June Preece is pictured among native blooms in her garden on Wollaston Road which will be one of three open to the public later this month.
FOR June Preece, native plants are beautiful not only for their flowers but also for their foliage.
Mrs Preece and her late husband Max planted hundreds of native plants to create the 0.4-hectare (one acre) garden on their Wollaston Road property about 28 years ago and it continues to give her joy.
Mrs Preece said there was always something flowering in the garden and it was presently dotted with pinks, yellows and whites. The garden is on a battle axe-shaped block with paths between beds of different shapes and sizes.
It will be open to the public for the first time in about 20 years as part of the annual Native Gardens Open Day run by the Warrnambool and District Society for Growing Australian Plants.
Mrs Preece’s garden at 71 Wollaston Road will be one of three open for the day on Sunday, October 21, from 10am-4pm.
Others on show are Mike and Liz Halls’ garden at 127 Rooneys Road, and Kevin and Joyce Sparrow’s at 35 Swan Street.
A $10 entry fee will provide admission to all three gardens.
Society members will be at each of the three gardens to provide advice to visitors on growing native plants.
Money raised from the event is used to fund the society’s work to rejuvenate public gardens and bush reserves.