where they can come to feed, to drink, to rest. That’s the biggest reward for me.”
His design combines raised beds for drainage, winding paths, and an ever-changing mix of colours and textures. It’s designed to be explored, and admired through the floor-to-ceiling windows.
“The family loves watching the birds come in. We’ve created a little safe haven here, a place where they can come to feed, to drink, to rest. That’s the biggest reward for me.”
Photos: David Binch
"A new estate can feel like a concrete jungle. This gives people something living and breathing to look at."
Neighbours often stop to peer over the fence. “People are curious,” David says. “They love seeing the birds and the flowers. It’s good for everyone’s mental health too. A new estate can feel like a concrete jungle. This gives people something living and breathing to look at.
David’s passion for native plants crept up on him. A Phillip Island surfer, he had no interest in plants of any kind. “But I had a friend who was really into them – he had obsessive compulsive disorder, so he never actually planted anything, just collected. When he passed away, it was like overnight I felt his spirit come alive in me. There’s no other way to explain it. I went mad for Australian natives.”
Soon after, he met Janine and Jackie Chambers, neighbours who had a native garden on Phillip Island. “Their garden was so beautiful, I just fell in love with it.”
After his “nature awakening”, David formalised his passion with a Diploma of Horticulture. He now works as a gardener with Bass Coast Shire Council, tending the public gardens of Inverloch and Cape Paterson.
“I’ve been there 15 years now,” he says. “It’s consistent work and good conditions. I work with a friend who's a good gardener as well. We pretty much get left alone so we can evolve those gardens for the native wildlife and to make the towns look as good as we can.”
A grevillea of his own
Now he’s part of a great grevillea fraternity that swaps plants and knowledge among friends. Over 20 years, he has collected, grafted and nurtured more than 200 species of grevillea.
David’s passion for native plants crept up on him. A Phillip Island surfer, he had no interest in plants of any kind. “But I had a friend who was really into them – he had obsessive compulsive disorder, so he never actually planted anything, just collected. When he passed away, it was like overnight I felt his spirit come alive in me. There’s no other way to explain it. I went mad for Australian natives.”
Soon after, he met Janine and Jackie Chambers, neighbours who had a native garden on Phillip Island. “Their garden was so beautiful, I just fell in love with it.”
After his “nature awakening”, David formalised his passion with a Diploma of Horticulture. He now works as a gardener with Bass Coast Shire Council, tending the public gardens of Inverloch and Cape Paterson.
“I’ve been there 15 years now,” he says. “It’s consistent work and good conditions. I work with a friend who's a good gardener as well. We pretty much get left alone so we can evolve those gardens for the native wildlife and to make the towns look as good as we can.”
A grevillea of his own
Now he’s part of a great grevillea fraternity that swaps plants and knowledge among friends. Over 20 years, he has collected, grafted and nurtured more than 200 species of grevillea.
“It’s been a labour of love,” he says. “Every single plant has a story.” A lot of them are from Western Australia and they don’t really like our soils and wind and wet winters. He grafts them on to Grevillea robusta rootstock, which helps them thrive in local conditions. He’s found the best ways to grow them is on mounds because they need good drainage.
“Some of them are highly endangered. It’s like any collector – it’s like a trophy for me if I can have that real special plant in the garden.”
Among his own treasures is a hybrid he created by intertwining the branches of two different grevilleas growing side by side. When the seedlings came up, they looked different from both. He’s provisionally named it ‘Roxy Pink’, a nod to his surfing years.
“I sent photos to a few friends – botanists, grafters, propagators – and they confirmed it was something new.
“When I started out, they only knew of about 300 grevillea species,” he says. “Now there’s over 600. They've discovered a lot more, and they keep separating them in different groups and changing names. I tend to look for the ones that mean something to me: the rare and endangered ones, or there’s something intriguing about the flower or the shape of the bush.
Spreading the word
A year or so ago, Cathie suggested he share his knowledge more widely. ”You should do something with it.” He told her he didn’t like cameras but it got him thinking. “I’m a people person. One day she filmed me in the garden. It was pretty basic. Me saying, ‘Do this with your grevilleas!’ Really it was rough as guts.”
“I sent photos to a few friends – botanists, grafters, propagators – and they confirmed it was something new.
“When I started out, they only knew of about 300 grevillea species,” he says. “Now there’s over 600. They've discovered a lot more, and they keep separating them in different groups and changing names. I tend to look for the ones that mean something to me: the rare and endangered ones, or there’s something intriguing about the flower or the shape of the bush.
Spreading the word
A year or so ago, Cathie suggested he share his knowledge more widely. ”You should do something with it.” He told her he didn’t like cameras but it got him thinking. “I’m a people person. One day she filmed me in the garden. It was pretty basic. Me saying, ‘Do this with your grevilleas!’ Really it was rough as guts.”
| He kept at it, refining his filming and editing skills with the same obsessive focus he applies to grafting. “I’ve got maybe a bit of an autism spectrum thing,” he says. “When I zone in on something, I’ve got to perfect it. But that helps me – it keeps me learning and evolving.” Last year David and Cathie’s garden featured in Open Gardens Victoria. About 250 people visited over the weekend. “That was one of the best weekends of my life,” David recalls. “I wish I’d filmed it! But after that, I thought, ‘Right, time to get serious’.” A cousin suggested he start his own Youtube channel. Now his YouTube channel Binchy’s Garden features garden walk-throughs, visits to fellow grevillea enthusiasts, interviews with veteran horticulturists, as well as visits to wild places. A lot of the content is local. One recent video celebrated the historic manna gums of Bass Coast; another the Gurdies Nature Conservation Reserve. His teenage children, aged 14 and 16, sometimes help with the filming. He sees the videos as both a celebration and a record. | From Binchy's Garden    |
“I love going to talk to people. Some of them I've been friends with for 20 years. I figure a lot of those people are getting on in age now and they won't be around forever. I want to get them on YouTube so others can learn from them.”
David hopes his garden and his videos will encourage others to plant native gardens.
“It’s not just about looks,” he says. “It’s about creating life – the flowers, the forms, the way they bring in birds and insects. It’s protecting our environment and it’s endlessly fascinating. That’s got to be good for our mental health too.”
David hopes his garden and his videos will encourage others to plant native gardens.
“It’s not just about looks,” he says. “It’s about creating life – the flowers, the forms, the way they bring in birds and insects. It’s protecting our environment and it’s endlessly fascinating. That’s got to be good for our mental health too.”
David Binch: "It’s endlessly fascinating. That’s got to be good for our mental health too.”