Is it due to the greenhouse effect and the hole in the ozone? Reports by many scientists tell us that these are the cause for changing weather patterns world wide. Many dramatic scenarios are written informing us that the ocean waters are rapidly rising. If the scientific calculations are realistic, poor little Tasmania with so much water surrounding our fore shores, will vanish in time, with the only thing left to show that here was a beautiful island will be our mountains sticking out of the ocean! Not much hope for the country where Kees was born, the Netherlands will again sink under water, no more to be resurrected by man's amazing endeavour. Yet Australia and the United States still refuse to sign the Kyoto agreement Well, away with such gloomy thoughts.

Let us thoroughly swoon with pleasure in the dramatic change in our gardens at Spring time. Let us watch the native birds gathering the honey and suitable material to make their sturdy nests, they think [know?] their world will be here for some time. Let us give thanks that there is so much beauty still left in the world. Let us forget the stupidity of mankind, for a while, and find tranquillity and happiness in our gardens. Let us eat the fresh, home grown, clean vegetables from our veggie patch. And let us be content and grateful that there is still so much for us lucky ones to enjoy and how privileged we are when there are so many people, in this cockeyed world, that have so very little. I want to take you for a walk around a small, town garden. We have lived and gardened here for over thirty years. We worked hard to restore an old garden and lend our personality and love. It is a difficult garden, approximately half an acre but very long and not very wide, length 180ft and width 70ft. Over the years we have managed to create special corners, secret paths and sudden surprises. We have widened the total appearance by including the next door large garden, even though there is a long high fence, separating the two properties. There are large trees in the garden next door and by covering the fence with climbers, creepers and ivy, we have made the paling fence nonexistent to give the illusion that it is all one garden! Luckily, our neighbours do not demur, their garden is old and rambling too and they also dislike the appearance of paling fences.

Only the ivy is invasive and cutting it back every few years will keep it in its place - hiding the ugly wooden palings A central path divides the second half of the garden into two until it reaches the swimming pool area, near the bottom of the garden. On one side there is a garden with ornamental Acers weeping over the small pond that our daughter Fransesca dug. Small sandstone steps lead up to the water from the barbecue that our son Matthew built from left over 'convict bricks'. Species Helleborus and Hostas help keep the sticky weed at bay. On the other side of the path a large garden contains many "Iceberg" rose bushes, all grown from cuttings taken from a hedge in front of my mother's garden. It was here that I learnt I had created a 'long border' when, early in our reconstruction of the garden, a famous gardener remarked "What a lovely idea for your long border". I was so excited I rang Kees at work and asked him "Did you know we had a 'Long Border'? The swimming pool is half hidden by glass and iron walls and a half roof, the surrounds are sandstone pavers I wished it to give the appearance of a conservatory. Kees and our sons erected the large edifice. The glass protection has created a mini warm climate and we grow semi-tropical plants in pots including the beautiful Vireya Rhododendron. The roof, in Summer is covered by the cherry red flowers of the rose "Bloomfield Courage" Let us now go back to the beginning of the garden.

From the driveway, at the side of the house, you walk along a narrow brick path that curves attractively and brings visitors to the front door of the house. The pathway was partly here when we purchased the property, 30 years ago. Old hand made 'convict' bricks had been used and over the first years we managed to purchase equally old bricks to finish the meandering path. The path is the most photographed area of the garden. When the visitor first opens the garden gate, they walk on the warm, apricot-pink coloured path which bisects two lawns. There are several oddly shaped garden beds planted with exotics, such as Camellias, Azaleas and Rhododendrons and dominating one bed is an ivy tree. This was a very tall almond tree that was still alive when we moved in. Over the first few years, it gradually died and I was heart broken, it had been one of the reasons I fell in love with the house.

We planted a new almond, next to it, with the intention of cutting the old one down. Not an easy or cheap job, it was huge and needed a professional tree cutter. It is not always a good idea to replace a dead tree with the same plant but I was sure the old almond tree had died gracefully from old age. The new almond tree grew and produced nuts before we got around to think relunctantly again about demolishing the venerable one. But I noticed that ivy was growing up the dead trunk and along the branches and thought that we could keep it for sentimental reasons and make an interesting feature in this part of the garden. I planted an evergreen Clematis 'Apple Blossom' to give a beautiful display in early Summer. It is now a huge ivy tree, the ivy cut away in the middle to thus form a lovely long view picture of the bottom part of the garden Running down the left side of the garden, is a Macrocarpa hedge, sheltering us from street noises. All along the edge of the hedge is a path full of Christmas roses, of all shades and patterns, that have seeded themselves and grown into huge clumps. This path is broken up by more garden beds filled with Camellias, ornamental Cherry trees and Rhoddendrons.

The outstanding success of our landscaping, as remarked on by visitors, is that we have created a woodland garden of deceiving large proportions when the property is only two miles from the centre of the city of Hobart. A green country garden of peace and harmony, where birds fly and children have space to play cricket on the front lawn.