If you haven’t dropped by Karuna House lately, you’re in for a very pleasant surprise!
In the space of a couple of months, what was a dry and dusty wasteland at the front of Karuna House has been transformed into a magnificent Queensland garden including hundreds of plants generously donated by John Hawkins of Hawkins Home and Garden Centre. The flora ranges in size from a grand Magnolia tree and splendid Cuban Royal palms to what will be delicate little lotus flowers floating in an attractive central fountain when completed.
Designed by heritage architect Desley Campbell-Stewart and constructed by Lindsay Pratt of Harmony Landscapes, the new gardens provide a truly magnificent setting for our 19th century homestead, Karuna House, formerly known as Rosemount Villa. Of course Rosemount is no stranger to beautiful gardens especially rose gardens from which the property is originally thought to have taken its name. (In fact one of the original heritage listed rose gardens still remains on the property to this day.)
Mr Alfred Jones lived at Rosemount in the 1880’s when the property’s spacious 75 acres sprawled from Lutwyche Road right down to the banks of Breakfast Creek along what is now Cartwright St. He became famous throughout the colony for his impressive bush houses with their fine selection of native orchids, tree ferns and staghorns which were found and collected for him by the local Turrbul aboriginal people from the then virgin bush of adjacent Kelvin Grove.
The grand carriage way which once led up to the front entrance of Rosemount Villa from Lutwyche Road in the 19th century has been partially re-created in the new garden at Karuna House by an avenue of stately Cuban Royal palms.
Poinciana, frangipani and yellow flame trees have been set off with generous plantings of camellia, cordyline, gardenia, mock orange, agapanthus and jasmine throughout the new gardens. A Buddhist Stupa is planned as a feature outside the reception area in the not too distant future. A stupa is a monument common throughout Buddhist culture which represents the qualities of an enlightened mind (eg wisdom and compassion). Such monuments are beautifully crafted and
decorated to inspire and uplift us.
