On a grey day last week, the garden of Robyn Spencer and Jeremy Gregson was a haven of colour and design. The couple has a love of gardens and European architecture, especially medieval and renaissance, so, following visits to many countries, they decided to bring a Mediterranean influence to their home in Cook. Visitors will be welcomed to their garden on March 26-27.
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While it looks well established, much of the garden is only three years old. They moved there in 2005 and rebuilt the house as owner-builders, taking years to convert a boring grey brick ex-govie to an interesting home which reflects their lifestyle. Hebel (concrete blocks) have been used to replace most of the walls which are painted with Porters limewash to bring Tuscan colours to the scene. For her own enjoyment, Robyn's arts and crafts practices include painting, textiles and embroidery.
A new front porch gave the opportunity to try a Roman-style mosaic. "Robyn designs it, I build it and she decorates it," says Jeremy.
That includes the cloister-style side garden where, smitten by the frescoes at the ancient Roman Villa of Livia (now the Palazzo Massimo), she was inspired to make a series of panels echoing the red parrots eating pomegranates, with King Parrots and other Canberra birds visiting her garden's food trees. Wattle birds and Eastern rosellas are attracted to a bird bath. Diamond-shaped beds are filled with low plantings in which two black kittens, Patch and Hillary, play hide-and-seek.
Espaliered Genoa fig trees, pomegranates and hazelnut trees line the driveway and there is a 25,000 litre underground water tank. In the back garden there are quince trees, peach, almond, plum, Gala apple, pear, cherry and Morello cherry and mulberry trees.
A vegetable garden has six automated wicking beds with "green men" overflow spouts sculpted by Robyn. Vegetables include Romano, Borlotti and French beans, potatoes, cabbages, lettuces, snow peas and Alexander, a medieval herb. Crops are rotated but rhubarb, asparagus, horseradish and sorrel have a dedicated bed.
Robyn built a three-bin compost system from recycled timber (their former back fence). The middle bin is used to keep a worm farm warm in winter. When garden beds are turned, barrowloads of compost are added plus worm wee and castings then topped with sugar cane mulch.
Three chickens have a coop with a solar-powered portcullis entry. The hens are Australorp/Red Hampshire cross, attractive and productive.
Seedlings and seeds are purchased from Diggers online, Bunnings, Plants Online and nurseries in Pialligo and Yarralumla. Robyn saves seed and swaps with friends. She also gets plants from her local BuyNothing group and donates many too, including 50 potted mulberry tree seedlings.
A Muscat grapevine grows over a pergola along the front terrace which is bordered by a double hedge with verge parkland beyond. A raised herb bed planted with thyme, parsley, sage and oregano has a fountain surrounded by clipped cumquat, Kaffir lime and bay trees.
At one end is the pizza oven, well tended by Jeremy who had it blazing for our visit. Robyn collected eggs and harvested Gala apples, Borlotti beans, mini capsicums, cucumbers and yellow pattypan squash as evening edibles.
Both Jeremy and Robyn cook the daily meals but she is the main entertainment cook, having prepared many feasts based on medieval recipes for groups with which she is involved. For a Saturday breakfast interview on ABC radio last Spring, she made a tart of broad beans. Her Autumn dishes include frittata for a weekly lunch, pumpkin gnocchi with fried sage sauce, gozleme, tarragon chicken and leek pie, smoked trout fennel and lemon risotto and quince biscuits.
The couple invites friends over for a pizza night once a month (less often during Covid) and, for eight to 12 people the typical menu could be:
Rosso (tomato base): Margueritissimo (buffalo mozzarella, prosciutto, fresh basil added after cooking); Vego (bocconcini, grilled eggplant, grilled zucchini, red capsicum, olives pesto); and Spicy (mozzarella, sopresso, pepperoni, red capsicum, blanched onion).
Bianco (bechamel base): Mushroom (mozzarella, balsamic mushrooms, blanched onion, fresh sage, pine nuts, truffle oil added after cooking); Salmon (smoked salmon, blanched onion, baby capers, pepper) and Fig (fresh figs, prosciutto, fresh rosemary, pepper).
Diary date
The Mediterranean Garden of Robyn Spencer and Jeremy Gregson at 37 Molloy Crescent, Cook, will be open for Open Gardens Canberra on March 26-27 from 10am to 2pm, entry free for members, others to book via Eventbrite. Robyn develops recipes and runs the kitchen at St Johns Care for the monthly community lunches for 80-120 people in need. That charity will benefit from the garden opening.
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