STORY BY MAHMOOD FAZAL, PHOTOS BY CHRIS TURNER

The expressionist painter Henri Matisse once said, “There are always flowers for those who want to see them.”

Nestled in the historic piper street in Kyneton, a mosaic of bright petals and blooming fauna live among statues wrapped in Hardenbergia. Since 2011, the Garden Tap Nursery has been a destination for horticulturists and flower followers across Victoria.

“I love all the autumnal trees around here. All the deciduous trees like Maple,” explains Mary, who purchased the nursery a few years ago. “I retired up here in the Macedon Ranges area, after working in a corporate IT role in Melbourne. I really liked the nursery, and it came up for sale.”

Ever since she has taken the throne of the Garden Tap Nursery, Mary has been filling the shelves with rare and unusual plants from around the world, while catering to the classics and a selection of garden art handmade by local artisans.

For Mary, this work is embedded in her roots. “I enjoyed gardening with my grandparents. We would always go up to his farm and I would dig tunnels...he was never happy about that. But we spent time together picking strawberries,” she says. “My grandfather would grow the most amazing dahlia’s; they were huge, and I would wander around. It would feel like an exotic jungle.”

During the Victorian era, dahlia flowers would symbolise a lasting bond and lifelong commitment between two people. These blooms are a commemoration of something new and are often read as a symbol of diversity because the petals appear to fit together in harmony within the whole head of the flower.

These days, the Garden Tap Nursery is encouraging the local habitat as much as the symbolic romance of flowers. “It’s brilliant to see people interested in growing their own food, they’re asking for more fruit trees like citrus trees,” explains Mary. “Initially, we started with one table of native plants. We now have a complete aisle. People are realising the potential of being plant indigenous in the region.”

Recently published case studies by regenerative agriculture organisations demonstrate that revegetation in a variety of landscapes has environmental benefits, ranging from animal productivity, improvements to soil protection, water retention and provision of ecological habitat.

For Mary, the thrill is in the chase, “We go out and source rare and unusual plants for people. We personally find the stock,” she explains with giddy enthusiasm. “We have Kathy, a great local horticulturist on staff and we all love what we do.”

At the Garden Tap Nursery, light oak fencing frames tall weeping camellias that drape across ceramic birds. The energy of the blossoming shop is something you’ll have to feel for yourself.

“Our shop stocks indoor plants, an array of pots, gardening tools, seeds, seedlings, potting mix, fertilisers, garden nutrients and other quality garden supplies,” quips Mary. “From espaliered fruit, bare rooted plants, or perennials - there’s always something interesting to discover with the changing of the seasons.“

The Garden Tap

5422 6117

www.thegardentap.com.au

96 Piper Street, Kyneton