I’ve been travelling for longer than I can remember and as a senior contributing editor for Travel + Luxury at The Weekend Australian, have spent a lifetime living on planes and in hotels.
Over time my world began to revolve around our smallholding in the Adelaide Hills. I wasn’t a natural green thumb; my garden education has been bumpy, frequently hilarious, a journey I detail in A Garden in the Hills.
Travel remains an abiding passion and nowhere is too far; I once lived in a remote weather station in the High Arctic as archivist for a North Pole expedition. These days, visiting gardens in Australia and overseas guides my travels providing boundless inspiration.
But there’s nowhere I’d rather be than in my own garden battling weeds and errant geese. I’m a laissez-faire kind of gardener and at The Oaks self-seeding is a sacred rite and all chemicals are banned. We want more bees, birds, frogs and bugs. More forget-me-nots, horse parsley, fennel, kiss-me-quick and honesty. Weeds are sometimes welcome too, especially those that make good eating.
I explore this gardening life in Adelaide Hills Gardens, a celebration of the diversity and rich history of horticulture in this lovely corner of the world with gorgeous photos by the acclaimed Simon Griffiths.
And watch for a new book, written with Rebecca Starling, flower farmer, florist and dear friend. Secrets from the Flower Farm will inspire you to grow your own seasonal cut flowers wherever you live and no matter how small your garden.
