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egies are popular plants in the garden, with Jenni choosing plants that will give quick results. “Things that are easy to grow for instance Perpetual Spinach (Beta vulgaris cv.). You only have to plant it once and then you can harvest it for years to come. Also silverbeet (Beta vulgaris) - once again, it grows quickly and it just inspires people because they can see that things are happening and they’re growing quickly and they stay involved.” “We also have the beautiful Lemon Thyme (Thymus citriodorus). Everyone knows the other thyme, but Lemon Thyme tastes divine,” Jenni tells Costa. “A lot of people here had not seen it or tasted it before, but now they just love it. So do I!” There’s a lot more to the gardens than just vegies and herbs. The ornamental garden in the central village green is the focal point. “There’s always lots of colour, it’s constantly changing. Everybody all around looks down onto it and it’s just beautiful - always - but the main thing is it’s constantly changing colour and that’s what everybody loves,” Jenni says.
I’m seeing the community coming together - people meeting each other - they’re friendly, they’re out in the fresh air and it’s just basically a beautiful community feeling,” says Jenni. “They’re really nice people and I probably wouldn’t have met them if I wasn’t out in the garden. Plus I’m learning lots of stuff as well and so are they.” Colin agrees. “It’s never too late to start gardening. You’re in nature’s paradise and you know - it’s just great.” Resident Colette Murray says, “I think people have got to know each other much better and I think that’s a good result. If you know people well, there’s always someone to call on.” Jenny says, “We basically want to keep the enthusiasm high and keep everybody involved, which they are, and experiment a little bit. Maybe with vegies of all different colours - just whatever’s happening at the moment and whatever people suggest to me cause I mean, it’s everybody’s garden, it’s not just mine - and just grow with the gardens.”
TODAY’S LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE • WINTER/SPRING 2014
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