The Tatura Gardening Club president has lived in four properties across Tatura over the past two decades, and has spent hours cultivating a beautiful garden in each one.
“When I first left home, I had a little tiny flat and filled it with indoor plants . . . it was an addiction, and it grew from there,” Ms Carter said.
“Our first house in Tatura was two acres and a paddock, and I gardened all of that - apart from work, I don't do anything else.”
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Now 18 months in to living in what is hopefully her final property, Ms Carter's latest garden is starting to take shape.
“I'm trying to do different coloured foliage, and evergreen ground cover that's tough,” she said.
“In spring and summer the garden beds are full and it comes to life, but in winter there's still colour.”
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Magnolias, capital pears and crepe myrtles line the front of the house, packed into a delightful flowerbed in the centre of the driveway.
“I'm crazy, I hand dug the whole thing, put in trucks of mulch,” Ms Carter said.
“The soil was horrible clay, but in this area you've got to plant things that like the dirt.”
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At the back of the house, circles of flowerbeds surround a gazebo adorned with hanging plants and a large expanse of grass.
Ms Carter said varieties were selected based on the colours they would bring to the garden, and their sturdy nature in the tough conditions of the Goulburn Valley.
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“Every garden I've started with nothing there, and then I eventually open to the public to show a garden that's achievable,” she said.
“I know shade and how to promote colour. When this garden is full, there will be shrubs that flower all year round.
“Gardens need to rest . . . but you have to have some evergreens, bulbs that still flower throughout the year.”
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Daffodils grown from cuttings sit by small shrubs of azaleas and Japanese maples in lush shades of burgundy, while Christmas shrubs in white and pink complement Japanese lanterns in hues of orange, red and yellow.
Along the side of her house is a native garden of shrubs and flowers, which is wonderful for attracting birdlife in the afternoons.
Her favourite flowers, though, are salvias.
“I've got salvias everywhere,” Ms Carter said.
“You can't beat salvias in this climate.
“There's so many different sorts of salvias . . . and they're so tough, they take the heat."
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Among the salvias and natives are unique structures littered throughout Ms Carter's garden beds, a source of excitement for herself and her grandchildren.
“I love old rustic things,” Ms Carter said.
“And the kids love it, I like to hide things in the garden for them . . . that's what I want it for, a beautiful space for the children.”
Ms Carter is determined that if you have enough passion and a trowel, anyone can be a gardener.
“This isn't the same house as when we bought it, it was all grass with no garden beds - I created it all,” she said.
“But now this garden is mostly self-care with trimming once a year and occasional watering.
“It doesn't matter if you've got one pot on the verandah and you love it - you're a gardener.”
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16°C