By Jenel Hunt
Morwenna Harslett loves plants. That’s pretty obvious, because she has run the Stanthorpe business Cherry Lane Nursery for nearly 10 years. But she also loves sailing, local history, singing, playing the violin and a host of other activities.
And now the day has dawned when she has decided that soon she will close the nursery’s gates to give herself some time and space to follow some of her other loves.
“When you’re an employee you get Long Service Leave, but small business owners don’t really get the chance for much time off,” she said.
And time to do something different is what she truly wants. Morwenna is in full adventurer mode and will spend this winter scuba diving and sailing in Sardinia then head over to Switzerland to go trekking in the alps.
Cherry Lane will remain open for the influx of bare-rooted trees in late June-early July but will be probably be closed by the time spring buds start to appear.
Because she’s not selling the business, Morwenna won’t be leaving her home and says that the future will hold a different sort of business for the nursery site. The beautiful little lake and garden to one side of the nursery will be showcased in some way … but that won’t happen for a while yet.
“In spring I will be looking after my own garden instead of talking to people about theirs,” she said.
“Once I decide what the future will hold I might still sell plants at times or just have a beautiful garden,” she said.
“But those decisions are for when I get back from my Long Service Leave.“
There’s one thing she’s bloomin’ sure of – plants will always feature in her life.
