John Hall is a driven businessman that has a passion for Web3, marketing, and travel. John and business partner Joel Lawlor just acquired The Paddock at Ulupna. 180 acres of stunning Australian bushland make up the gorgeous getaway known as The Paddock.
Cactus country is how big?
Explore our 12 acres of gardens, take the best Instagram shots, bring home a cactus, and spice up your visit with some Mexican food at our Caf/Bar.
How ancient is the cactus nation?
When Jim Halls was a child, his father’s collection inspired his love of cactus. He noticed that visitors to his father’s garden were genuinely fascinated by the many shapes and hues of the plants in his collection. There was no way anyone else was going to buy them when Jim’s father chose to sell his collection in 1979, so this was an opportunity not to be missed. So they bought the collection three months before Jim was set to wed Julie, a local schoolteacher who had no prior gardening experience.
They took care of the plants on their 3-acre property for the following four years, gently growing new seed and putting larger specimens in the ground to help them develop more quickly. Of course, they still needed to earn a living, so Jim continued to prune in the winter while Julie continued to teach in the neighborhood orchards. Jim found this to be a challenging period since he saw a tremendous potential to create a cactus and succulent garden for visitors but lacked the funds to support the designs. He put in a lot of effort, even trying to make money by cultivating strawberries and tomatoes in order to support his idea.
The property was a peach orchard when Jim and Julie bought it four years later; they destroyed the trees and started establishing the gardens. They bought a second collection from Mr. Ed Kroemer in 1984. Mr. Kroemer was a bachelor from Loxton, South Australia, who had traversed the world collecting cacti. In his will, he stipulated that his collection should be preserved as a whole after his death. It took his siblings more than a year to locate someone who could grant their brothers’ wishes. We want Ed would be content in their new house. Spikes and Blooms was formally inaugurated on October 21, 1988, by Mr. Ken Jasper, MLA. Since then, Cactus Country has been the official name of the gardens, which have expanded from a half-acre to over eight acres.
On the outside margins of the current garden, you will see the additional additions that are being made. Jim’s vision is still very much a reality, and it’s expanding. In the future, you’ll undoubtedly hear a lot more about Cactus Country. We sincerely hope you enjoy your time here and gain a deeper understanding of these amazing plants known as cacti and succulents.