Flowers on Fairholme

In her first year entering the Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers gardening competition, Tiffany Wicks proudly took out the ABC Rod Hultgren Encouragement award for first time entrants. Two years later, she took out the prestigious ‘Grand Champion’ award, under 45’s category, floral display category, and large sized garden for the Toowoomba city.

Did you have an initial overall vision for your show garden or was it a process that evolved more over time?

As it was my third year entering the Carnival of Flowers, I had begun to develop a vision of how I wanted my garden to look; however, I would not say that I had a precise plan. I knew the types of plants and colours that I loved, and I was guided by a few fundamental principles such as colour, plant height, and plants suitable for each microclimate (shade, part shade, full sun). I planted in clusters, in an attempt to create a natural effect. I love pastels, particularly pink and purple. I ensured that I did not deviate in any way from what I loved personally, and if an annual flowered that I did not love, it would be removed. I would say that I am obsessive about colour, and even the slightest clash in colour would impact me. I wanted a cohesive look, which was imperative given how many flowering annuals I had in a such small space. 

What have been some of your influences / inspirations for creating this beautiful flower space?

When I first started my garden, I began creating a formal garden with plenty of structure and colour derived purely from perennials. As time passed, I became more experimental and heavily influenced by the Toowoomba parks and gardens that I had visited during the Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers. I initially discounted annuals as a waste of time, and questioned how much satisfaction I would obtain from something so short-lived. However, when I first tried my hand with them in 2022, I became addicted, and understood that there was so much satisfaction to be gained from the growing process. I also became somewhat addicted to their sheer “wow” factor within a garden setting. It is at this point that I realised a combination of both annuals and perennials were most satisfying, and that is when I started reading a lot of books on cottage gardens, following instagram accounts that portrayed this style, and making observations of what I liked from gardens that I physically saw on my walks around town. 

How has the knowledge of being judged for your garden shaped the way you have created as opposed to tending to a private garden?

Having your garden judged is a nuanced experience. On the one hand, you’re highly motivated to present your best work, and you have this almost manic excitement about sharing your creation. Personally, I took my planting to the highest extreme, and I may not have done this had I not known that it was going to be shared with others. You are also forced to “finish" your garden, which is often never the case when you’re just gardening day to day. On the other hand, the pressure to have every part of your garden “perfect" was extremely stressful, and at times soul destroying. Events that you would normally find frustrating, became devastating, and for a good three months, I was constantly fighting to control animals, insects, disease, and weather events. This fight to control events that aren’t controllable lead to a lot of turmoil and suffering, but ultimately I just had to pick myself up and keep carrying on, as I had invested too much, to just give it away. When we received an extreme heatwave just prior to judging, I really felt things fell apart for me emotionally. This is the side of it that people who visit the garden don’t see, and I really feel that this is the fundamental difference between just gardening and creating a garden that will be judged in every possible way. Things become very unpractical and to be totally frank, not sensible.

Has has your garden informed part of your identity?

I feel that so much of my identity is now fused with my garden. It is how I express what I love in a way that I seem to be relatively good at, and that in a way nourishes my body, mind, and spirit. It has connected me to so many people who I normally would not come into contact with outside of the gardening realm. It has provided me with massive amounts of self-esteem, joy, excitement, and hope.

Have you witnessed a sense of community build around your flowers and if so, what impact has this had for yourself and others?

It really makes me tick when I hear that I have motivated someone, and it continues to shock me when people say that I inspire them. I suppose when you hear that you’re inspiring people, and bringing joy outside of your own world, it makes it feel more meaningful, and this meaning brings even greater joy. As gardening is such a healthy activity, it is also motivating and meaningful knowing that I am encouraging people to engage in something that will nourish and improve their life.

What role do you see gardening and natural spaces playing for people, yourself and potentially even some of your clients in as far as healing, wellbeing and mental health go?

I believe that gardening is the pinnacle activity for our mental, emotional, and physical well-being. Gardening is a mindful activity, and we know the profound healing properties of mindfulness on our wellbeing. Presently, we live in a world where children are raised using devices, often inside, and I feel something major is being lost in our society. When you are gardening, you are moving your body, receiving vitamin D, and coming into contact with helpful bacteria. You are grounding yourself with your hands in the soil, and you’re creating and nurturing something over time, providing a sense of hope and optimism about the future. Gardening is a simple way to nurture our whole being, and incapsulates a lot of what complex psychological therapies promote… and hey, at the end you get flowers! 

It feels also quite refreshing for people to gather and chat about nature / gardening as opposed to people themselves - there's a real benefit in that too, do you agree? 

Gardening is a universal language, and it is lovely to have a break from the heaviness of the world. It creates a space to focus and discuss something creative, and different challenges outside of human woes. 

In what ways can you see gardens and natural spaces pivotal in combating feelings of potential helplessness and anxiety in today's changing world (climate change / bombardment of negative news, unhealthy polarity of opinions etc.)? Or is thinking in this sort of perspective a little too idealistic? 

It would be difficult to completely avoid the negative events of the world, and disconcertingly, so many of these events are mostly out of our immediate control. There is a fine line between remaining educated about the happenings of the world, and allowing it to overcome your life. Gardening is a way to create beauty and safety in your own universe. To some degree, it is something you can learn to master (I use this word over “control” for obvious reasons). Gardening creates resilience, as you will always encounter new problems, and it creates a sense of adaptiveness and self efficacy that you can adapt and prevail despite setbacks. It is refreshing to have a place where you have considerable self-determination when so much of the world is completely out of our control. 

In what ways has creating this space impacted on your four children? (most of them are very positive I'm sure!)?

Surprisingly, or maybe not, my children are a little underwhelmed by flowers. I would say that the positives for my children are the less obvious ones, such as spending tremendous amounts of time outside, being bored and consequently using their imaginations to play and explore, much like I did as a child. My children have had a device free childhood so far, and while this is in my control, this is how it will remain. Inadvertently, and often not willingly, the children have learned a lot about their mother's resilience, plants, and gardening concepts. I am optimistic that at least one of my children will take up gardening (haha). My children have also benefited greatly from the balance that gardening provides me as parent, which means I am more capable of meeting my children’s needs, as my own have also been met. 

Name 3 feelings that are evoked in you when you step out into the garden each morning?

Excitement. Joy. Pride. 

How would you say this garden has created a sense of purpose in your life?

The garden has become a major part of me in so many ways. I suppose, it is a loyal friend, and in a lot of ways a “lighthouse”. Whenever I find myself feeling depressed, anxious, bored, discontented, it is a place I can go and find my way home. It provides a sense of equilibrium, and unlike a lot of other pursuits, you cannot fail at gardening, and you are never really finished. There is always something to be done, which means that every day you can find something to occupy your time in a meaningful way. You can change things at any time, and you can recreate yourself in the process. It difficult for me to put into words what gardening means to me, but one thing is for sure, it is etched deeply into my core being, synonymous with self. 

Can you recall any humorous incidents with your flowers or in your garden?

I think that the most humorous happening that has occurred in the garden to date would be when I was battling the Fairholme Street Bandicoot. This guy always reared his head during my carnival planting time, and would destroy large areas each night (it was honestly like someone had run a hoe through major sections). I did some research, and decided that I would use lighting to discourage the animal. My husband Damian acquired a large number of flood lights, and we had our yard lit up like a tennis court. It was a complete success, but it wasn’t for the faint hearted. Disturbed neighbours (and rightly so), and sleeping with a pillow over my head for months was well worth the sacrifice to let the little guy know that his antics were not welcome in our carnival garden.