This post is a photo essay on the most beautiful and interesting private garden I’ve ever seen or am likely to see. But first the context and the commercial.

In August 2014 I was a passenger together with Margot, my wife, in my brother Len’s borrowed vehicle, which formed part of a convoy of five crossing the Simpson Desert. I subsequently did a series of posts, starting with this one.

Two of the couples, Don and Patsy, Irene and Ian, live at Glen Aplin, near Stanthorpe on the Granite Belt. Don and Patsy run a business called The Bramble Patch:

When planning your Stanthorpe tour, visit us for a memorable morning or afternoon tea, or dessert and you can enjoy berry ice-creams, sundaes, waffles and poffertjes, or on Winter weekends, our famous blackberry & apple pies, along with an espresso coffee or berry smoothie.

In March this year the Simpson Desert ‘famous five’, with the addition of Len’s wife Nola, six couples in all, met for a reunion for a couple of days at Glen Aplin. Part of the itinerary was to spend some time at the Bramble Patch and to taste its delights. So here’s the Patch, in a pleasant garden setting:

Apart from superb coffee, smoothies and other delights, you can purchase over 60 food products manufactured in a factory at the back.

An outdoor area has been added to enjoy the usually clement weather:

You enter and leave the Bramble Patch through manicured gardens, but unaware of the true delight of Don and Patsy’s garden about 10 minutes walk away, which we’ll now tour under a number of themes. The photos were taken at various times of the year over the last few years.

Water and bridges

The life-blood of the garden is a lake, actually a man-made dam with an excellent catchment, so there is ample water for the garden.

The lake is more than a water source, however, it interpenetrates the garden, requiring several foot bridges. The following images illustrate how water is a major theme in the garden:

Spaces and places

The garden has a variety of ample and intimate spaces, where you can sit and think, read a book, share a coffee, entertain guests, or even hold a function:

By the way the climbing vine in that photo is honeysuckle.

A riot of lush growth and colour

Offsetting the manicured lawns, hedges and shrubs is a riot of growth and colour:

Visitors

Such bountiful growth is apt to attract wildlife:

And some not so wild life:

Autumn colours

You will already have noticed some autumn pics. In these shots the colours run wild:

Figurines and statuettes

Again, a number of statuettes and figurines have appeared above. Those with keen eyes will already have spotted two pairs of green frogs (in the water sequence). Here’s some more:

Hedges

Once again plenty of hedges have been on view. I’ve singled out this one to illustrate the quality of the hedging:

I do a bit of hedging and can attest that such smooth curves require skill of hand and eye. Don tells me the real secret is a light-weight battery-powered hedge trimmer that makes a very clean cut, stimulating fine leaf growth.

Many moods

Finally, some images to illustrate the many moods of this garden, depending on different times of the day, weather and seasons. A day in June:

July frost:

January:

Weather moods:

To me this looked like first light. In fact it’s last light:

September mist:

That ends the tour of the garden. Throughout I’ve often used the phrase “you can”. Well verily, you can own all this and more, because at time of writing the property is for sale. All it needs is someone to love it and love gardening plus the requisite amount of cash and credit. If that’s you then heaven on earth is within your grasp!