Inside Peter Ellis and Mary Floris' garden in Tharwa

Peter Ellis and his wife Mary Floris moved to Tharwa from Chifley four years ago for the country serenity, atmosphere and lifestyle. She had lived in Tharwa at Outward Bound from the 1980s for a decade and has many friends in the area and they both love the proximity to the bush where neighbours have horses in the paddocks across the lane where they live.

Ellis and his five siblings grew up in the Blue Mountains where his mother, Patricia Monckton Ellis, grew 300 species of plants in her garden. This influenced his choice to study forestry at the Australian National University in which he graduated in 1969 and returned to the university to complete a PhD in 2000.

The thesis was an investigation of the aerodynamic and combustion characteristics of eucalypt bark, it being notorious for its ability to sustain combustion after its ignition in a bushfire and during its flight while being transported by fire convection and wind. Consequently he was a research scientist with the CSIRO Bushfire Behaviour and Dynamics group until 2014.

Along the lane leading to the couple's house are peach, plum and apricot trees that were established when they moved in, there was also a grapevine beside the house. There were also apple, quince and pear trees on the block and the quince has produced a good crop this year, which Mary Floris has preserved in all their golden beauty. Ellis has planted a row of citrus along the front of the house and, last spring, successfully grafted two additional peach trees.

Two dogs accompany Ellis as he gardens. Jess (aged two) is a grey border collie that has been trained to climb trees, a remarkable feat to watch, while Lilka is a lively kelpie who is guardian of the chooks. Lilka dashes into the chook house and lies down flat and watches the hens clucking around. She never touches them, though they sometimes give her a bit of a peck.

Ellis has planted a pair of fig trees, one beside the chookhouse to provide shade, and both trees have grown vigorously, are still fruiting, and have the largest leaves I have seen on a fig. Fertiliser is rarely purchased as rich soil is just transferred from the chook run into the garden. Grass clippings from the unwatered lawn are used as compost.

The philosophy of the garden is recycle, use second-hand materials and minimise water usage. In waist-high compost "tanks", which are comfortably accessible vegetable beds, winter greens and broad beans are being planted as winter-into-spring crops. These raised beds were established during the past three years and they are both valuable and essential as the clay soils on the slope in Tharwa are poor in quality and difficult for raising vegetables.

The convenient working height of the beds also means that young edibles are not accessible when the chooks get a free forage in the garden although this activity has been curtailed recently because of a brazen and successful attack by a fox on an Isa brown hen in daylight. Chooks have been given to Ellis and Floris and, at the moment, they have a broody hen sitting on six eggs. The fertilised eggs were a gift from neighbours.

A highlight tree in the garden is a 10-year-old bunya, the gift from a friend and raised from seed collected in Queensland. Since planting out in Tharwa it has put on healthy layers of green branches and top growth. Ellis has eaten bunya nuts that he put in a tree stump hole and slashed with a knife to release their covering, then lightly sauteed in a little olive oil in a frying pan.

Their kitchen mugs and crockery came from Malcolm Cooke who works at Cuppacumbalong Art Shed and the couple admire the knives made by the village forge across the road. They also led me to The ACT Witness Tree Project at the Gallery of Australian Design in Kingston and a wheelbarrow made from a felled Witness tree by Tharwa fine furniture designer Myles Gostelow.

The couple plays duets on their piano and Ellis also plays a 40-year-old Maton classical guitar. The brand, established in Australia in 1946, uses bunya wood for soundboards in its acoustic guitars.

Tharwa Bush Dance:

is to be held in Tharwa Hall this Friday, April 22, from 7pm-11.30pm. The Bush Capital Band will be playing lively tunes with the caller guiding people through the steps. $15 adults, $5 child, BYO drinks and, in country style, please bring a plate to share for supper. Tea and coffee provided. Bookings through Mary Floris on 0402 812 741.

Susan Parsons is a Canberra writer

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