The Prop Garden
- Annemarie Bolduc
- Oct 18, 2023
- 6 min read
Updated: Sep 22
How a backyard becomes a creative studio, turning food and flowers into endless props.
Every gardener begins with good intentions of growing organic food. For me, it started as a hobby but soon became part of my creative work. I now think of my backyard as a “prop garden” and a place where I grow seasonal ingredients and plants for recipe testing, photography, and storytelling. Living in Tumbarumba, in the High Country of New South Wales, I was inspired by the foods that thrive in this region. Growing them deepened my love for cooking and photography, and eventually led to awards, magazine features, and now my first cookbook (to be published in 2026). If you’re keen to grow produce for food photography, art projects, or simply the joy of capturing your harvest, this article is for you. A prop garden keeps you connected to nature while feeding your creativity, and the first lesson is simple: learn from your mistakes and experiences.
Playing with produce • Photography © Matt Beaver/Bottle and Brush Studio 2021
STARTING YOUR GARDEN
Spring is the best time to start or refresh your garden. Focus on culinary herbs, perennials, edible crops and colourful ornamentals that attract pollinators, and avoid high-maintenance or invasive plants that give little in return. When we moved in, our yard was already established with old-school ornamentals, eclectic trees and bushes. I added raised beds for veggies, since the ground was full of roots, and found that shade suited greens and berries, while full sun was perfect for corn, beans, tomatoes and sunflowers. Over time, I kept much of the garden’s original charm but replaced some edging plants with fruit trees and native bushes, giving the space more purpose. Restoring an old garden is challenging, but starting from scratch gives you the freedom to design your prop garden however you like. If space is tight, try vertical growing or pots. A diverse mix will give you fresh ingredients and props all year round, and sometimes, the garden itself becomes the perfect shoot location.
Gardens all around the house • Photography © Bottle and Brush Studio/Matt Beaver 2021
TIME-SAVING IDEAS
Creative projects can easily take over your time, and gardening on top of it can feel like a lot. Supporting local growers at co-ops and markets is always an option, but if you’re here, you probably want to grow at least a little yourself. The good news is that it gets easier with time, and many plants are both low-maintenance and high-yielding. I’ll share some of my favourites at the end of this article. Neighbours are often the best allies! From my experience, most gardeners love swapping seeds, plants and advice. Diversity and companion planting not only make your garden more beautiful, but also save you trouble with pests and diseases. Chickens, if you can keep them, are wonderful helpers: they fertilise, control pests, scratch the soil, and of course, give you fresh eggs (plus plenty of photo opportunities). Above all, time in the garden is never wasted. Whether you’re planting, weeding, sketching, or simply breathing, it’s a chance to step away from the desk, stretch your body, and let new ideas grow alongside your plants.
Life in the backyard • Photography © Matt Beaver/Bottle and Brush Studio 2021
MAKING THINGS EASY A natural vibe keeps the garden low-stress without letting it run wild. Clear debris, hand-weed, and mulch well to retain moisture and limit pests. Prune as you go, snipping a sprig, bloom, or branch when needed. Watering in the early morning sets a good rhythm, while weeding after rain saves your back. I let plants like borage, calendula, parsley, and coriander self-seed wherever they please. Their volunteer seedlings often outcompete weeds, and their edible flowers brighten salads, desserts, and drinks. Some herbs, like mint and bay, behave better in pots, but most thrive anywhere. I like to keep them near the patio so they’re always at hand for cooking or photos. Easy to grow, full of flavour, and perfect for garnishing plates, herbs are the true essentials of any prop garden.
Let culinary herbs rule • Photography © Bottle and Brush Studio 2019-21
THE BENEFITS OF HOMEGROWN FOOD
Starting from seed lets you grow unusual fruit and veggie varieties, often in colours and shapes you’d never find at the supermarket. When harvesting for a photo, you don’t just get the produce - you also get flowers, vines, leaves, and stems that show the season’s real character. Organically grown food may not look flawless, but it’s chemical-free, healthy, and authentic. And if a blemish bothers you, digital photography can work its magic. Some years the harvest is abundant, other years less so. That’s why variety is useful - even if a crop fails, you’ll still have leaves or flowers that can bring life to a composition. Growing food takes time, but with a bit of discipline and flexibility, it can fit into your routine. Don’t grow more than you can use, and if space is limited, explore other options: visit farms, try “pick-your-own” orchards, or join a community garden. Local growers may even share or swap produce when they know it’s destined for creative work. And who knows, your photos might lead to new opportunities!
Homegrown produce photography • Photography © Bottle and Brush Studio 2020-22
Must-have perennial:
• Culinary herbs for the flavour and finishing visual impact. They are mostly low-maintenance, drought-tolerant and make beautiful flowers that attract bees. Ensure you have chives, parsley, rosemary, thyme, tarragon, sage, and oregano.
• Berry bushes suitable for your climate will fruit every year and, with time, give you a big yield. Berries are at their best when freshly picked. Raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries are classic, and try currants, gooseberries, and elderberries. Use strawberries as ground cover and enjoy them all summer.
• Trees can be planted in a large backyard, but some will do very well in a pot when space is an issue. Bay and citrus are often used in cooking and make great additions. You can find great use in all fruit trees, but some, like stone fruits, require more attention and protection. If your projects have cultural storytelling, find exotic trees that relate to your subjects.
• Vines. Grapes (table and wine) and hops are useful in fine food and beverage compositions, especially in still life photography. Use the fruits, leaves and vines and keep the branches to make wreaths or dynamic backdrops after pruning in late winter.
• Flowers are the best indicator for the season if you add a floral bouquet to a table. Spring bulbs, perennial flower bushes and drought/frost-tolerant natives do not require much attention once established. Some flowers are great for drying; some are edible and make a stunning-looking salad or cake topping.
Must-have annual:
• Garlic, Elephant Garlic, leek & spring onions. In Australia, you can have different alliums in the yard all year long. If you grow your own garlic, save some cloves to seed for another crop, as you’ll never want to buy imported garlic again. Elephant garlic (which is a leek) is ornamental and delicious with its big ball flowers and giant, mild-tasting cloves.
• Coriander & dill are my favourite annual herbs; they make delicious fresh herbs before going to beautiful flowers and great pickling seeds. You buy a pack of seeds only once, as you can collect them and save some for cooking and sowing.
• Beans are awesome, and many varieties of snap beans can be used as shellies and shelled beans. Runner beans are the magic ones that grow tall and look amazing on a tipi. In cool climate zones, they can be perennials (and this is not a myth, as I have one!).
• Summer and winter squashes require space, but so worth it. If you cannot do pumpkin, you must at least grow a zucchini plant that will feed you all summer and make you go creative in the kitchen, as this vegetable is more than versatile.
• Tomatoes. There is rarely a veggie garden without tomatoes. Although high maintenance, they can be very productive, especially the cherry varieties. Try different sizes, shapes and colours for high impact in harvest produce basket photography.
• Potatoes. Growing your own is great as you can choose a greater range of varieties and colours to suit your kitchen and photography needs!
• All leafy greens are easy to grow and useful for salads, sides, pesto, etc. Silverbeet, perpetual spinach, roquette and kale can be grown year-round in most Australian climates. Pick leaves when you need them so they keep fresh and firm for your recipes and photos.
Styling food for photography • Photography © Matt Beaver 2021
Coming up: DIY food photography studio and prop styling at a low budget. Interested in a workshop or coaching? Sign up for my newsletter and get in touch for enquiries.
