Our Story
I used to drive past the block of land that is now The Green Folly dreaming of turning it into a garden. I loved the land and the old church. Did you know that the Wesleyan Church (currently our shop) was the first church in Castlemaine?
In March 2017 I contacted the owner and made an offer. Lo and behold 4 weeks later the offer was accepted and so began our story.
In April 2017 we bought the property and gained access. We immediately started the clean up of the property and installing the infrastructure, ie stone walls, water and power. People often ask if there was a plan. There certainly was. In my head. Of course the plan we started with is not what we ended up with, as is so often the case.
From April to January we worked on getting this location ready to move The Green Folly from down the road to here. On 19 January 2018 we opened at this location. The nursery only went to the first stone wall.
The second stage went on later that year with the whole project completed by September 2018. Michael McCoy, the well-known gardenist and Professor Tim Entwistle, Director of Royal Botanical Gardens of Melbourne officially opened The Green Folly on 14 October 2018.
The final part of the vision was to add a cafe to complete the nursery experience – good coffee, delicious cakes and wholesome meals. We have a small cafe garden where we pick fresh herbs, greens and edible flowers for use daily. The cafe operates the same hours as the nursery.
We love The Green Folly and hope you do too. Come visit, we’d love to see you.
Sociana