Green fingers or global warming? – Story: Marie Pietersz, Melbourne: Photo credits: Dirckze No, you are not seeing things. It is actually a papaw tree laden with fruit, thriving in the Melbourne cold, where normally it would call sunny northern Australia home. Springvale residents Aubrey and Patsy Dirckze are avid gardeners of all things tropical. Reminds them of growing up in Sri Lanka and being able to enjoy some Sri Lankan cuisine in Melbourne, they tell me, smiling. “I always loved gardening, but I didn’t have the right conditions to do so in Sri Lanka, due to full-time work and smaller garden space,” says Aubrey, “but coming to Melbourne I was able to make those dreams come true, with my own home and a nice sized garden.” Aubrey reflects on his papaw tree story: “One day I was eating a ripe papaw I purchased from the Springvale market ...

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