Sister in the Garden exists to empower people to achieve their growing aspirations and grow their aspirations.

 

MAKING GROWING EASY AND ACCESSIBLE

Gardening should be easy.  

We have a strong conviction that gardening should not be something that gets you down because it is too complicated and difficult. And yet we hear it a lot, that people had the best intentions to grow some veggies or have a beautiful garden, but they tried putting in a few plants and they died. Every great gardener has many failures. It’s a fact of life. But great garden design only serves to make being and working in the garden a joyful experience because it sets you up for success. Plants want to live and thrive, so with a little knowledge of soil, climate, seasons etc., we can plant them in the right position and sit back and watch them thrive with little input. We love to empower people with this knowledge and the skills to take the pain out of the gardening process, and to help them overcome hurdles with easily implementable solutions that cater to their households needs.

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EDIBLE FOODSCAPES AND PRODUCTIVE FOOD GARDENS

We love eating and growing fresh food

Everyone needs food, and we love growing food. We love understanding and exploring the relationship between different food plants, climate and growing conditions which help each crop thrive. We use this knowledge in our designing and in consulting to help people to see themselves providing more fresh food to contribute towards their household’s food requirements. We work with people to see their grocery bills reduced, as we know from experience that the time and money required to develop and maintain a flourishing food garden is far less than the money required for the average Australian family grocery budget, and the average weekly time spent doing the shopping. Everyone with even the tiniest available space and some pots can contribute some fresh produce to their diet, and many don’t believe until they see it, that the space required to contribute substantially to a family’s groceries is not as great as expected. At the end of the day, there’s nothing more satisfying than picking your dinner from the garden and tasting the freshness of food grown meters from where it’s cooked and eaten. Check out the place / situation / setting at no.34 for some inspiration of what’s achievable on a 600m urban block.

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GARDENS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFIT

We have a passion for environmental sustainability

In an age of environmental awareness, climate concern, wariness of chemicals added to food during production, and certainly a need for us to all slow down and be more mindful of how we live, there is no better time to have a garden that supports and fulfils the many environmental goals a household may have. From reducing household bills through clever passive heating and cooling in garden design, to building up soil health to effectively sequester and store carbon. From reducing food miles (??), to capturing and using energy onsite. From adding to green biomass value for the planet, to creating a habitat for local indigenous wildlife, / … the benefits of having a cleverly designed yard space are so great. Sister in the Garden has a passion for living in harmony with the natural environment and in every way possible, promotes the possibilities of good permaculture. This means we create spaces that allow people to live lightly on the earth, and participate in environmental regeneration whilst benefiting from the bounty that it gives us.

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GARDENS THAT NURTURE WELLBEING

Spaces that nurture the mind, body and soul in a therapeutic way

In a world where many have felt burn-out, and overwhelmed by pressures of living in today’s busy world. Many experience or live with disabilities, mental illness, trauma, grief or marginalisation. Research has proven over and over again, the benefits of plants to our wellbeing. Gardens and growing plants seem to resonate with so many as an invitation to slow down, be mindful, and be part of a space that can encourage and facilitate healing. At Sister in the Garden, we are often given feedback about unexpected benefits of our beautiful garden designs and how a space will have therapeutic effects and positive benefits for those who enjoy the space. One client said our design was “a cozy place to feel safe” and many tell us that what we create is a little oasis to escape the world. We affectionately term this “garden therapy” and have an intentionality to shape each space we design in this way.   

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KIDS IN THE GARDEN

Creating educational and sensory spaces where children come alive

We have a lot of experience with kids! Kids of our own, and working with groups of kids. In an age where screens are so prevalent and sedentary lifestyles are the norm, we see having kids in the garden as a vital part of everyday life. It is good for us all to be outside in the fresh air and moving our bodies. There are countless studies of the physical, mental and spiritual benefits of kids spending time outdoors. At Sister in the Garden we love to create spaces which are rich in experience, and nurture creativity and adventure for young (and young at heart!) people. Using elements and plants which are sensory, tactile, experiential and encourage open-ended engagement is something we love. With the added layer of having kids involved in food production, we see they are in awe seeing a seed germinate, entranced at watching a new family of birds lay eggs in a habitat tree, as well as the excitement of picking lush fresh berries, pulling up crunchy carrots, harvesting edible flowers, and trying fresh foods their parents thought never possible. A well designed space captivates young people, invites them to participate in the growing, and with some clever forethought, it will continue to engage their attention as they grow, setting them up with a lifetime love of nature.  

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RESPECTING FIRST PEOPLES AND THE LAND ON WHICH WE LIVE

Learning from the wisdom of First Peoples

Sister in the Garden acknowledges and celebrates the First Nations people of Australia and their connection with the land, flora and fauna of what is now known as Australia. Over 40,000 years of prospering history whereby Aboriginal and Torres Strait people lived in relationship with the land and sea and everything they contain, means that there is a vast wealth of knowledge and understanding that has been accumulated which is very much alive for us to learn from. We recognise that we can discover how to live sustainably by studying and understanding how to have a relationship with the land, live in harmony with it, and learn specifically the traditional knowledge of Australian flora and its uses, including for food, medicine and fibre. First people custodians inspire us with their traditional knowledge to live healthier lives by becoming more connected to the land. Sister in the Garden draws on this, and continually seeks to deepen relationship with Indigenous people and invite our clients to journey with us in walking humbly with the first peoples of the land they occupy, and the land systems that nurtures them.

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Please note  . . . If you identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait, please know that we offer a discount on design and consulting prices as a part of our giving back and to “pay the rent”. If you feel comfortable to do so, please mention this to us when you make a booking.

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WORKING CROSS CULTURALLY

We are interpreters and translators

We have a lot of experience living and breathing cross cultural lifestyles, and working with Culturally and Linguistically Diverse clients and communities. From experience in agricultural contexts in desertified marginalised lands in India, to beachside tropical island jungle village contexts, to small community gardens with Aboriginal women, we’ve seen and experienced just a small amount of the vast wealth of knowledge that exists in the agricultural and gardening wisdom of people across the world. We draw on this vast experience working cross culturally with Indigenous and traditional land owners, here in Australia and overseas, and amplify and exemplify it in our approach, our consulting and our design. We recognise also that difficulties faced by people living outside their traditional growing context, yet who hold onto their traditional foods and food cultures are an important part of their continued lifestyles. We love to challenge ourselves in growing plants which are potentially out of their normal growing context and emulating microclimate and growing conditions to see these crops available to clients. In this way we are translators and interpreters, making something that seems foreign, quite accessible and easily understandable in a different context.

 

COMPOST AND WORM FARMS

Green waste disposal in your system

We have a general rule when it comes to waste, that unless completely unavoidable, nothing that is, or originated from, a plant or animal should leave your site. If it does, it’s a lost resource. When here in Australia we live on such fragile ancient soils, which in addition have been significantly damaged in colonial history by detrimental land uses and stewardship, we feel it our responsibly to help others learn how to invest back into the soil to nurture it back into its levels of former health. By reinvigorating soil with compost and organic matter, we can work towards a healthy and thriving soil microbiome. We use and design many different types of composting and worm farming systems that tailor to the needs of your household and its green waste production that are easy and simple to understand and use.

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POLLINATORS AND WILDLIFE IN THE GARDEN

Good critters who visit our spaces

We are excited by the possibilities of increasing the habitat quality and quantity for pollinators and wildlife. The more pollinators we have, the more abundant our crops. Pollinators include not just the European honey bees (that most of us think of automatically), but also native bees, certain flies, butterflies, moths and other insects, some small nectivorous birds, and small mammals including microbats. Depending on the plant, a specific pollinator may be required (eg. certain durians are only pollinated by bats). Having a garden full of food and habitat plants for pollinators allows for the crop proliferation of your own edibles, but also the benefit of the broader ecosystem.

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OUTDOOR LIVING

In Australia, we love to spend our time outdoors. We have a culture of BBQs and gatherings of friends and family outdoors. At Sister in the Garden, we love to facilitate this by using design to create beautiful and functional entertaining and recreation spaces that function well in all seasons. We understand that outdoor spaces or rooms often integrate as an extension of the home, and work this into our designs.

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