LIAM PHILLIPS
THIS weekend one of South Australia’s most famous gardens will be open to the public as Rosanne Parker and her garden partner Joe Kielnerowski host their eighth annual Open Garden at their Elizabeth Grove home.
The garden, which has been featured on both Channel 7 and Channel 10 news shows, includes over 400 varieties of fruit and vegetables, and features a focus on urban sustainability.
Ms Parker, who said all proceeds made over the weekend would be going to bushfire aid charities, also spoke about how fulfilling her change to a more sustainable lifestyle had been.
“It started about 12 years ago when my neighbour Joe and I were both growing fruit, so we decided to start co-ordinating what we would grow to avoid doubling up,” Ms Parker said.
“Now, the fact that our Open Gardens help people in a way that can empower people to change their lives – people have said it is life-changing.
“We get classes of teenage boys in here who have some behavioural issues and they’re a bit resistant at the start, but by the end of the tour they’re saying ‘wow, can we come back?’”
The Open Garden features demonstrations in how to construct your own garden, including planting, pruning, composting, irrigation, and advice from speakers representing the Rare Fruit Society.
As far as the produce goes, Ms Parker said that there is a special type of joy that comes from eating food picked off her own trees, and that people who only buy from stores are missing out.
“It’s a sensual, and rare experience,” she said.
“It’s almost an exotic experience, because so few people have it.
“The taste is sensational, because fruit deteriorates by the hour, not by the day.
“If you eat it just picked, it’s jumping with all the enzymes; it tastes so good.”
The event will run from 10am to 4.30pm on both Saturday and Sunday at 6 Argent Street, Elizabeth Grove, and you can find the garden on Facebook (www.facebook.com/JoesConnectedGarden).