Green-thumbed Dessi’s winning garden

Published: 

4 December 2024 11:42AM

For Bundaberg teen Dessi, gardening is more than just a hobby—it’s a way to express her creativity and bring her dreams to life. After watching the older kids in her household maintain their plants, she fell in love with gardening at a young age.

‘I have a fairyland in my garden. There are lots of flowers and lots of tiny fairies in there.’

When they moved into their current home, Dessi told her mum, Alison, that she wanted to create a special garden.

‘There was just gravel when we moved in,’ Alison said. “With everybody’s help, we cleared it out and then mixed dirt into the gravel so we could grow plants,’

‘Dessi has been building it up for years. She has no gardening expertise. It’s just trial and error – she plants something and if it lives, it lives.’

‘The garden has changed many times, but she’s finally got it to what she wanted it to look like.’

Dessi has also turned her hand to growing potatoes, chillis and lettuce, and especially enjoys the times she gardens with her mum, which she describes as a bonding experience.

While Dessi’s fairyland may seem like pure fun, she’s quick to point out that gardening requires dedication and hard work. But her message for other young people is to get out and try gardening.

‘It’s hard work. You have to find time and do it all the time, but it’s fun.’

Dessi wanted to create something that was colourful and represented her personality. Her vision and hard work earned her the award for Young Gardener in the 2023 My Home Awards for the Bundaberg region.

My Home Awards

The My Home Awards celebrate connections to home, community and culture, and the positive contributions of Queensland public housing tenants.

The awards encourage tenants to keep active, connect with their neighbours and community, and share their stories and creativity.

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