Garden Insights + Share Table

Garden Insights - Gums N' Roses

presented by Julieta and Leo

Sunday 5 January 2025

2.00 pm - 4.30 pm

at 35 Porteus Road, Withcott, Q 4352

This event is organised by Permaculture Toowoomba Inc.

Bookings are Essential

Please book so we have your contact details and know how many will be attending.

What We'll Do

We’ll start at 2.00 pm with a welcome and introduction. We like to visit a range of different gardens, each as unique as the gardeners who live there. It’s wonderful to see the diverse garden styles, approaches, and plants that can be grown in our bioregion.

This month we'll visit Gums N' Roses, Julieta and Leo's beautiful 1 hectare garden at Withcott.

What We'll See

Key sections of the property include:

The Pond and Dam Section

This area features a flowing pond complete with a bog filter, alongside a landscaped dam. These provide recreational spots and habitats for local wildlife. Both the pond and dam are surrounded by Australian native plants that are drought-tolerant, require no soil amendments or fertilizers, and thrive without irrigation once established

Cut Flower Patch

Our recently established Cut Flower Patch is home to annuals, dahlias, chrysanthemums, and other blooms grown in rows and beds. These flowers are used to create unique bouquets. This passion has blossomed into a small business, Gums N' Roses, where we sell flowers at local shops and fulfill special orders.

Edible Garden

Dedicated to edible plants and crops, the garden includes vegetables, fruits, and herbs. The heart of this space is its four swales, one of which was built with the help of some permaculture members. These swales integrate fruit trees, companion plants, herbs, and veggies into a self-sustaining ecosystem. The area also features a banana circle, a permaculture design that manages water and organic matter while producing bananas (we’re still eagerly waiting for our first harvest!).

Future Plans

We’re looking forward to adding an informal Cut Flower Garden. This new area will feature sweeping drifts of perennials in a naturalistic style, creating brushstrokes of colour and texture that will enhance the garden’s beauty and attract even more pollinators.

The Story Behind the Garden (a few words from Julieta and Leo)

We moved into this 1-hectare property in December 2020. Starting with swales and fruit trees, we’ve slowly transformed the land while balancing work and family life. The natural pond and dam landscaping came next, focusing on sustainability and native plants. Most recently, in June 2024, we began building our flower patch, turning our gardening passion into a small flower business.

About Us

We’re Julieta and Leo, proud parents of three kids and lifelong gardening enthusiasts. After living in big cities for four years (and before that, a semi-rural dry area in Argentina), we were thrilled to move to this property and have the opportunity to work the land. Despite our full-time jobs, we dedicate weekends and evenings to creating and nurturing this space. While we’ve faced our share of challenges—like our ongoing struggle to grow an avocado tree and our heavy clay soil—we remain determined and continue to learn and improve with every step.

Anything Else to Know

We hope visitors leave inspired by the garden’s natural beauty and sustainability. Feel free to ask us about our journey, techniques, or future plans—we’d love to share ideas and connect!

You can follow us on social media:

Afternoon Tea (provided)

A light afternoon tea will be provided (including Gluten Free and Vegan options).

What to Bring

KeepCup or similar for your drink at afternoon tea (we're trying to minimise waste)
Chair
Water bottle
Sun protection
Clothes and footwear suitable for outdoor weather conditions
Donations of surplus produce for the Share Table

Share Table

Do you have surplus?

We encourage you to bring your surplus produce, plants, seeds, books, craft supplies, and resources to share with others at our events.

Some ideas of what you could bring include – fruit, vegetables, herbs, eggs, honey, milk, jams, pickles, preserves, jars, ferments, starters, SCOBYs, seeds, plants, seedlings, cuttings, tubers, pots, tools, gardening magazines, permaculture books, recipes, patterns, manure, coffee grounds, compost additives, worms, mealworms, wool, fabric, craft supplies, soap, natural cleaning products, plastic alternatives, produce bags – the list is extensive.

Please bring whatever you can and then take home whatever you need within our culture of generosity and free sharing.

Parking

Please enter the property and park in the designated area at the front.

Access

The formal cut flower garden is not accessible for strollers, walking frames, or wheelchairs.
However, the rest of the gardens are accessible for all visitors.

Children are always welcome with close adult supervision for their safety.

We hope we see you there!

Cost

Financial Members of Permaculture Toowoomba Inc. - Free
First-time Visitors to a Permaculture Toowoomba Inc. Event - $10 per person
Non-Members - $20 per person
Children attending with an Adult - Free (but please book so we know the total numbers)

Membership 2025 - Now Due

Annual Membership of Permaculture Toowoomba Inc. is due by 31 December each year. It's only $50 per person or $40 for a second or subsequent adult living in the same home.

Financial Members can attend events and workshops during the year at no cost.

You can pay your membership for 2025 at checkout when you book to attend this event.

Membership forms will be available at the event for anyone wishing to join, or available here for download at http://www.permaculturetoowoomba.com.au/membership/