Gardening advice from a life-long centenarian gardener | Garden Inspiration | Gardening Australia

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Jane visits an incredible centenarian whose life-long love of gardening keeps her active at home and in the community. Subscribe 🔔 http://ab.co/GA-subscribe
Jane visits Nance Esmore, a truly remarkable woman who recently celebrated her 101st birthday. Over the years she’s gathered a lifetime’s worth of plant knowledge, and with help, she independently lives in the same house and garden that she’s looked after for over 50 years. Her vast collection includes award-winning orchids, bromeliads, bulbs, succulents, cyclamen, rhipsalis and tillandsias.

One of Nance’s larger specimens is a tillandsia, estimated to be 35 years old. It is growing in a pipe drilled with holes by her husband. Another, over 20 years old, was sewn onto a little wire basket. Tillandsias generally prefer warm climates so the fact that Nance has so many mature specimens growing outdoors in Melbourne is no mean feat. For tips on tillandsia care, Nance says, “in the summer I just give them a sprinkle with the hose… every now and then I get a styrofoam box without holes, and I fill it with a weak solution and dunk them in, sometimes for half a day… They like east facing, they don’t like west sun because it does burn them. Sometimes when we have a very hot day, I will throw a piece of old towel over to protect them.” When choosing vigorous growers for cooler climates, go for Tillandsia bergeri and Tillandsia ‘Cotton Candy’.

Nance’s garden is filled with baskets, shade houses and structures made by her husband who was an engineer. Nance says he made “everything. All the hooks, he made so many things. Hangers, if you see a hanger somewhere he made them all.” Under the shade of her towering Lophostemen tree is a collection of interesting plants which are decades old, including a rope hoya, the string of dolphins, and a very rare specimen the Ceropegia ampliata named bishops crown for the shape of its flower. Nance says, “I have 76 baskets hanging up in this tree. You wouldn’t believe how… I’d put a pebble in the toe of a panty hose, and I would throw it over a limb, and I’d think, I can hang a basket there.” Always having a flare for unusual plants Nance’s involvement in the Melbourne plant scene really took off when she retired from work and joined several gardening clubs over 40 years ago. “You’re never too old to learn and you learn so much from going to the garden clubs,” says Nance who has made life-long friends through this connection. “You meet a lot of lovely people; I think gardeners are friendly people.”

Upstairs Nance has a collection of ribbons, medals and awards from competitive garden shows including her enormous award-winning cataleya orchid, completely covered in textbook pink blooms. The most prestigious medal awarded to Nance is from the Royal Horticultural Society Victoria; the John Pascoe Fawkner medal. Jane recognises this as the highest in horticulture. Nance says, “I always wanted to be around the garden. I had a patch from when I was about five or six. You come out into the garden you forget everything. It’s a therapy, I feel it’s a therapy.” And although she is now legally blind, Nance is in the garden every day. Nance says, “I can’t see it much, but I just come down and potter around and look at this and look at that. It’s really healthy for you.”

Through her years of wisdom, Nance offers this advice to new gardeners starting out; “If they’ve got a small balcony, just a few pots, that’s how I started out. And you know what, it just grows on you.” Nance generously offers Jane a cutting from her tillandsia and says, “you can put that on a mount… and then you tie (the roots) down, so it holds firm… and that’s in memory of my garden.” Jane has known Nance several years and will treasure this specimen. Jane says, “I’ve always been fascinated by plants and by the people who care for them and isn’t Nance an absolute legend. Her garden reads like an autobiography of a life very well lived; surrounded by plants, in good health, and doing something that you love.”
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34 thoughts on “Gardening advice from a life-long centenarian gardener | Garden Inspiration | Gardening Australia”

  2. That was epic. Thank you. She is a National Treasure. 🫂 I moved to the country 5 years ago and within this past years I have changed the garden so much. People giving me new plants all the time. Even before they said it was a special garden because it was always something blooming but now my plan to increase this to double. Just two days ago I have found Snowflake opened up. When I bought it I was thinking of my childhood back in Hungary. Winter Snowflake. I never thought I can grow it in Northern Rivers but I did. I am so proud of myself. Now I have more ideas what else I can put in and try to grow. Thank you for the inspiration Nance. Wishing you long happy life full of flowers.

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  7. Lovely video to watch Jane. Very inspiring and heart warming to watch Nance plotting along better than myself some days. Best wishes to you Glen Waverley lady. Jason from Melbourne Victoria.

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  15. Nance you're amazing good on you. What a great garden. You are doing what every one of us gardeners hopes we can do to keep gardening to a grand age, and proof that gardening is good for you. Great story Jane.

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  18. Oh, such a treasure, reminds me of my Mum. gone now, but I must've learned some things just from being with her in the garden. Now that I have time, I love being in the garden, as Nance says "It just grows on you" Haha, so true 💚🌿

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  21. Nance you are incredible and so inspiring. Thank you showing us your garden. I think you are still a great teacher showing Jane how to mount the Tilansia from your garden. You have a lot of plant and life wisdom. What a special treat to see your ribbons and to hear about your medal as the top horticulturalist. Wow well done.❤❤❤

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