Garden’s new face

By Kelly Yates
A FAMOUS garden in Narre Warren dubbed “the magical garden” is being dismantled by its owners due to continued damage by vandals.
Max and Frances Miller said it was disheartening to see the damage by the vandals over the years.
The couple recall a teenager burning down a Hansel and Gretel inspired house which was in the garden last June.
“Vandals also smashed a sign we had in the front and thieves stole a tunnel and a castle Max had made,” Mrs Miller said.
The couple moved into the Heyington Circle house in 1998, saying there was nothing but a couple of trees in the original garden.
Mrs Miller said her husband’s ideas for the magical ‘inspired’ garden sparked from a house he remembered seeing when he was a child.
“Apparently he used to peep through the fence to have a look at this house,” she said.
“He had always wanted something similar so when he got the chance, he set out to recreate it.”
The garden transformation started with Mr Miller creating a unique fence with colourful shutters attached to it. “Once he created the fence, the rest of the garden followed on and he was on a rolL,” she said.
Mrs Miller described their colourful garden as a “fairy garden”, with features such as a large mushroom statue and a yellow brick road.
“Everyone would use the house to pin-point place,” she said. “They would call it the fancy house, with one lady once thinking it was a kindergarten.”
Many people have stopped to admire the pair’s garden, with some even taking photographs. “We used to have a seat on the corner and people would stop and have a rest on it,” she said.
Mrs Miller said designing and constructing the garden was a passion for her husband.
Mr Miller, 66, is now working on re-creating the garden which is set to include a mural on the fence and a rose arbour featuring red, pink, yellow and white roses.
“Due to his health conditions it will take a bit of time to complete but the new garden will be a lot easier to maintain,” Mrs Miller said.