THE Casterton Community Garden is now home to a rather unusual species of wildlife, its latest tenant joining the newly-constructed arbour at the garden entrance.

Garden project initiator, Renee Killey said Casterton P&A Society president, Troy Robbins, had approached the garden team and offered the owl as a donation from the organisation.

“Troy just asked if we’d like the owl on display in the garden,” she said.

Mr Robbins said the owl was a relic from a carving event at the show several years ago.

“It’s been sitting in the shed for eight years,” he said.

Further work to spruce up the garden site will continue in the new year, following the completion of the construction of the arbour - a joint project between the Rotary Club of Casterton and Casterton Primary School's Hands on Learning teams.

The arbour has been fitted out with planter boxes and grapevines, to provide some greenery and the construction team visited the garden last week, to view the finished project.

While additional decorations to the arbour are still to come, a shade sail as cover for the neighbouring picnic bench is also in the works, as well as a new surface to replace the surrounding grass area and negate the effects of muddy surroundings brought on by rain.

And the Great Escape Garden Centre's produce swap, held on Saturday morning, continues to contribute to the garden.

A new retractable hose reel is now installed on the site, purchased with proceeds from the produce swap.

Ms Killey also said the team was intending to hold an event late next month, which would showcase the latest work put into the garden.

“We want to have an unofficial opening on 29 January,” she said.