John Harvie’s labour of love lands him among spring garden award winners
The Murray Bridge council has announced six winning entries in its 2023 spring garden awards – find out who they are.
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There’s not a lot of real estate in John Harvie’s garden that doesn’t have something he’s planted there.
He even planted a Port Power flag on his roof.
Mr Harvie’s meticulous attention to detail helped his garden win both the best large garden award and the mayor’s award in the Murray Bridge’s council’s spring garden awards, with all winners announced on Wednesday.
One striking feature of Mr Harvie’s garden, apart from the burst of colours and shapes that birds and white butterflies call home, is that each tree and plant has a label, created by his brother.
It’s like being in a botanical garden.
If Mr Harvie doesn’t know the type of tree or plant in his garden, he uses a PlantIn app to tell him what’s what.
“It’s quite accurate,” he said.
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Another notable feature of the lovely garden is the names on four mini bridges – each bridge is named after Mr Harvie’s grandchildren.
When his grandchildren were younger, they would have fun racing golf balls down the waterways snaking around the garden.
A tree in the garden still has a fairy farm beneath it for Mr Harvie’s grandchildren.
It’s clear that Mr Harvie has lovingly created a garden for people to enjoy and wonder at, particularly his family – his wife Marlene sometimes wonders at why her husband needs to spend so much time perfecting his garden.
Ms Harvie pushed her husband into entering this year’s spring garden awards, as he wasn’t planning to enter.
When he did agree to enter the contest, he said to his wife, “You won’t see me for the next month.”
Mr Harvie, a retired teacher, wasn’t exaggerating when he said that the amount of time he devotes to the garden is the equivalent of a full-time job.
“I’m always out here,” he said.
“It’s like painting the Sydney Harbour Bridge – you get to the end and what do you have to do? Start again.”
Mr Harvie started establishing his prize-winning garden 16 years ago, when he took over a garden from his property’s previous owners.
“The place was three or four years old at that stage, but they got it landscaped, and they had a weekend where they planted in pots,” he said.
“I counted 30 plants were left from their planting, and I put in 560 of my own.
“I put irrigation in, and I now have four banks of sprayers and drippers.”
Mr Harvie also put into his garden statues of gnomes, meerkats and even a life-size ram he calls Rammy, which he placed “sheep poop” behind to give the spring garden award judges a laugh when they visited.
Although Mr Harvie likes to add surprising touches to his garden, sometimes his garden returns the favour and surprises him, such as on this year’s Remembrance Day, November 11.
“Strangely, one red poppy came up on Remembrance Day,” Mr Harvie said.
“I didn’t even know I had a poppy before.”
Mr Harvie also has an extensive fruit and veggie garden, where he grows carrots, rhubarb, strawberries, blueberries, boysenberries, silver beet and potatoes to name just a few.
When Mr Harvie has excess produce, he donates it to FoodBank.
However you look at it, Mr Harvie’s garden has generated a lot of joy and goodness and is worthy of its 2023 spring garden awards.
Award ceremony recognises six amazing gardens
In a presentation at the Round House – which itself has a pleasant garden that frames a spectacular view of the River Murray bridges – eight awards were given to people who know how to grow.
The winners of the 2023 spring garden awards received a certificate from Deputy Mayor Andrew Baltensberger, along with a voucher from Tim James, co-owner of Serenity Garden Centre, who sponsored the awards.
The winners were:
- Best large garden and mayor’s award: John Harvie
- Best small garden: Melissa Wilson-Kramer
- Best senior’s garden: William and Margaret Leggat
- Best sustainable garden: Sue Day and Andrew Beattie
- Best edible garden: Ross and Sandra Schrapel
- Best community garden: Murray Lands Retirement Village
Mr James said that former Murray Bridge mayor Brenton Lewis had approached him several years ago, looking for a sponsor for the council’s first spring garden awards.
Mr James was happy to get on board and encourage people to grow their gardens.
“It’s a great way to support the community, and it’s very satisfying,” he said.
Mr James also said that it made sense for the council to get behind gardening, as the way people look after their gardens in a town created a strong impression on visitors about what the town was like.
