Little discoveries around Earth Rhythms Botanical Farm
There is something rather wonderful about coming across something unexpected in a garden.
It might be a flower growing where you never planted it, a bird visiting for the first time, or something that simply makes you stop, look a little closer and smile.
As we’ve been developing Earth Rhythms Botanical Farm, I’ve wanted to create spaces that invite those little moments of discovery. Not everything needs to have a practical purpose. Sometimes something can be there simply because it brings beauty, character or a little joy.
And one of the ways we’re doing that is through art.
Giving Old Things New Life
Over recent months, we’ve been collecting some wonderful sculptures created from recycled metal by artist Kane Minogue (Studio 303).
What I particularly love about these pieces is how everyday objects, old tools and discarded metal have been transformed into something entirely different. And how nothing he creates is planned it just forms as he goes.
Things that might otherwise have been forgotten are given another life, this time as creatures that feel right at home amongst the gardens and landscape.
We already had our Magpie, Swan and Dragon, and now our final two commissioned pieces have arrived — a magnificent Black Cockatoo and an Echidna.
Each has its own personality, some have included some of the crystals we sell and we’ve been giving quite a bit of thought to where they will eventually live.
A Little Something Around the Corner
Our Echidna is destined for a little curved area near the raised garden beds, where we’re planning a bench seat in front of the hedgerow.
I rather like the thought of someone sitting there, enjoying the flowers, and discovering an Echidna nearby.
The Black Cockatoo will have a very different setting.
He sits upon his own tree-and-branch-style plinth and will be positioned just off the left-hand garden path, at the beginning of the gum grove.
Eventually, his sculptural tree might even accommodate a bird water bowl, feeder or perhaps another little metal bird.
Our Magpie will be near the Observation Deck, while the Swan belongs down near the dam. The Dragon has its own place amongst the character of the farm, near our front door as he watches who enters from the driveway.
Rather than grouping them all together, we want people to encounter these creatures as they wander.
A little surprise beside a path. Something tucked near a seat. A familiar Australian bird appearing amongst the gums.
A Little Bit of Magic
There’s another space we’re planning that will bring a different kind of wonder.
Between the shipping container aka my potting shed and the Farm Shop, we’re hoping to create a small enchanted garden, complete with a fairy fountain, mushrooms, little doors and other treasures waiting to be discovered.
It won’t be a grand space. In fact, part of its charm will be its smallness.
I love the idea of someone noticing a tiny fairy door or an unexpected detail that they might have walked straight past if they were in a hurry.
And perhaps that’s what connects all these little projects.
It’s not about filling every corner of the farm with something.
It’s about giving people reasons to slow down, explore and notice.
Nature, Art and Imagination
Of course, the real wildlife has its own ideas about where it wants to appear.
We’ve already have Echidnas visiting the property, and the birds are constantly reminding us that the gardens are shared with far more than just the people who tend them.
Our sculptures are a playful celebration of that connection.
They also remind me that creativity doesn’t have to be separate from nature. It can sit alongside it, draw inspiration from it and encourage us to see familiar things differently.
There is still plenty of work ahead before all these spaces come together. Gardens to plant, paths to finish, seats to position and little details to add.
But with our Black Cockatoo and Echidna now here, another piece of the picture is falling into place.
And I hope that, as people eventually wander through Earth Rhythms, they’ll find their own little moments of wonder.
Because sometimes the loveliest discoveries are the ones we weren’t looking for.
A Little Reflection
When was the last time something unexpected made you stop and smile?
Perhaps today is a good day to wander a little more slowly and see what you might discover.