A love for gardening

Cumberland View is proudly situated on 34 acres, making our village one of Melbourne’s most iconic retirement living communities in the south-east. One of the unique features of our village is the green open space and abundance of native flora for residents to enjoy.

For village resident, Wendy Mein, making the move to Cumberland View was strongly influenced by the gardens. ‘I chose to move into the village because of the 34 acres of beautiful parkland,’ she says. ‘For me having a vegetable garden is a great asset, not only for the year-round fresh produce but there is great friendship and camaraderie amongst the plot holders, who have regular weeding, planting, propagating and watering to do.’

With an active and growing gardening group, the conservatory in our village provides a relaxed space for avid gardeners to maintain plants and their very own vegetable plots too.

Wendy shares that having the vegetable garden often means that residents are social amongst each other and often share produce too. ‘I am very involved with the Vegetable Garden Group,’ she says. ‘We’ve raised funds from the sale of rhubarb and other vegetables over the past 3 years which has allowed us to build more than a dozen new vegetable garden beds.’ Wendy tells us that some of the produce from her vegetable garden includes snow peas, chard, silver beet, butterbeans, zucchini, pumpkin, tomatoes, potatoes, rhubarb and raspberries.

‘The conservatory is a calm peaceful haven filled with many beautiful plants, especially a wonderful collection of orchids looked after by Thelma, our orchid guru,’ Wendy says.

The conservatory is open for all residents and their families and friends who visit the village.

 

Cumberland View also has a Garden Lovers group who actively get together and share gardening knowledge, exchange plants, hear from guest speakers at resident meetings, host workshops, and take trips to visit other gardens outside the village.

For many residents like Wendy, being part of the garden groups at the village is about more than just gardening, it’s about getting outdoors, staying active, and socialising. ‘For me and many others in our village, gardening contributes greatly to our productivity, social interaction and mental stimulation,’ she says. ‘For some of our gardeners, this is an important factor in preventing loneliness.’

Every resident who moves into the village, and has a passion for gardening, is encouraged to plant in their own private garden space. ‘Our village is very open, and we are lucky to have more garden space than most other villages,’ says Wendy. ‘There are several kilometres of paths and trails within the safety of our village and being able to exercise in the fresh air has many benefits.’

To find out more about gardening in our village or to book a tour, please contact our friendly team on 03 9795 9166.