6,000 m2 Garden of a Vietnamese Mother in Australia

“If I had learned about agriculture and farming earlier, I would have lived differently.”

That was the first thought that popped up in Anna Phan's mind (birth name Phan Thi Hoai Huong) when she moved to Melbourne, Victoria, Australia 4 years ago.

Born and raised in Hanoi, her maternal hometown is only 50 km away from the capital, but she only comes back to visit and has never experienced the life of a farmer or planted trees herself.

As a result, Anna has no choice but to live in the city, where open eyes are dusty and noisy all year, and where deadlines and worry, bustle and rush are all she knows. Such a life, she believes, is somewhat wasteful.

Anna, fortunately, gets the opportunity to change in a new nation.

Anna Phan only knew about gardening when she and her husband returned to Australia in 2017. Photo: Zing

Anna was amazed by the large area when she first arrived at her husband's house, particularly the 6,000 m2 garden, created in the manner of an English cottage garden and placed adjacent to Alfred Nicholas Garden, which surrounded the old house.

The garden was left unattended for more than ten years while Anna's husband worked in Asia, and it was "invaded by black raspberries and weeds." She began cleaning up this home at that time, taking advantage of her two children who were still in Vietnam.

The garden gradually recovered after 6 months, and hundreds of flower roots were rescued.

Following that, Anna focused on learning from her husband and reading more on the Internet in order to restore the garden's beauty.

'A garden from fairy tales'

This is the name friends gave Anna's garden because of the historic elements of the house and the more than 150-year-old oak tree in the center of the garden.

According to the mother of two, in spring, the leaves are light pink, then dark pink. In the summer, the leaves change brilliant green and yellow in the fall.

Around the oak tree, Anna divides up areas to plant flowers and trees suitable for each season of the year.

“In springtime, I feel like I'm living in a fairy-tale little house when the surrounding is covered with azaleas, gardenia, tea, narcissus, magnolia, weigela… Summer is brilliant with hundreds of roots. hydrangea, pink, lavender… Autumn, the garden is bright with yellow, red by maple, oak, ginkgo, sage... Winter comes when the trees in the garden 'sleep' but still have flowers. Christmas roses bloom," she said.

She added: “A beautiful garden is beautiful in all four seasons. I am proud to have done that.”

Anna's garden is designed in the style of an English cottage garden with hundreds of species of temperate plants and flowers that follow the beautiful rules of all four seasons. Photo: Zing

Flowers on high and low floors; Photo: Zing

and colorful leaves.Photo: Zing

The garden's trees are likewise divided into layers such as peonies, daffodils, bluebells, and snow spots are at the bottom; magnolia, tea, mountain dogwood, and honeysuckle are in the middle; and the trees are 3-4 m high at the top.

Anna's favorite spot in the garden is an area filled with many of the world's most magnificent David Austin roses, which smell like perfume and are mixed with lavender and hydrangea.

To make the garden always brilliant, every year, Anna and her husband spend AUD 3,000-5,000 to replace and buy new plants, especially to add unique and strange varieties. Besides, she self-propagated some species such as lavender, pink, hydrangea, chrysanthemum to reduce costs.

“Gardening for the past few years, I have never felt full of work because growing a tree is not simply digging a hole and putting it down. It's a carefully calculated process. First of all, the location must be selected, considering the characteristics of the tree. For example, roses are sun-loving, while hydrangeas are shade-loving, only needing 4-6 hours of sunlight per day. The color coordination in the garden is also very important. I never grow more than 5 colors in the same clump, but usually, only plant 3 colors to not look chaotic”, Anna shared.

Anna gains new knowledge about plants and how to care for them every year.

Anna learns how to care for and propagate many types of flowers in the garden. Photo: Zing

Anna learns how to care for and propagate many types of flowers in the garden. Photo: Zing

Anna learns how to care for and propagate many types of flowers in the garden. Photo: Zing

Besides the flower growing area, she also planned a land of 500-600 m2 for growing vegetables.

Anna built 5 garden beds about 1 m high, poured soil in, plastered the bottom with concrete before planting. According to the mother of two, this method is very clean, helping to prevent water from spilling out when watering vegetables.

“After planting, you will see that in order to have clean vegetables and tubers for the whole family to eat, you also have to spend a lot of effort to take care of and fight with snails, worms and bugs. My garden currently has vegetables such as potatoes, marjoram, perilla, coriander, onions, cabbage, tomatoes and some foreign varieties. In the summer, vegetables are enough for four people to eat, but in the cold winter they cannot grow," she said.

The garden also has some fruit trees such as apples and pears, but they are often dragged to destroy by animals. However, instead of chasing them, Anna left them alone because everyone in her family loves nature and animals.

Anna requested 15 white maize kernels from her Vietnamese neighbors about three years ago since she couldn't afford to buy seeds elsewhere. She's produced more crops since then, and she's just harvested 150 corn. Photo: Zing

A peaceful place during the pandemic

Anna admits that her life has completely changed since she learned about the joy of gardening.

Previously, when Anna was still in Vietnam, she had about 20 years of working at a bank, day by day sitting at a desk, dealing with numbers.

Currently, she works online to develop a beauty brand in the Vietnamese market. The mother spends her non-working hours taking care of her family, living in harmony with nature.

“For me, doing manual work is harder than the office, but it is creative, not boring. Because planting trees is not simply plugging into the ground but must be calculated and coordinated. Gardening can be physically tiring, but it's easy on the mind," she said.

According to Anna, since the outbreak, people are more interested in a healthy life, trees associated. For her, this is a good trend because trees can give people positive energy and relieve stress.

Besides, family affection is also tightened when members plant trees and garden together.

Anna's children were taught by their parents how to plant trees, care for gardens, and live near to nature while staying at home. Photo: Zing

Anna's children were taught by their parents how to plant trees, care for gardens, and live near to nature while staying at home. Photo: Zing

Anna's children were taught by their parents how to plant trees, care for gardens, and live near to nature while staying at home. Photo: Zing

Anna's children were taught by their parents how to plant trees, care for gardens, and live near to nature while staying at home. Photo: Zing

Living in Melbourne - a city known as the longest blockade in the world with 6 times (267 days) since 2020, Anna said that thanks to sticking to the garden, her family is less stressed.

“The days when I can't go out, my children and their parents work in the garden, run and jump, exercise, ride a bike, play football, observe deer, birds, and rabbits. When it rains, the whole family can sit and look out the window, watching the fruits of their own cultivation. It was a very meaningful time when my children learned new skills, added knowledge about life, and broadened their worldview,” said Anna.

Furthermore, teaching children to live in harmony with nature helps her and her husband to be closer to their children, and at the same time helps them understand more about the value of labor and efforts.

Anna said her life has completely changed since she learned about the hobby of gardening. Photo: Zing

“Instead of the bustling life in the city, my children can choose to stick with the garden and enjoy a peaceful and fulfilling life. Step by step, the children can understand the importance of environmental protection and family cohesion,” said Anna.

“For the sake of simplicity, I want my children to have more than one choice,” the mother added.

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