Give me a home among the fruit trees

Government House Gardens are a constant beehive of activity. Many changes have occurred under the Honourable Kim Beazley AC, Governor of Western Australia, tenure – with the aim of making the Gardens more accessible and suited to hosting events. Ms Annus, in particular, has overseen much of this work.

The site chosen for future site works.

One such project of improvement currently being undertaken is the creation of an orchard in previous empty lawn space. Government House Gardens were originally used by the colonial botanist, James Drummond, to acclimatise plants that were deemed to be useful for the colony – including a variety of decorative and edible plants, fruit trees, vegetables and vines. Once ready, the plants were then distributed to the early settlers. In this spirit, and to make the Gardens and kitchen more sustainable, Ms Annus sought to plant a fruit orchard that could double as a meeting place.

Trees for Garden improvements being delivered to Government House.

Over the past few weeks, the area has been cleared in preparation for the laying of paving for a bench seat. The intention is to plant Prunus Blireana (Cherry Blossom Plum) in the current planter. This leads down to a row of Citrus Sinensis (Orange) before culminating in Cercis canadensis ‘Redbud’ at the entrance to the seating space. Dotted throughout will be a collection of shrubs and hedges, including Lavandula Angustifolia (English Lavender) and Syzygium Australe ‘Tiny Trev’ (Dwarf Lilly Pilly), and herbs such as oregano, parsley, rosemary, sage and garlic to service the kitchen.

This concrete slab will serve to seat a long table and chairs – allowing guests to mingle and dine in the beautiful Garden setting.

The works aim to provide a further addition to the soon to be unveiled Jubilee Garden, in honour of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

View all Articles