Sharing the Love

Kind Squares Photo Challenge #2 ~ Queensland: One of a Kind

Destination: Toowoomba

Visitors to Toowoomba’s annual Carnival of Flowers are spoiled for choice when it comes to gardens. Queen’s Park, Laurel Bank Park and Picnic Point have magnificent displays of spring annuals. Private gardens are also open to the public – some are entries in the garden competition and others are simply on display for all to enjoy.

The garden at Lorea House welcomed visitors for the first time this year. Created by Leisa and Serge Rossignol, it’s the result of their combined vision and hard work.

Leisa and Serge only began designing and constructing this garden in 2019, starting with a pretty pink summerhouse. Using a combination of new and repurposed materials, Serge created a retreat for Leisa that’s filled with memories. The windows came from a convent at a local church and the doors were found on a farm at Cambooya. Most precious of all is the tiny kitchen, which was originally in Leisa’s grandparents’ home on the family property at Brookstead.

Leisa says her love of gardening comes from her grandparents on both sides of her family, who all shared a passion for plants. It’s not surprising to learn that, although this garden is new, it’s not Leisa’s first. She’s been creating gardens since she was 20 years old and the beautiful space she enjoys now is her fifth.

With a compact block of just 630 m² this one was much smaller than previous gardens, and Leisa has filled it to overflowing with a beautiful mix of perennials, annuals, fruit trees and vegetables. During Carnival week, she spent her days talking about her plantings with the 2,800 people who came to Lorea House.

For Leisa, the joy of gardening is as much about sharing as creating.

See more of Leisa and Lorea House on Instagram at eleanorandruby

This month I’m joining in every day with Becky’s October Kind Square Photo Challenge over at The Life of B. The rules are simple: photos must be square and fit the theme word “kind”. Look for #kindasquare