It started out with a few fairy creations in the front garden, but Penny McPherson has a habit of waking up in the morning with a new idea and now her entire garden is a magnet to children enthralled with her fairytale creations.
It’s the type of garden that makes your head swivel as you drive past; jam-packed with dragons, fairies, trolls and characters from favourite movies peeping above clipped buxus hedging.
On the verge outside her Richmond garden is a ‘wardrobe’ for children to open and see a tiny witch sitting on a toilet and, of course, a lion.
One of her latest additions – and incredibly she found a spot to put it – is a half mussel buoy painted green with an owl and a pussycat set to sail across the sea in their beautiful pea-green boat. At night, their eyes glow in the dark.
“I woke up in the morning with the idea and had to do it, and it was done by lunch time.”
Around the back of the house is the playhouse with Pokémon and Mario characters, a water feature she made from concrete and more characters to enthral children.
In between, and around the fence, is her productive garden that enables her to be self-sufficient, teach children about food production and give away through the community pantry on the verge that was built by the Menz Shed. Right next to the pantry is the community book library to house children’s books.
You could say it is a community garden.
“It started little and it kind of grew as I got ideas and I got busier and busier. It just keeps on growing. People say there’s no room, but there’s always room.”
When her own children were small, she led them on adventures in the garden and at night the fairies would visit and leave a treasure for them to find. Then there were grandchildren and she included their ideas in her garden.
Thinking back, her grandmother had paths and magical characters in her garden too, so she attributes at least part of it to her genes.
“It’s probably the Irish history. I have to believe in these things and I believe the world has got too serious, so needs some magic.”
She admits she never envisaged the fairytale theme developing quite the way it has, but the reaction from the numerous children who visit has made it all worth it, as well as the notes and drawings left in her letterbox. Some place painted stones in the garden and many of her creations are prompted by suggestions from the youngsters who visit.
She made the garden for children and they now make it special for her.
“Hearing kids in the garden is just magical.”
Parents arrange kids’ birthday parties in her garden and Penny makes fairy bread for the festivities. At times, she has seen up to 50 people in her garden and she points out that the garden is only open to the public when she is home and children need to be supervised as they explore.
She has a collection box where visitors can make a donation to Hospice and so far this year her garden has raised $1,000.
