Gardener Folks - Liz Trabilsie
Hello Gardener Folks.
I hope you’re enjoying your gardening and you’re ready for your next dose of Gardener Folk inspiration.
Let me introduce you to Liz Trabilsie who I’ve followed on Instagram for a little while now - @lizzietrab . Liz’s plant-filled Instagram page is a delightful array of flowers and floral arrangements that inspires me and I get buoyed when she shares the occasional post from her volunteering work at Noarlunga Hospital where she provides horticulture therapy sessions. Liz is a wonderful gardener with life filled with experience, both personally and professionally, and it is a pleasure to share her gardening experiences and insights here with you all.
I hope you enjoy this read as I did. Happy gardening.
Can you please provide a brief background of yourself?
I was born and raised with my two brothers and three sisters on Cuthero station, a sheep property in western New South Wales. My first six years of schooling were with distant education and Broken Hill School of the Air. I then boarded at Loreto College in Adelaide where I completed my secondary education. Late on in life, I married and have two children Jane and Luke. I relocated to Adelaide in1992 where I began my lifelong dream of becoming a professional horticulturalist. My past 30 years have included a mix of diverse positions including 7 years as Garden Manager at historical Carrick Hill, and 6 years as a Garden Specialist in a Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden program at O’ Sullivan Beach Primary School. Currently, I do some weekend retail work in the McLaren Vale Mitre 10 Garden Centre. Over the past 9 years I have restored and now manage and maintain a large private garden in the Springfield area. My volunteer work includes fortnightly horticulture therapy sessions at the Noarlunga Hospital and as a steward for the Judges in Horticulture at the annual Adelaide Show.
Horticultural therapy session activity
How did you get interested in gardening?
My introduction to gardening began at a very young age. My parents were both keen gardeners and I grew up helping with the maintenance of our large orchard and vegetable garden. We had a beautiful country style garden with magnificent big jacaranda trees, sweeping green lawns, a grand pergola covered with purple flowering wisteria and many ornamental shrubs including climbing and bush roses. We were extremely fortunate to live on the banks of the Anabranch Creek and fresh water was abundant. As I grew older and deemed to be trustworthy with secateurs, I was allowed to help my mother with the pruning and trimming of various plants. These hands-on experiences for me were the building blocks to a love of gardening that I will never regret.
I also loved to explore the neighbours’ gardens when we visited. I remember wandering around inquisitively observing the chosen plants and the different garden styles that had been created. Most of these gardens were reliant on bore or dam water so the choice of plants was totally different to those in our garden. I think these many experiences ignited a passion in me and my interest in horticulture.
Who has inspired or influenced you in your gardening pursuits and how did they inspire you?
My mother instilled a love of gardening in me. Her determination, enthusiasm and imagination were inspiring. She was a great gardener who created a garden with a uniqueness of its own. The generosity she imparted with her self-taught knowledge, gifted produce, cuttings and plants from her garden was something I will never forget. Anyone who visited always departed with a box overflowing with garden goodies.
Edna Walling also played a role in my introduction to garden styles and plant choices. “A Gardener’s Log” was one of the first garden books that I purchased and will always treasure. Through her gems of inspiration and practical no-nonsense advice, I think her simple ideas and designs guided me through my early days of gardening.
Succulents
Describe your gardening experiences now? What does gardening and your garden look like for you?
Gardening to me is a combination of my imagination and determination. It has given me the ability to create gardens with unique styles of their own. Most of my garden-making I have learnt by making inquisitive observations together with hands on experiences. Visiting gardens both private and public has always been a favourite past time and like most passionate gardeners, I have a large collection of garden books gathered over many years. I treat them as my faithful friends and still use them for reference purposes when the need arises.
I garden to express myself through plants and to connect with nature. I enjoy the physical exercise, the great outdoors and the enjoyment of sharing my knowledge, plants and experiences with others. Gardening is all about sunshine, fresh air, exercise, observing, socialising and getting dirt on my hands. When I am in my garden, I am in my happy place.
Hemerocallis and Shasta Daisies
What do you enjoy the most about your gardening?
During my years of professional gardening, I have managed some massive garden restoration projects. To take an overgrown and wild garden back to its original state is both rewarding and satisfying and not for the faint hearted. It takes time, planning and perseverance and a certain passion to embrace the whole process. I like to retain or recycle as many of the original plants and then replant where possible. Before I start, I like to have a clear vision of what I want to achieve. The outcome of these projects has allowed me to discover my resourcefulness, patience and determination. I love the challenge and enjoy the transformation as it takes shape.
What are your “go to” plants / planting palette and why?
I think many gardeners would have favourite hardy plants which grow and flower without too much attention. For me it would have to be perennial plants. I like the idea that they are usually familiar plants that are bought into the garden as gifts from kind friends and relations or have just been thrown away as surplus plants on the footpaths and waiting to be rescued. They are usually old reliables that give a generous annual display of flowers without too much fuss. Some of my favourites include Salvia species, Calla, Cheiranthus, Hemerocallis, Scabiosa, Shasta daisy, Aster, Iris, Kniphofia and various bulbs. Division is the main method of propagating perennial plants and is a reasonably simple way to make new plants from old. I pot up these new plants and always have some on standby for friends who visit my garden. I feel sharing garden knowledge, gifting freshly cut flowers and potted plants is important to me and I always hope it inspires others to experiment in their own gardens.
What are some valuable things you’ve learnt while being a gardener?
Gardening has taught me so much. You learn quickly that nothing stays the same. Gardens are constantly changing. It is the changes that make them so interesting. Gardens have taught me patience and optimism as you watch and wait eagerly for plants to grow and develop. The most satisfying quality of gardening is the diversity. Planning for each season and looking forward to the changes is part of the cycle that I find most enjoyable. Gardening can be grounding, soothing, useful and productive.
Do you have a quote or life motto that inspires you to live and/or garden by?
“A garden is a grand teacher; it teaches patience and careful watchfulness; it teaches industry and thrift; above all it teaches entire trust.” Gertrude Jekyll
What is your most favourite tool to use when gardening?
My favourite tool when gardening is my Hori Hori Garden Knife. It is a Japanese stainless-steel knife combining a trowel and a saw which makes it razor sharp. It has a dual-edged blade and is most useful for slicing through roots, cutting string or opening fertilizer bags. It is also ideal for digging, planting seedlings and bulbs and has depth markings on the blade. It was given to me as a gift, and I don’t know how I ever gardened without it. For that reason, I always keep a spare in my toolbox.
If you could be a plant in your garden what would you be and why?
I have a lifelong love with Salvia leucantha, Mexican Bush Sage which would be my go-to plant. It is a hardy perennial, drought tolerant, recurrent flowering and a vibrant purple colour. The spectacular tubular flowers attract pollinators, honey eaters and other beneficial insects to the garden. As a bonus, the long spikes of velvety flowers are great for cutting and use in flower arrangements. No matter what season it is I will always have Salvias in my garden.
What words of wisdom do you have to impart to other gardeners?
Any good gardener knows, there is more to growing plants than digging a hole and placing the plant in it. Understanding the soil is important, knowing the moisture content or dryness, where the sun shines through the different seasons and where the shady spots are situated. These are the key points to learning how to deal with various situations which is vital to the planning and the plants in any garden.
How do you think we can encourage, inspire and support more people to be gardeners?
I think encouraging more gardeners is about lowering the barriers. Teaching why things work and not just rules. Understanding builds confidence and encouraging people to try planting something small such as herbs is a good place to start. Dividing perennials and offering them to friends and neighbours is a simple way to share along with planting tips. It is the tiny wins that hook people into experimenting further.
Community gardens are great for those without access to land or tools. They can be places for people to socialise, learn gardening techniques and produce food. Spend time chatting with anyone who shows an interest in garden activities. Talk to anyone who will listen!
All words and images supplied by Liz Trabilsie with thanks.
