Gardens of WA: Kingsley Dunstan’s Bullsbrook garden has been 40 years in the making

Kingsley Dunstan’s Bullsbrook garden reflects a long-term vision. Forty years in the making, inspired by books from childhood, this expansive 10-acre (4ha) property with two acres under-garden has evolved steadily, reflecting deep connection to the plant world.

Sometimes, I muse upon the wonderful gardeners of WA and the prescient climate-action work that they quietly perform over time.

Movement through this garden is guided by concrete pathways that meander through a magical oasis. Paths have been hand-laid over the years using remnant broken concrete and bricks, reused as the base material and concrete covered into a practical, informal network. Reptiles and mammals have added their footprints along the pathway. Visitors are drawn through fern-rich areas to open clearings filled with woodland violets, clivia and in-full- bloom red Scarborough lily which draws the eye towards an old tiny home with fireplace.

A long-time member of the WA Fern Society, Kingsley has built much of the garden around palms, ferns and shade-loving plants, many sourced from Fern Society plant sales. In the early years, Kingsley collected fallen seeds along the South Perth foreshore and planted these which have matured into giant palms offering canopy to the ferns below. Over time fallen stumps have become host to beneficial fungi and insects. Fertiliser is used sparingly—“only when I see that a particular plant show signs of nutrient deficiency” says Kingsley — allowing mycorrhiza to do most of the work.

The fern collection plays a major role throughout the garden, including an outstanding Silver Lady fern, the tallest I’ve seen, rising confidently above the ground. Palms provide structure and contrast, while specimens such as the Wollemi pine introduce a rare and ancient presence. Giant Monstera hanging from trees transports visitors to a tropical rainforest. Seasonal change is clearly considered: a mature Rhus tree delivers autumn colour in a dominantly green landscape.

Canopy trees, planted by Kingsley over the years, include Chilean willow, swamp mahogany, eucalypts and tree ferns reaching for the sky.

Wildlife is actively encouraged. Water bowls are positioned at ground level to ensure access for quendas, turtles, birds, lizards and snakes.

One of the most distinctive spaces is a naturally occurring cathedral of paperbarks, located beside a “wetland resource enhancement area”. Closely spaced architectural trunks rise overhead, creating a quiet that only nature can offer, while supporting the surrounding ecosystem and in complete contrast to the lush, cool green of the man-made fern garden one leaves behind.

Throughout the garden, wrought iron furniture in every hue appears at thoughtful intervals. Collected over many years, these pieces provide informal places to sit, pause, and consider what lies ahead.

Clicking frogs bid us farewell. I’m left to contemplate, with hope in my heart, that as suburbia rapidly encroaches upon the unique microclimate that has been created, where the temperature is about 10C cooler, that Kingsley Dunstan’s Bullsbrook garden of significance, where people, plants and wildlife co-exist, will be preserved as a protected place of sanctuary for the displaced creatures that urban sprawl will inevitably impact.