Recent rain in far west New South Wales has brought shrouds of greenery to the landscape, but the red dust is still the main feature of the outback town of Silverton.
Helen Murray’s garden has survived it all — drought, frosts and a recent stint of eight days more than 40 degrees Celsius.
Her dahlias have even bloomed early, and her roses are flowering.
Helen Murray’s dahlias are blooming in her outback garden. (ABC Broken Hill: Coquohalla Connor)
Surrounded by red dirt, Ms Murray’s garden is an oasis of colour.
Her backyard, which recently featured in Gardening Australia magazine, is a testament to her green thumb.
Despite the challenging outback conditions, Ms Murray believes everyone should give gardening a go, even if you live in the desert.
Only the hardy survive
Ms Murray has been gardening for as long as she can remember. Originally born in England, she remembers being perplexed by how plants grow.
Helen Murray has created separate areas of her garden by putting in fences. (ABC Broken Hill: Coquohalla Connor)
“I was just fascinated that come springtime, all these green shoots would pop out, followed by these amazing flowers,” she said.
“I’m thinking, ‘Wow, how does that happen?'”
When she was a child, her family migrated from the United Kingdom and settled in Perth, but, for the past 27 years, Ms Murray has called Silverton home.
The arid landscape experiences the full range of weather from 50-degree days and drought to flooding rains and frost.
In the recent weather conditions, Helen Murray has been surprised by how well her ferns are going. (ABC Broken Hill: Coquohalla Connor)
In such a harsh landscape of extremes, Ms Murray lives by a simple ethos of what does and does not go in her garden.
“If it says on the label, it’s tolerant, I don’t even go near it,” she said.
“It has to be hardy. It has to be drought hardy, has to be frost hardy, has to grow in full sun.”
This selectiveness towards plant and flower species does not seem to apply to her, though, and Ms Murray can be found in her garden no matter the conditions.
For her, it’s a place of serenity where she can be alone with the bees, the birds and her dog.
Helen Murray has spent 27 years getting her garden to the standard that it is currently. (ABC Broken Hill: Coquohalla Connor)
“We live in a crazy world these days and it’s just really nice to be able to just get out there and switch off and just be.”
A surprise find
In order to keep the garden protected from the heat, Ms Murray has experimented. She’s put in trees that shade the plants below, as well as gates and fences that create “garden rooms”.
Tourists are encouraged to have a look at what she’s done, as well as browse her photographs at her gallery.
The “secret garden” of Silverton is a 20-minute drive from Broken Hill. (ABC Broken Hill: Coquohalla Connor)
It was a tourist, passing through the far west, who first started the ball rolling for Ms Murray’s eventual feature in Gardening Australia.
“I had a lady here 18 months ago now who took some photos and was really excited about the gardening, and she said, ‘You should be in Gardening Australia’.”
The tourist turned out to be the cousin of the editor of Gardening Australia magazine.
Besides the flowers, ferns and lawns, Helen Murray’s garden is also home to lots of miniatures. (ABC Broken Hill: Coquohalla Connor)
Elizabeth Wilson recalled receiving an excited text message from her cousin about the outback garden she had stumbled across.
“She just thought it was amazing to come across this little oasis in a really arid climate,” Ms Wilson said.Trial and error key to success
Ms Murray’s journey started more than two decades ago, but her passion and drive ensured her home became a place of calm and serenity.
Ms Wilson said this truly shone through, proving that even if things fail, to keep going.
“Trial and error is at the heart of every successful garden, I think, and Helen’s garden was case in point,” the editor said.
Helen Murray was surprised when Gardening Australia reached out to her. (ABC Broken Hill: Coquohalla Connor)
Ms Murray was still surprised to see her garden in the magazine.
“I popped into the post office and there was my copy,” she said.
“I sat in the car and opened it up and I went, ‘Oh, that looks familiar’.”