In full bloom
2024-02-01T15:15:05+11:00
On a suburban block in an unassuming neighbourhood, Petrina Burrill is creating a whimsical wonderland filled with fragrant flowers.
As a young girl, Petrina Burrill had a clear vision of what her future would entail, writing in her sixth grade diary: ‘When I grow up, I want to be a florist.’ Not only did she make good on her declaration, training and working as a part-time florist at various stages of her adult life, she has also planted the ultimate flower garden at her home in Ivanhoe (Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country), in Melbourne’s north-east, ensuring she is surrounded by blooms year round.
Petrina’s rambling, riotous patch of colour and fragrance was once a blank canvas, with a mature Gleditsia ‘Sunburst’, two established gums and a 50-year-old wisteria providing the framework. And it has evolved over time to meet her family’s changing needs. When her children, Henry and Adelaide Rose, were little, she devised a large lawn space with a border of trees and flowers. As the children have grown, Petrina has gradually reclaimed the lawn for more flower beds.
It’s a space for all seasons, starting in spring when peonies, roses and cherry blossoms happily coexist with a sea of 8000 colourful bulbs, including tulips, daffodils, ranunculi and anemones. It’s a scene that brings smiles of wonder and disbelief to all who visit. “People always say it’s like a fairytale wonderland. I never get tired of seeing their response,” Petrina says.
Come summer, the gladioli, delphiniums, zinnias and cosmos come into their own, and the wisteria acts as a cool canopy just in time for those sweltering days. Autumn brings a blaze of colour as the gleditsia and fellow deciduous trees drop their leaves, and vibrant dahlias add to the equation.
In winter, Petrina gives her roses a hefty prune and sends them off to sleep with a prayer of thanks. “They’re the workhorses of the garden – always giving for so long,” she says. “I’m happy for them when they get a rest.” In their place, daphne, hellebores and Japanese flowering quince take centre stage. “It’s important to me to garden with the seasons,” she says. “It’s a reminder of how life is fragile and ever-changing, and that we’re only here for a short time.”
Header image credit: Caitlin Mills
