Spice WORLD

Ever wondered what a genuine herb and spice merchant’s garden looks like? Step on in…

- Cat Woods

Maria Konecsny is the co-founder of Gewürzhaus Herb & Spice Merchants along with her sister, Eva. There are five stores in Melbourne, two in Sydney and one in Canberra. The most recent store to open was launched in December in Sydney’s Castle Hill.

Needless to say, Maria’s a busy woman and so her garden provides both sustenance and sanctuary. Together with her husband and son, she lives in Healesville in Victoria, where for the past five years they've maintained a beautiful three-quarter-acre (0.3-hectare) garden on the banks of the Graceburn Creek.

“The garden was established by the previous owner about 10 years ago, so the trees were semi-mature and most of the garden beds were established,” Maria says. “On the whole, they did a great job of laying out the garden and landscaping. The owner had a great fondness for buddleja — we counted about 20 throughout the garden, many of which we’ve removed.”

Maria’s grandmother and great-grandmother had instilled in her a deep passion for baking, cooking and nourishing with food. In fact, Maria’s mother, Gabi, is a silent partner in Gewürzhaus and remains passionate about food and flavour. The desire to build a garden that nourishes stemmed from her food and flavour-rich family heritage.