Shaping Our Identity: Gardens & Yards

The Colonial Cottage Garden
Early gardens were based on traditional English designs, whether they were small cottage gardens or larger house gardens. These gardens were typified by the absence of lawn. They consisted of symmetrically placed beds of flowers with herbaceous borders separated by gravel paths. The lawns that we lavish so much time on today, simply did not exist as they were too difficult to maintain by any but the wealthy. Hand mowers, laid-on water and hardy lawn grasses did not generally become available until after 1900.

The colonial cottage front garden generally complimented the symmetry of the house, with a main central bed of low flowering plants and herbaceous borders of thyme or sweet william. Side beds were similar and may have had a tree or shrub in the centre. The front verandah would have climbing roses and grape vines. Garden layouts were of simple geometry. Garden beds were usually rectangular, square of circular. There were no wavy lines of edges to garden beds. Edgings were generally of unused bricks or hardwood boards. Very few of these early gardens have survived in Ipswich. Vegetable gardens and fruit trees were generally planted at the rear of the house, and evidence of their location can usually be detected.

The kitchen garden of 1866 included cos lettuce, peas, cucumbers, melons, vegetable-marrows, French beans (seasonal), grape vines, asparagus, cabbages, cauliflowers, celery, horse-radish and  Jerusalem artichokes. The main crops being carrots, parsnips, onions and potatoes.

Grown in the flower garden at this time were amaryllis, erinums, gladioli, sparaxis, tigridias. Ornamental and flowering shrubs included rhododedendrons, azaleas, laurestines, daphnse, magnolias, arbutus. Poinsettia, lantanas, pyrus Japonica, double-blossom peach, Persain lilac, Guelder rose, escallionias, poinciana, erythrina, gardenia, hibiscus and many others.