I secretly stalk other people’s gardens.

I lurk around gardens which I admire, looking in while loitering on the footpath.

Sometimes I can only view them from the road way, so I slow the car down and crawl past to get a jolly good look.

This habit started in my childhood when I became obsessed with one particular garden behind a high fence.

I caught my first look into it when sitting on a school bus, the elevation of the bus allowed me to view over the fence and I fell in love.

Every time I boarded that bus I chose a seat which gave me the best view of this garden.

Later, I learnt one of Australia’s most eminent garden designers, Edna Walling created the garden during the 1920s.

As an adult I have become a dedicated Edna Walling fan, visiting many gardens she designed as well as reading her books and articles.

She preferred foliage and limited the colours of her flowers to white or soft pastels.

It is the garden vista which is her statement.

Edna Walling’s trick was to create a garden focal point to catch the eye.

Sometimes grand but often simple these vistas invite one to linger and enjoy the view a little longer.

It is as if she has sculpted the essence of peacefulness in her gardens.

This photograph shows one of my attempts to emulate Edna.

I still drive past the original Edna Walling garden I saw when I was a girl on the bus, but alas I don’t get the same view from the car.

Perhaps it’s time to hang up my car keys and get back on that bus.

 

JT