MINTARO COTTAGE GARDEN: Clare Valley region of South Australia

Mintaro in the Clare Valley remains one of South Australia's best preserved towns. It's a great place to take in a stroll, search for a couple of antique treasures and soak up the atmosphere of one of the State's most historic towns. The town was on the old bullock dray run from the Monster Mine at Burra and Mintaro's array of magnificent old buildings is proof of the wealth generated by the 1840's mining boom. Many were built of slate from the town's famous quarry, and what didn't make it into the buildings of Mintaro certainly found its way into many of the town's gardens.

"It really does typify what a garden is all about, it comes from the old English word enclosure and this, dating back a hundred or so years ago, was a typical garden area wasn't it, a beautiful wall".

"Yes exactly. There's a lot of walls in Mintaro that are featured in slate".

For Allison Aplin, plenty of Mintaro stone, an 1850's dwelling and two pepper trees provided some classic features for a cottage garden. But six years ago, when she came here, all of this was pretty much open paddock with top soil as hard as any local slate.

"It was a desire to actually do something in the way of garden life that we could use in our business which is landscaping and garden design to actually show what can be done in such harsh conditions".

And Mintaro Cottage Garden makes the point in the most colourful way possible. In such limey soil, the real trick is not so much constant watering as good old tender loving care.

"I mulch constantly, as soon as an area is depleted of its mulch I am constantly reapplying all the time, it's everything I can get my hands on".

And from a paddock springs a cottage garden. But the other trick is plant selection and at Mintaro, Allison has chosen those which can contend with alkaline soil, searing summers and winter frosts and she has a few tips for those wanting to convert their own paddock into a splash of colour.

"For a shadey position I would choose something like a manium"

"…the humidity that's associated with the watering"

Mintaro Cottage Garden is situated just outside the town on Kingston Street you enter through Timandra Nursery. It's open daily from 10 until 5, weather permitting. For more information email info@postcards-sa.com.au