Much of the fun of our Open Garden is in collaborating with friends. It was at our last Open Garden, celebrating 25 years, that I first managed (finally!) to launch a long-held dream to create a fair-like atmosphere at Glenmore, on a very intimate scale. It was fun….I finally had hessian-covered tables & white market umbrellas on the croquet lawn with seedlings & other delights to tempt, but this time it’s going to be even better!
Before I tell you of the excitements, I’d like to thank everyone who’s agreed to be involved….after all, Open Garden is always a risk: with no pre-booked tickets, we’ve absolutely no idea how many visitors will turn up. We just hope you do!
The first person to jump on board this time was Martin Boetz, when he suggested Pig & Potatoes for Lunch in the Hayshed (back at his BirdCowTree event last year with co-conspirator, Alex Herbert). I’m a firm believer in Martin’s Cooks Co-Op, growing and delivering seasonal produce to Sydney’s leading restaurants, as well as educating all in his path about why we should buy localproduce….quite right! So while Marty is cooking up a storm of simple fare: Roasted Melanda Park Pig, Potato & Parsley Salad, Tomato Relish, Salsa Verde & Sourdough, he’ll also have a stall brimming with produce….fruit & veg, eggs, honey, olive oil….what a treat!
Then there’s dear friend Jillie Arnott of The Cooking Tree. This is a girl who can bake multiple cakes at a time and laughs at me making just one! She worked her way through cooking most of my Glenmore House cake repertoire at last Open Garden, and for some mad reason, has agreed to do it all over again! So start dreaming of Sticky Ginger Syrup, Orange, Apple, Rhubarb and Chestnut Flour Cakes. She’s going to be busy in the kitchen but hopefully you’ll catch a glimpse of her between sifting, stirring and checking the ovens!
On hand to talk about their beautiful organic teas (several of which we’ll be serving on the day) will be Jessica (on Saturday) and Ovvio founder, naturopath and herbalist Anthia Koulloros (on Sunday). Thoughtfully produced, with both taste and our health and wellbeing in mind, I’m delighted that from now on, those lovely Ovvio tins with their delicious contents will be here for workshop participants to enjoy.
Then we have Patio Plants. I couldn’t have Open Garden without Neil & Carmen’s beautiful, healthy, organic veg & herb seedlings. Whatever I don’t grow from seed myself, I grow from PP’s seedlings collected at one of the many markets they attend. At some frantic times of the year, I chase them around the countryside on Saturday mornings! While I pursue them at Camden, Cobbitty, Bowral or Mittagong, you will discover them at other markets that are a bit of a stretch for me….Wollongong, Kiama, Berry, Blackheath, Castle Hill. I know that setting up at Glenmore is a big thing for them, when they’re stretched to the limit to cover their market commitments and I’m hugely delighted that they will have tables laden with seedlings at Glenmore once again.
Now joy of joys…..we’ll have a flower stall! Local grower @eugalo really are going out on a limb here. While they supply many of Sydney’s leading florists, and are therefore more accustomed to taking truckloads of blooms to market, they are very, very excited at the idea of having a flower stall at our Open Garden! There may also be a little impromptu flower arranging going on….perhaps on Sunday….I’ll let you know more later in the week. But can you believe the colours of these hydrangeas I snapped on a visit to @eugalo last week? Dreamy I’d say….the kind of bunch I’d like to take home…..
Then there are rare and special plants from Camden Park, and this is a rare occasion indeed, because Camden Park plants usually stay at Camden Park, as all their propagating is carried out with their own open weekend in mind – just once a year (this year it’s the weekend of 19 & 20 September). If you’ve never visited, it’s not to be missed: the most significant historic house in the district, if not New South Wales, it’s such an important part of this country’s heritage, and responsibility for keeping it in tact and preserving its integrity is up to the family. It’s a big task, and amongst their myriad preservation jobs is the garden, along with its infrastructure, from original glasshouses to the plants themselves. I’m really excited they will be bringing special plants to our Open Garden to make an enticing stall. You will be tempted, I warn you….especially if you’re a begonia hunter or succulent gatherer….I never come away empty-handed from a visit to Camden Park!
Now here is where I run out of images for you! While Joe Vinks is bringing delightful pieces of twig furniture to scatter around the croquet lawn, Barbara Sweeney is going to reign supreme in her Food & Words / Talking Cookbook Tent : bring your recipe questions, she’s bound to have the answer (as well as some recipe books to pique your interest). Do talk to her about her fabulous Food & Words Event in the spring – a not-to-be-missed event that I plan my calendar around. I’m just thrilled to bits that online journal The Planthunter’sGeorgina Reid will be here on Sunday to chat with you about all things botanically quirky, and has a little surprise activity planned. Then just one more thing that I’m so excited about: Saturday 2 May is, by absolute chance, World Labyrinth Day, and so I’ve asked the unstoppable and passionate Sydney Labyrinth instigator, Emily Simpson, to please mark out the Labyrinth at Glenmore once again to celebrate the occasion, and so that you can enjoy the experience of walking a Labyrinth.
With so many dear friends involved in our weekend, we’ll be going aheadrain, hail or shine! So make a plan for a little adventure, bring gum boots and an umbrella if need be – on Saturday or Sunday, we’ll all be here and very much looking forward to seeing you! Open Garden, 2 & 3 May, 10am – 4.30 pm both days.