Joe’s Connected Garden.

The weekend just past (Feb  6 & 7) saw Jelina and I attend the Open Gardens SA open day for Joe’s Connected Garden at Elizabeth Grove.

I’ve been hearing about this place through the grapevine (how else?) and welcomed this chance to have a look.

Joe’s Connected Garden is actually four gardens in Elizabeth Grove in South Australia that have removed the stigma of the backyard fence by adding gates between three of them, the fourth is across the road. The owners of the four properties share plants, knowledge and space.

We really enjoyed seeing a huge range of trees growing in the slightly harsh climate of Adelaide’s northern suburbs. Many that I hadn’t thought would do well, some that I haven’t considered. All of them are on my wish list now!

We skipped all the talks and demos and just soaked in the health, range and density of the plantings. Of course there were the usual fare, like strawberries, grapes and parsley, but there were also exotics like dragon fruit, coffee, goji berries and so many more.

Jelina enjoyed seeing the lush sweet potato growth, though she was puzzled that nobody we spoke to knew that you could eat the leaves (standard fare at our place).

There were, of course, plants for sale, and though we promised Marlon we wouldn’t buy anything, we came home with a happy little Pepino and a very nice Plum Pine. Plum Pines (or Illawarra Plum) are one of my favorite bush foods, but one that I’ve had difficulty in raising. A healthy specimen like the one I bought should do the job for me.

It’s great to see these suburban oases getting recognition. Places like these connected gardens will become increasingly important to their communities as the economic and global climates change. We didn’t get to speak directly to Joe or the others, it was a busy day for them, but we would like to catch up with them in person and discuss things a little more deeply.