Mrs Harrison has been named as a finalist in Gardening Australia magazine’s Gardener of the Year competition, with the winner to be announced next month.

A reader of the magazine and fan of the television program for many years, Mrs Harrison entered her garden at Nashdale.

The garden is an attraction of Orange Highland Wines and Gardens, which also has vineyards and a cellar door.

“The cellar door has given us the opportunity to share the garden with other people. For me, that’s important,” she said.

The property was a former apple and pear orchard when Mrs Harrison and her husband bought it.

There was only one tree on the property and the soil was in poor condition.

“It surprises me how quickly it has come together. The thing that I really miss is large trees. They’ve grown a lot in the last couple of years,” Mrs Harrison said.

There is an emphasis in the garden on minimising water use.

A series of garden “rooms” showcase Mrs Harrison’s love for both cool climate plants and design, which was developed when she lived in the Adelaide Hills in the 1990s.

Mrs Harrison said she was pleased the garden had come through the harsh November heatwave and dry conditions relatively unscathed.

“It’s really good at this point in time when it’s been so dry and we’ve managed to keep things alive,” she said.