The Garden Curator · The Garden Curator

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Garden: A place where plants are grown for pleasure
Curator: from Latin: one who cares, from curare, to care for

Peas and bees, a lovely way to begin the commissio

Peas and bees, a lovely way to begin the commissions list for the year. They are off to live with one of my greatest supporters, in one of the most beautiful heritage properties (and magnificent places to stay) in Tassie. Lucky lucky bees. One day I will deliver them in person Deb @calstock2020....and stay for a while xx.
We often dream of living in Tasmania, such a treasure it is. I'm longing to do a food trip there with @bakeclub_australia, and a residency @glovercountry, and to shop in person at @woodbridgenursery, and and and..... so many things. One day.

Where did the saying "blue and green should not be

Where did the saying "blue and green should not be seen without another in between" come from? A fashion expert, interior designer? One thing is for sure, it wasn't a gardener!
The blues and greens are perfect partners at the moment. Echinops, Salvia, Veronicastrum and catmint...all lovely scattered among the green.
I'm off to trim some hedges, what's happening at your place?

I doubt she needs any introduction. A royal rightl

I doubt she needs any introduction. A royal rightly retaining her title of Queen of Dahlias, it's Cafe àu lait. The darker bloom is the enormous Kotara, also so worthy of a crown with her frills of peach and rosy pink. Here they're with the ornamental carrot Daucas carota Dara, a palace for ladybirds in the garden. Summer loveliness, from big billowy blooms to lacy umbels!

There's a fire somewhere; the air is hazy this mor

There's a fire somewhere; the air is hazy this morning and there's the very faint smell of smoke. We're tuned in to it living a lifetime in the bush, it's always on our mind in the summer heat, hoping the phone doesn't beep calling local fire crews into orange-overalled action . When it does it's often thanks to a delinquent setting fire to a stolen car in the nearby forest, or a yet-to-be enlightened new rural resident tearing through long dry grass in a petrol vehicle. Bad idea. Sometimes it's just rotten luck, despite the best intentions.
I remember a fire in a neighbouring paddock a few years ago moving quickly towards our place, the younger crew at the firefront, the older gentlemen parked with trucks in our garden "just in case". Afterwards they all sat on our verandah, devoured a carton of beer and my newly baked Christmas cake, telling stories about "bloody idiots" and their fire-starting misadventures. A good end to a mad day.
Thankfully this year the conditions are gentler, cooler and greener than past years, and for now the phone is silent.
Pics this morning - different views of the same spot - the tall Miscanthus grass, our native Lomandra grass, blue Salvia gauranitica, crimson Dahlia Home Run, and some bobbly alliums in the mix.

Coming up in 2022...it's a packed exhibition calen

Coming up in 2022...it's a packed exhibition calendar!
Hands and imagination will be busy in preparation for lots of exhibiting this year. There will be plenty of opportunity to view and purchase work, and international appearances too.
Here's the program in a nutshell, and for detailed updates do sign up to my newsetter via the link in my bio.
Let's go!
March/April - Artisans in the Gardens, Royal Botanic Garden Sydney.
May/June - Interconnected, Beautiful Bizarre magazine Australian exhibition, Armidale Regional Gallery.
July - Deep Waters group show, Quirky Fox Gallery, New Zealand.
September/October, solo show at Suki and Hugh Gallery, Bungendore.
November- Halcyon Days, Beautiful Bizarre magazine USA exhibition, Modern Eden Gallery, San Francisco.
November - Untethered, show with 4 artists at Grace Cossington Smith Gallery, Sydney.
Busy busy busy, head full of ideas, paper and pins ordered! In between there are garden events, talks and workshops happening too, but more about that later!
📷 @emwollencreative

Watching, waiting. Storm clouds like these breath

Watching, waiting. Storm clouds like these breath and grumble as they roll. Spectacular, but also unpredictable. The deep inky blue of the storm clouds over our summer landscape is such a rich colour palette, made even more beautiful under evening light.
We'll see what comes, time to batten down the hatches.
More in stories!

Today at 10.30am AEST I'm doing my first insta liv

Today at 10.30am AEST I'm doing my first insta live. The very lovely and talented Kim @featherandnest has asked me to join her to chat about the studio and garden and the little day to day behind The Garden Curator adventure. I'll try not to drop the phone or daydream and lose my train of thought, but no guarantees. We'll grab a cuppa and hope to see you there!