Winter moves slowly in the Bible Garden

05 Aug 2019 - by Justin Aquilina, Gardener for the Bible Garden

In Canberra’s chilly mid-winter months when all the leaves have fallen off the deciduous trees and the icy wind whips across frost bitten ground, it might seem as though there is not much growing in the garden. Indeed, in these cold winter months most trees are dormant as they wait for the warmer weather to fruit and blossom. While the growth and flowering of most plants does slow down during this time there is still much happening under the surface and also much to do to ensure that new life will flourish to its fullest once Spring awakens.

The last few months in the Bible garden have been quite busy for me, with lots of timely pruning to open up the fruit trees so air and sunlight can flow though, minimizing disease and creating the best opportunity for a greater harvest. The Eucalyptus trees in the North-West corner have been thinned also to allow more light to shine through during these shorter winter days when the sun is at its lowest.

The path leading into the garden has been revamped with rocks and is now hopefully more inviting. If you look you may notice that there are smaller rocks through the centre of the path and larger ones towards the outer edge to allow water to flow though without causing erosion along the way. This also serves another purpose in these dry times as any excess runoff is diverted down the slope to slow, sink and store water so it can be utilised further down the landscape. I’m excited to witness the results of this important background work as we head into warmer weather and Spring starts to unfurl throughout the garden. I encourage you to take a wander down the path or simply sit and breathe in this beautiful landscape and see what life you notice moving slowly.