Weekends with the Sunshine Gardening Society

Weekends with the Sunshine Gardening Society by Sophie Green is a book about friendship, hope, community and the love of gardening. It is set in Noosa on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, a settlement by the sea and the national park and with a warm climate throughout the year - a great place for people to live and relax and enjoy the world around them. It is also a place where people can reflect on past events and determine their future.

The story, set in 1987, is about Cynthia, Lorraine, Elizabeth and Kathy as they work together with Barb and Shirl to help bring gardens back to life. The garden club, first established in the 1950s, was once a thriving group of women who enjoyed time in the garden, but now only Barb and Shirl remain. However when they are asked to help Elizabeth with her garden the membership of the group is revitalised.

We gradually learn of the stories of the four younger women, the challenges to be faced and decisions to be made. As they begin to enjoy the experience of gardening, friendships form and they all benefit from the support offered by new friends and the chance for a break from daily concerns.  

Each chapter of the book features a month as the narrative progresses and the name of a plant grown in the area.