A pretty cottage-style garden coordinated in shades of blue and white

A colourful cottage garden surrounds a picture-book-pretty straw bale house designed for sustainable living. There are ornamental and productive plants, including 13 fruit trees, a frog pond, a small lawn and an entertaining area, all packed into the 700 square metre block.

A white picket fence separates the densely planted verge from the small front garden, both areas crammed with an abundance of annuals, perennials, roses, iris, lavender, gardenias, and the crabapple tree that gives the cottage its name. Plants, mostly in shades of blue and white with some touches of pink, have been selected to tone with and complement the cottage's forget-me-not blue shutters and trim. Entry to the garden is through an arch covered with pink climbing roses and blue clematis.

A small lawn and an entertainment area are shaded to the side of the house with an ornate ironwork pergola and several grafted elm trees.

Beyond is a shallow frog pond with water plants, a productive vegetable garden, and more fruit trees. Here, strawberries grow happily, and last season, 34 Kg of fruit were produced, much of which was used for jam making. Another productive patch beside the garage has fruit trees and herbs, and the owner is experimenting with growing tomatoes in bales of straw.

The garden is maintained using organic and environmentally friendly principles. There are water tanks, worm farms, and compost heaps – an example of living and gardening sustainably in an attractive setting