Photo story - Autumn in the Garden

Early Autumn in our House Garden

In just 15 months, we’ve transformed what was once bare earth into something that feels truly magical. It’s early autumn here in the Southern Hemisphere, and the light is at its most beautiful—soft and golden, especially at golden hour.

This is a collection of photos captured in those quiet moments just after waking, stealing a little time before the kids are up and before my workday begins.

The garden feels so alive. Each morning, I wake to the hum of bees, the warble of magpies, the crow of roosters, and the occasional call of sheep or cows in the distance. I even made a little recording of these morning sounds—nature’s own soundtrack to start the day.

Fountain Grass (Pennisetum spp.) is an evergreen perennial ornamental grass.

My passion for gardening has grown at an almost alarming rate. It started with growing food—an extension of my deep love for cooking. But since building our house, I’ve taken it up a notch. Outside of photography, gardening is what I think about most. My Pinterest boards are filled with garden inspiration, and my saved tabs on Instagram are overflowing with plant ideas.

I’m still learning—about plants, their names, design, and colour combinations. The garden isn’t perfect; it’s an ever-evolving experiment in creativity. There’s often little room for experimentation with client work—I need to guarantee a polished, professional result. But in the garden, I can play. It’s a space where I can nurture creativity on my own terms.

I’ve listed the plant names under the photos when I know them.

Purple flower - Salvia leucantha 'Mexican Sage' - Perennial with an understory of Salt Bush.

Curved metal edging, stones, large granite rocks and woodchip create the structure. Our house and garden now (March 2025)

Our house was just after it was completed (May 2023), and in November 2023, we started planting after the editing and drainage were fixed.

Gaura, also known as bee blossom or butterfly bush, is a perennial plant that produces white flowers that bees like.

Left: An old animal water trough used as a pond + Right: Fountain Grass in the foreground and in the distance, our neighbours’ paddocks and burnet trees/mountains after two bushfires.

Left: Queensland bottle tree, Foutain Grass, Lavender, Festuca glauca - blue fescue grass. Right: Fountain grass.

Left: Fountain Grass, Salt Bush, Mexican Sage, Alyssum, Lavender

Photos shot on Canon R5 with 24-105mm R Lens.

I live with my mum, partner and two young kids on 10 acres in the Bega Valley which is on Djiringanj land on the Far South Coast of NSW in Australia.

Honey xx