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Kentucky Roses Garden - "Coranga"
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"Coranga" has a cottage garden packed with roses, mostly David Austin varieties, as we have found these stunning roses have outperformed (for us) many others in terms of flower production, disease resistance and general vigour and attractiveness. This isn't a neat and organised garden, weeds are found among the flowers, but the general objective is to have so many shrubs in flower that the weeds aren't noticed.
Roses and other perennials are encouraged to ramble everywhere, and visitors willing to brave the odd scratch can push their way through the overgrown paths throughout the garden to explore the roses closely.
It is a garden that is ravaged by animals including chickens, ducks, horses,dogs, sometimes errant cattle and always rabbits.
As it is so full of roses, the garden doesn't look it's best in Winter, and this is the time manure & pruning duties are carried out in preparation for the next season. As much manure and mulch as we have the energy to put out is spread on the garden.
The garden is home to a large variety of birds, of which we are very protective, and for this reason we have no cats. These include families of Fairy Wrens, Eastern Spinebills, Crimson Rosellas, Double Barred Finches, Silver-eyes, Scrub Wrens, Striated Pardalotes, Mistletoe Birds, Yellow Rumped Thornbills, Golden Whistlers, White Bellied Cuckoo-Shrikes and Yellow-Faced Honeyeaters. Last but not least our pet "Sausage" the mischievous Magpie we raised as a baby, who loves an audience and is usually present whenever the cafe is open.
There are areas of this garden which haven't reached their potential, an almost established leylandii tree line was recently removed after sucumbing to canker, and a fence had to be erected in its stead to block the westerly wind. Beyond this fence lies a planting of trees put in in winter 2011 which we hope to have open in November 2012. Other tree lines are also still being established to provide wind breaks and hide utilitarian areas of the yard.
For lovers of roses, in particular David Austins, the garden has much to offer in that visitors can select appropriate varieties for their gardens by viewing the particular colour, scent and growth characteristics of each rose.
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Images by Michael Taylor Pixture Photography |
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