Sophie’s patch

Challenging conditions make you a better gardener, according to Sophie Thomson, gardening consultant, author, columnist and presenter on ABC TV’s Gardening Australia program. “After all, 90 per cent of Australia has harsh, arid conditions,” she says. “So if you want to have a garden, you have to learn to work with a bit of adversity.”

Sophie’s own garden surrounds Hamlyn Cottage, the 1847 Heritage-listed stone house she shares with her husband, Richard Elson, and five teenaged children. The three-acre property is on the “dry side” of the Adelaide Hills, which she estimates receives two inches (50 millimetres) less rain than the city. Sophie’s patch also experiences extremes of heat and cold that are more exaggerated with each passing