You are invited to stroll down the driveway to Gini Hole's garden in Red Hill on October 15-16 for Open Gardens Canberra. Beside waist-high beds filled with white irises, white ixias, white, blue and pink forget-me-nots there is a tall "fire" sculpture by Heather B. Swann where the flames move when a wheel is turned. Nearby there will be a stall run by Marymead. Enter the garden gate to be greeted by white Ecclesfield camellias and azaleas, a slim water tank, a pair of pear trees in white blossom and a well pruned "volunteer" holly bush.
There is a large waterlily pond where crimson rosellas bathe, an edging of bee-attracting aluminium plants from Gini's aunt's garden in Melbourne and white viburnum horizontalis. Across the lawn is a large raised vegetable bed filled with mixed varieties of kale, sorrel, broad beans, pak choy with yellow flowers going to seed, snow peas, massed borage which brings the bees. As the winter crops finish, an array of potted Italian and curly parsley sits with bok choy, oak leaf lettuce, gold ribbed chard and a trough of edibles.
Plants, including a lemon tree with good crop, are netted to keep a pair of possums away but they have already stripped the lemonade tree. Beside a bulky water tank is a bed of rhubarb, an apricot tree and cos lettuce and, around the corner of the house, the utility area is bordered with camellias with a herb garden underfoot. A second gate leads to more camellias, three dogwoods, white lilac and hellebores, purple irises a pearl bush and viburnum. Your circuit is complete.
I know this garden (and kitchen) well as Gini has been a friend for 30 years. Her husband Chris was a passionate fisherman and, in retirement, he became a writer, painter and fly-fishing expert. So, for lunch, we have Gini's own rainbow trout recipe (which follows) not using fish caught in the garden pond but purchased from Sea Harvest at Fyshwick Markets. The accompanying greens and lemons came from the garden.
When Chris was ill in 1999, a ramp was built to the front door (there are no steps in the garden) and visitors are invited to sit on a deck which overlooks the back garden. There are vines over a pergola and an evergreen clematis on the ramp handrail.
- Open Garden's Canberra: The garden at 4 Tamar Street, Red Hill, will be open from 10am to 4pm on October 15-16, bookings via eventbrite, $10 per person (18 years and over).
Gini's trout with fresh mixed greens
Ingredients
- 2 rainbow trout
- 4 small lemons
- salt and pepper to taste
- dill
- 1/2 cup white wine
Method
1. Heat oven to 200C. Line shallow baking pan with foil. Place baking rack into pan.
2. Rinse exterior and interior of fish under cold water. Pat dry with paper towel.
3. Slice one or two lemons very thinly. Sprinkle cavity of fish with salt, pepper. Place three sprigs of dill in the cavity followed by half the lemon slices. Close and spray fish with olive oil.
4. Place fish on rack and spread remaining dill and lemon over the skin. Pour wine down side of pan to coat the foil under the rack. Bake for 20-25 minutes.
5. Test gently with knife and fork. When cooked, place lemon and dill on plates. Slice fish down the line on the skin and remove skin to the side. Carefully remove fish from bones and place on dill and lemon. Turn and repeat.
6. Serve with greens and snow peas and small buttered halved cooked chat potatoes.
Serves 2.
Go with the weather
Steve Thomas of Yarralumla is an experienced grower of snow peas, this season Mammoth Melting variety from seed saved from last year. He says Canberra has a difficult climate for vegetable growers. The season is short and unpredictable so the gardener must have a keen sense of timing for planting and sowing.
A wise old gardener in Bungendore told Steve the time to sow peas and broad beans is the second week in May which Steve has done for 40 years. The seed germinates and roots develop so when the days lengthen the plants get away.
He says don't be tempted by large seedling plants of tender crops such as tomatoes and eggplants too early in this season. Apart from frost, they don't get going until the soil has warmed - a fundamental of any biological material is that the growth of the curve needs to be smooth.
"Like a rip in the sea it is best to go with the weather."
