A Rose Garden on a Working Farm: talk by Michelle Endersby

A formal rose garden in the middle of an Australian farm with a high likelihood of drought and flooding rains may seem like a frivolous extravagance. But at Sages Cottage Farm in Baxter, Victoria, an historic 38-hectare property run by disability service provider, Wallara, the rose garden plays a pivotal role in the experience and programs for clients and visitors alike. Not only a tranquil and calming display garden, the roses are also a source of fodder for the farm animals, a cutting garden for the café, a source of materials for craft projects and food source for the bees for honey production. With a collection of interesting roses, rose garden tours are a potential source of income and education. Michelle will show you the microclimates and the multitude of opportunities provided by this special rose garden.

Michelle Endersby is a writer and visual artist from Melbourne, Australia, and the ‘Rose Lady’ at Sages Cottage Farm where she is responsible for the care of over 150 roses. Inspired by a vision of a light-filled rose garden she experienced on awakening from a coma following emergency brain surgery, Michelle has made roses the focus of her creative and horticultural endeavours. She is also a member of the HRG and has contributed to the Historic Rose Journal. Michelle is the creator of the popular Art, Gardens and Always Roses monthly e-newsletter.

This is the third in a series of seven online talks on the theme “Roses from the Arctic to Australia” in partnership with the Gardens Trust, with an international slant. Each talk is a live online presentation, chaired by Maeve Heneke, Hon Sec of the HRG, with tickets available at £5 each of £28 for the entire series of seven evenings. Talks start at 6pm and last approx. one hour, with an extra half hour for audience questions to the speaker.

You can buy a ticket here for the entire course of seven sessions for £28.

Or buy a ticket for this individual lecture here for £5.