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Eagles' Bluff - Garden in The Hills

Eagles’ Bluff – Garden in The Hills

Carolyn Robinson is a modest, yet brilliant plantswoman who has developed her second large country garden in a secluded spot near the Bluff River Wilderness area where she and her husband Peter live. You may remember an older post on her garden but as I’ll soon have another article, in October Australian House and Garden magazine, I thought you might like a sneak preview.

Spiky spheres of Yuccaro…

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  We could learn a lot about how, as gardeners, we shouldn’t take take ourselves too seriously. British gardeners and designers are seriously good at not being too serious!’

Join Kim Woods Rabbidge for an evening of visual inspiration travelling (virtually) through some of the loveliest, and most whimsical gardens in Scotland and England. See why hundreds of thousands of visitors are drawn there every year, and what we can learn from their passion for beautiful, man made landscapes.’

Tuesday Talks organised by Friends Brisbane Botanic Gardens and Sherwood Arboretum

The Whimsy of Gardens in the UK – Tuesday Talk We could learn a lot about how, as gardeners, we shouldn’t take take ourselves too seriously. British gardeners and designers are seriously good at not being too serious!’

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  A cool nook for a warm day.

When yoga teacher Gabrielle Moore, and her husband Stephen, moved to their Bexhill garden, in Northern New South Wales thirteen years ago, it was planted with trees ‘popular in the eighties’. Both a Golden Rain tree, and an African Tulip tree, now known as weeds, have been removed, but the poinciana and leopard trees remain. “I wouldn’t have planted the leopard tree where it is but we work with it”, Gabrielle says. Its canopy, and the poinciana provide protection for the shade lovers in the entrance garden.

Strelitzia

Megaskepasma erythrochlamys – such a long name (aka Brazilian Red Cloak) – and an alcanterea.

Medinilla and New Guinea Impatiens.

With shady spots, filtered light and pathways, it’s Gabrielle’s favourite section – partly because she can potter for hours out of the sun.

Gabrielle planted some of the trees she’d become familiar with when living in Lismore: Brachychiton bidwillii, Ivory Curl trees, (Buckinghamia celsissma), sysygium and Atherton oak are some of the smaller, shallow rooted Australian trees better suited to a home garden. Fern leaved tamarind (Sarcotoechia serratais) is a favourite of Wompoo Fruit doves that love to nest in them.

Beautiful views to the north.

Summer’s destination.

When you wind your way to the other side of the home the landscape is a complete contrast. The view north spans valleys and hills across neighbouring farmland to national parks in the distance. So not to impede this aspect, planting is confined to the lower sections below an expansive lawn.

It’s here Gabrielle has concentrated on mainly Australian natives, although exotics are welcome of course – especially when they attract more birds to her garden. “I’m planting more prickly shrubs for little birds to give them more protection,” she says.

The ultimate Man’s Shed.

On the front lawn is also “the best ‘Man Shed’ ever” – Steve’s very own observatory. Although he’s actually a physician, Steve ‘moonlights’ as an amateur astronomer, and has completed a Masters degree in astronomy. Gabrielle says when he retires, he’ll be very busy – especially with his astro photography. His photos remind her of Monet’s paintings. “For men, the observatory is such an entrée into a conversation.”

For Gabrielle, watching plants respond in her delightful subtropical garden is her constant pleasure.

Pretty in pink: Leptospermum and lily pillie’s new shoots.

Bees’ bounty – leptospermum

Melastroma Alessandra – a sweet, prolifically flowering shrub

Yin and Yang: Gabrielle Moore’s Bexhill Garden When yoga teacher Gabrielle Moore, and her husband Stephen, moved to their Bexhill garden, in Northern New South Wales thirteen years ago, it was planted with trees ‘popular in the eighties’.

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Chetwynd

A lorikeet enjoys the grevillea flowers.

It’s winter in Brisbane, the sun is shining and finally after good late summer, and early winter rains gardens are alive with colour.

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Weekend Jaunt to New England

Weekend Jaunt to New England

Xanthorrhoeas gracing landscape along Paradise Road between Guyra and Inverell near the site where Tom Roberts painted ‘Bailed Up’. 

Recently I joined a group from the Australian Garden History Association for an autumn jaunt visiting some fascinating properties and gardens near Inverell, North West New South Wales.

We drove along one of the most picturesque roads stopping first at the historic…

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Let’s visit SPAIN & MOROCCO To download the fabulous 22 day itinerary for October 2017 visit Opulent Journeys, or reply to this post and I'll send one.    Plus - there's still time to book for our Gardens & Galleries tour to Japan in May.                                                                                                                                            

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Like to come to Japan in May 2016? We'll explore Great Gardens, Galleries - and much more.

Like to come to Japan in May 2016? We’ll explore Great Gardens, Galleries – and much more.

Spring in Japan

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Scampston Hall Walled Garden designed by Piet Oudolf

Join me, Kim Woods Rabbidge, this June for twenty three glorious days visiting a diverse range of exceptional gardens, castles and stately homes in beautiful settings.

The tour has been meticulously organised by Quadrant Australia.

For more details:

For a brochure and booking form: www.quadrantaustralia.com

Contact: Kerry Moss, Outbound Operations Manager

Ph. 1300 301 128   E: kerry@quadrantaustralia.com

P.S. Watch this space for details shortly on my tour to South America this September/October!

Come touring! Glorious Gardens of Britain, plus Hampton Court Palace Flower Show Join me, Kim Woods Rabbidge, this June for twenty three glorious days visiting a diverse range of exceptional gardens, castles and stately homes in beautiful settings.

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Like to join Holly Kerr Forsyth and Kim Woods Rabbidge for a very special tour beginning in Tokyo next May? Holly, who has lived in Japan, has chosen her favourite cultural landscapes for our tour.

Email kimwr@bigpond.com if you’d like the reservation form.

Flyer – Great Gardens of Japan 2016

  Great Gardens of Japan Tour May 2016 Like to join Holly Kerr Forsyth and Kim Woods Rabbidge for a very special tour beginning in Tokyo next May?

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Kim and I have visited some of Australia’s most beautiful gardens. Common to each is that extra dimension of design. A well placed pot can make an emphatic statement.

Terracotta urn

Simple yet classic: a well placed urn softened with prostrate Juniper.

Visiting gardens is a joy. We take home inspiration for our own gardens – ‘I can do that too’.  Sometimes we lament – ‘oh I don’t have the rainfall, I don’t have the soil…’ – that’s where pots come into their own.

Both water and soil can be easily modified; and choosing a hardy plant is crucial to success.

Zamia furfuracea.

Mandevilla flowers well in confined spaces.

Plenty of space for this palm.

Villa Botanica, Airlie Beach in Queensland

Pots with hardy cycads.

Raised pots mark the perimeter and frame the views from this expansive garden.

Eclectica

A quirky collection of cactus and tchotchkes.

An eclectic grouping of pots works if limited to confined areas.

Context is also important: what works in a grand garden is not necessarily right for the simpler garden.

Powerscourt garden

Powerscourt garden in County WIcklow south of Dublin is 19 hectres (47 acres) of gardens complementing a grand Palladian house.

Visits to grand gardens illustrate the lessons of scale and harmony.

Smaller, domestic gardens cannot replicate the grandeur of the larger gardens without becoming pretentious or fussy.

A single urn, placed in a green wall in a quiet area, is noticed and has an impact because of its simplicity and the lack of competing elements. This could even be a finial from a demolished building. Bonus points for recycling!

This nicely restrained example of a focal point with impact is in Musk Farm, the beautiful garden of the late Stuart Rattle, near Daylesford in Victoria.

Elsewhere in Stuart Rattle’s garden he employed symmetry and balance, with the view from the house centred on interesting, well chosen pots.

Terracotta collection.

A nest of pots.

Nests of pots (terracotta is always a good idea) hold mini kitchen gardens. Here they’re placed close to taps – and not too far away from the kitchen.

We hope you enjoyed these few suggestions – there are more to come!

You can follow us on Facebook and Instagram – Our Australian Gardens, and Design Downunder

Pots in Place Kim and I have visited some of Australia's most beautiful gardens. Common to each is that extra dimension of design.

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For details about a wonderful tour in April 2016 with Holly Kerr Forsyth and Kim Woods Rabbidge click on the link below.

The iconic Eagles Nest

Bhutan Trip 2016

Bhutan Botanic Garden

Is Bhutan on your ‘must-see’ list? For details about a wonderful tour in April 2016 with Holly Kerr Forsyth and Kim Woods Rabbidge click on the link below.

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‘Crossroads’, Ian Barker’s entry at the 2015 Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show (MIFGS), was a crowd favourite – and justifiably so. A lawn path, bordered by a frenzy of cornflowers, led into a secluded grey-blue terraced court where a luscious palette of perennials enclosed a reflective pond.

Come hither through my cornflower field. An ephemeral MIFGS landscape.

Hardscaping contrasts strikingly with the soft perennial palette.

Cornflowers evoke a sense of whimsy.

Presented by Australian House & Garden, Crossroads was inspired after Ian Barker Gardens’ 2014 entry at MIFGS failed to reach the heights Ian had hoped for. So they contemplated whether to follow their passion and design another naturalistic garden, or pursue a more conventional approach – perhaps focusing more on hardscaping and a limited plant selection.

Stacked bluestone bench set amongst soft plantings.

A painted steel doorway leads into the terraced court area.

Luckily for the visitors they threw caution into the wind and lavished visitors’ with a sensory treat of unusual, richly textured plants. It wasn’t judged ‘Best in Show’ (we’ll share the winning ‘Quietude’ with you later), however a Gold Medal was really well deserved – plus it won the Horticultural Media Association Award for ‘Best Use of Plant Life’.

Tapestry of green

Draped foliage of Betula utilis var. jacqumontii and Pyrus betulaefolia ‘Southworth Dancer’ added elegance and filtered light, while Waterhousea floribunda and Magnolia grandiflora ‘Greenback’ formed deep green banks.

Both burgundy coloured Sambucus ‘Black lace’ and Physocarpus ‘Diabolo’ made deep highlights amongst lush verdant foliage. Green banks of varying textures included Rodgersia sambucifolia and Asarum canadense. Ian hopes plants like Podophyllum ‘Spotty Dotty’ will come back into favour in gardens.

Stands of Miscanthus ‘Flamingo’ were punctuation marks, contrasting with varying burgundy, purple and red flowering plants. Flower capsules of Sanguisorba ‘Cangsham Cranberry’ are bright capsules of colour and Sanguisorba ‘Tanna’ are sweet little button flowers floating above the leaves.

‘Granito Grey’ paving interspersed with strips of bluestone.

Plants softening paving recesses.

Ian Barker

Mini spires of Persicaria affinis are bright sparks growing in pockets by the black reflective pond, and decorative laser cut cubes make ideal garden seats.

Ian Barker’s ‘Crossroads’

Non-gardeners would also come under the spell of Crossroads – surely finding the  the seasonal changes enchanting and exciting.

Reflective pond.

The reflective pond was added to bring tranquility and a sense of peace.

Angelica gigas

Dramatic, deeply coloured umbels of Angelica float above the green sea of foliage.

This inspiring garden celebrated plants, with a happy juxtaposition of foliage and flowers, and cool toned pavers and benches. Keep true to your passion Ian – we love what you do.

Crossroads: Ian Barker’s MIFGS garden 'Crossroads', Ian Barker's entry at the 2015 Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show (MIFGS), was a crowd favourite - and justifiably so.

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When Eamonn Katter visited South Australia’s Clare Valley during the summer he discovered a family vineyard that has stood the test of time.

The winery has a serene ambiance, a spiritual place full of religious iconography set into gardens encompassing both new and historic plantings.

Greater Clare Valley Region.

The Clare Valley, famous for its wine, has over 40 wineries. Situated approximately 100 kilometres north of Adelaide’s city centre, the valley was first explored in the 1830s, and by the 1840s settlers attracted by the potential of good farmland settled the region bringing with them the first vines.

The valley has a charming, far from the madding crowd, feel nestled amongst the Mount Lofty Ranges. With winding poplar-lined roads, historic homes and quaint gardens, it’s a place where real-world stresses are quickly forgotten and visitors feel shielded from the ravages of time and tide.

Ruins amidst the vines hint at past settlement.

Colours in the picturesque valley change dramatically with the rhythmic seasons of the vineyards. When I visited in the summer heat gave the landscape a golden brown hue. It’s at this time when vines star, punctuating the golden landscape with row upon row of deep green.

In winter the vines surrender gracefully to the rich green of fresh pastures and retire into amber hues before being cut back by frosts.

Skillogalee’s rustic stone cottage made inviting by its charming garden.

Skillogalee, a boutique family-owned and operated winery in Clare Valley, at almost 500 metres above sea level, is one of the highest vineyards in South Australia. The centrepiece of the winery is an old stone cottage built in 1851 by a Cornish miner, John Trestrail, who settled here and operated the property as a mixed farm. Roses and cherry trees (abundant with fruit) surround the cottage which overlooks a dam and hectares of vines.

A shady retreat looking out to sun drenched vines.

Cherry trees abundant with fruit

Cherries ready for picking

Lattice and roses planted in wine barrels disguise the pump station.

View of the vines from ‘Owl Cottage” one of the satellite accommodation homes on the winery.

Note the lone deer making a cameo appearance in the grassy opening in the left foreground of the image.

At Skillogalee the rows are planted on contours, in shallow stony soils, mainly on steep eastern facing slopes. The vines are hand-pruned and the fruit is mainly hand-picked. Yields are extremely low but the vineyard produces intense flavours and aromas and deep, richly-coloured reds.’

Distant view across the vines to the buildings of Sevenhill Winery.

The oldest winery in Clare Valley is Sevenhill which was established in 1851 by Austrian Jesuits who fled their country to escape political and religious oppression. Impressed by the fertility of the local soil, the migrant priests purchased 100 acres of land and named it ‘Sevenhill’ after the Seven Hill district of Rome. They had a vision to establish a Jesuit community in South Australia which could enjoy religious freedom. Vines were planted and the priests began making sacramental wine for the emerging Catholic parishes around Australia. The winery is now one of the most famous in the country and whilst the Jesuits still produce sacramental wine here, it is now also recognised for its production of premium table wines.

Vista through to fields from the rear of the Church at Sevenhill.

The winery has a serene ambiance, a spiritual place full of religious iconography set into gardens encompassing both new and historic plantings.

Columns are bound up to maintain their strict shape

The long driveway is flanked by this austere and geometric grey and green planting.

Pepperina trees now form a solid wall along part of the drive into Sevenhill.

The rhythmic planting on the left of the drive gives way to an historic row of Pepperina trees on the right which, through decades upon decades of trimming and training, have been disciplined into forming a solid hedge.

Reliable trio of hardy rosemary, roses and lavender.

Masses of lavender, rosemary and roses soften the driveway and relieve the severity of the other clipped planting schemes.

An old larder or meat drying house has been converted into a grotto for the devotion of Our Lady.

The grotto provides a distant focal point and draws the eye across the vines.

With wineries like Skillogalee and Sevenhill, Clare Valley makes a worthwhile weekend away for wine and garden connoisseurs alike.

Clare Valley – Vines in Time When Eamonn Katter visited South Australia's Clare Valley during the summer he discovered a family vineyard that has stood the test of time.

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Narrow Leaf Spider Lilies, Hymeocallis narcissiflora, flank the entrance, while scent from the jasmine cascading over the arbour is a joy for passersby.

Behind this West End cottage entrance lies a botanical treasure trove.

Glenn Cooke, former Curator of Decorative Arts at the Queensland Art Gallery, has developed a delightfully quirky garden on the undulating, narrow strip behind his West End workers’ cottage. It’s only a few minutes drive to the centre of Brisbane but a world away from the hurly burly.

The back deck, Glenn’s ‘treehouse’, looks out into the canopy, and over the garden.

Quisqualis, aka Rangoon Creeper, rambles over the trellis.

As a lad, Glenn was introduced to gardening by his dad, a shearer who each weekend tended the family’s vegie garden in their western Queensland town of Blackall. He and his brother vied for the opportunity to mow their patch of lawn, but soon that novelty wore off. Glenn did however take over the rest of the garden, learning how to cope with sticky clay soils, when occasionally it rained, plus the sulphur-scented bore water used in town.

“At least we were blessed with unlimited supplies; you only had to look on the edge of town to see how desperately water was needed,” Glen says.

From the deck – clever use of plants in drifts.

Glenn at the entrance to the Secret Garden – which isn’t any more!

Another of Glenn’s fabulous mosaic pots.

Glenn’s Aunty Bub who also lived in town not only had a vegie garden, but an extensive collection of decorative plants as well. “I marvelled at the colour of her massed displays of annuals which had the most miraculous names: dimorphotheca, schizanthus, calendula. She also grew the ‘Tropical apple’ marketed by Langbecker’s Nursery, Bundaberg.” The first bottlebrushes to grow in Blackall came as tiny seedlings from Southport where Bub’s sister Lisle grew them beneath the shade of a large date palm. “Aunty Lisle was a bit of a collector and in her mind there were two categories of plants: I have one of those, or I don’t have one of those!”

The mobile, made from stump caps and aluminium pot-lids, creates a vertical element at the junction of the gravel and leaf-paths.

Mosaic birdbath.

Glenn’s mosaic structures adorning the garden are sometimes functional as well as aesthetic.

After a working lifetime spent mostly in galleries and museums, both in Australia and America, Glenn retired in 2013 and now has more time for pure fun in the garden. He’s produced a collection of mosaic pieces, from pots to ponds – and even a kangaroo.

West End has unique character and its residents cover a wide cross section of the community, but with more creative people than average. There’s a strong neighbourly network reflected in the gates that connect each of Glenn’s neighbours. Sadly missing in many urban blocks these days.

A pair of mosaic pots support hardy cordylines.

Hidden amongst the foliage: a kangaroo.

Glenn’s planted favourites such as old-fashioned crotons, and lots of white plants that bring light to the understory. Many are fragrant including including brugmansias, frangipani, honeysuckle; and the ‘perfumeières’ jasmine, known locally as Greek jasmine, was added in deference to Greek migration to the area just after the Second World War.

Most of the plants grew from cuttings from family and friends: cream musseandra and mock gardenia, Tabernaemontana corymbosa come from Glenn’s parents’ Rockhampton house, crotons and firespike, Odontonema striatum, from West End gardens, and the species bauhinia began as a seed from Wellington House, Buderim.

There’s no grass, not just because of Glenn’s childhood memories pushing the Victor; the garden is quite shady so plants have been selected to suit. *Gravel pathways blend in with *leaf-strewn paths that wend through to a raised, hidden garden at the back of the block. *Natural surfaces help retain any rain that falls.

Various shades of purple and red coleus make striking highlights.

A wiggly purple painted fence is the garden’s backdrop.

Recycle and re-use is Glenn’s theme. The higgledy piggledy purple fence is made from palings rescued from skip bins in the neighbourhood. Green bottles, emptied and upended, form steps and edging. “I’m only responsible for emptying some of them,” Glen says.

Colours in the mosaic reflect the hues in the surrounding stacked stone wall bordering the upper terrace.

Stacked, upended bottles form steps at the back of the garden.

The fountain in the tear-shaped mosaic pond is activated by a solar powered pump.

Ground covers have been choreographed colourful, texture drifts.

Blue ginger, Dichorisandra Thyrsiflora, thrives here.

Curly coloeus.

Scrub-turkeys cause grief in many Brisbane gardens. Glenn uses several deterrents: bird netting under mulch, woven branches in the undergrowth; young plants are protected under upturned wire baskets; collars of green wire protect pot plants; and a motion-sensitive water jet occasionally hits its mark.

Two-toned frilly edged coleus.

Detail of mosaic and bottle steps.

A garden bench made by Jon Harris

Flotsam – a mosaic wall piece made from objects found onsite.

The collage of broken ceramics and glass decorating the entrance to the Hidden Garden were found when the area was levelled for the mosaic pond and circular gravelled area.

The tear-shaped pond is the central feature in the Secret Garden.

West End was one of several Brisbane suburbs to suffer from a severe hail storm last November (2014). Glenn lost trees, (one was repurposed as garden edging) and foliage was shredded. The garden was photographed ten weeks later after good summer rains so the new growth concealed much evidence. Only plants like bromeliads with their hard leaves show any sign of the havoc that had been caused.

Apart from his delightful and eclectic garden some of Glenn’s ‘retirement’ projects include producing a catalogue raisonné of the work of our much-loved Australian still life painter, Margaret Olley (1923 -2011). He also continues to be involved in The Australian Garden History Association, and several of his publications reveal an increasing emphasis on garden history interpreted through art.

West End Creative: A Garden Pocket Behind this West End cottage entrance lies a botanical treasure trove. Glenn Cooke, former Curator of Decorative Arts at the Queensland Art Gallery, has developed a delightfully quirky garden on the undulating, narrow strip behind his West End workers' cottage.

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Great Gardens of Tasmania Tour

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The church is set on a rise with acres of mown lawn setting off the muted brown weatherboard building.

Just a short drive inland, behind Queensland’s Gold Coast in The Scenic Rim, lies a valley of rural tranquillity. It’s bordered on the east by the Lamington National Park, to the south by the Border Ranges, and to the west – the Great Dividing Range.

At Tamrookum, between the main regional town Beaudesert and Rathdowney, the family-owned All Saints Anglican Church was built as a memorial to Robert Martin Collins, one of the advocates of Queensland’s first national parks – including the Lamington National Park.

Palms feature in many Queensland heritage gardens.

A verdant ‘lych’ gate.

A Bunya pine stands regally against the skyline.

The valley in which All Saints Church at Tamrookum is centred was settled early, valued for its rich pastures and good rainfall. We visited on a sunny day when the colours were so intense they were almost unbelievable.The sky was clear and blue, and after good recent rain the grass was emerald green.

Plumbago and bougainvillea are both hardy plants.

In summer lagerstroemia are in flower.

The church is enhanced by the simplicity of the garden and the colours of favourite and reliable shrubs; bougainvillea and plumbago are outstanding for their bright flowers in the hot sun.

Post and rail fences surround the grounds.

A mighty log fashioned into a garden seat.

All Saints Anglican Church

All Saints Church is recognizable as a Robert Smith “Robin” Dods (1868-1920) designed structure with many of the features of his domestic work. New Zealand born Robin Dods was educated at Brisbane Boys Grammar School and studied and worked abroad before returning to Brisbane to work in the partnership of Hall and Dods from 1896, with some breaks, until 1913.

Verandas help keep the interior cool in hot summers.

Timber features are some of Dods’ signatures.

Fortunately Brisbane Architect, Robert Riddell has researched and written extensively of Dods’ work underlining the legacy of his style still evident in many residences in Brisbane and rural areas of Queensland.

Among Dods’ other small chapels is a wooden chapel on the grounds of St Margaret’s School and a stone chapel built in 1912 to replace a wooden chapel on the grounds of Old Bishopsbourne, Milton. He also designed St. Brigid’s Catholic Church at Red Hill which is still a feature of Brisbane’s skyline more than one hundred years after its completion.

The church and its charming garden is a fitting tribute to this pioneering family and its sometimes tragic story. “This is my memorial unto all generations” Exodus.

The grounds’ impressive entrance gates complement the style of the church.

Tamrookum Church and Garden Just a short drive inland, behind Queensland's Gold Coast in The Scenic Rim, lies a valley of rural tranquillity.

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The view from the veranda across the delightful Gardens of Lucindale.

Happy New Year!  May 2015 be abundant with treasured moments in your garden, or in those you visit.

Thanks for following Our Australian Gardens here, as well as on Facebook, and on Instagram.  We love to know you’re enjoying our posts – and here’s another fabulous garden for you to explore.

Occasionally a place can cast a spell, drawing you into its embrace. Jo Saxon-Keith and her husband John Keith experienced such magnetism at Lucaston, in Tasmania.

The superbly rebuilt cottage sits amongst a copse of deciduous trees.

Gables, verandas and oriel windows contribute to the cottage’s appeal.

Twenty three years ago when they purchased a c.1907 cottage on 5 acres in Bakers Creek Road it became the family home for nearly five years. But when the Dreams V Reality battle began, they decided to sell and head back to Hobart where work kept them busy for another ten years.

The cottage looks out over the lake.

Callistemon starring by the lake.

Surprisingly, when Jo and John were really ready for ‘retirement’, the property came back onto the market and after an offer over the phone, to purchase, it became theirs once again. Extensive renovations (almost a rebuild) of the colonial-style cottage proceeded, and plans for a large, complementary garden evolved.

Beds of lupins and arum lilies contrast against silver leaved artemisia and lamb’s ears, Stachys byzantina.

Much work was needed. Apart from installing access roads, level garden areas were developed and retaining walls built.  Weedy pussy willows were removed; boggy land was drained; and the garden became more drought-proof with the construction of a water storage dam. A wallaby-proof boundary fence reduced garden damage (one little terrier named Pixie can’t deter them alone!).

Poplars and tree ferns along the lakeside.

The most exciting feature added was ‘Lake Lucindale’, home to white faced heron, both Pacific black and wood ducks – plus platypuses. (Just looked this up and apparently platypus is derived from Greek – so the plural should be platypodes – what a great word.)  The lake’s changing moods can be appreciated in any weather – especially from the veranda.

Tall poplars are reflected in the lake.

Rows of giant poplars, planted by previous owners in 1955, border two edges of the lake. Jo and John accept both their bad habits and benefits: the poplars draw up nutrients making it difficult to establish lawn, and drop leaves over many months. However the mighty columns anchor the garden, and add a sense of establishment to this mostly young, seven-year-old garden.

“In autumn their intense colour can be seen from the Huon highway, and our gardens are thickly covered in golden leaves,” Jo says.

A gunner and tufts of reeds punctuate the waterline.

Reflections change throughout the day.

The day we visited was overcast. Colours were intense which was good for images but it was difficult to photograph the poplars in their entirety. Shoot from afar and you lose their impact; shoot close by, looking up, and a bright cloudy sky saturates the image with light.

Waterside Iris

Daylilies

Penstemon

Lupins

Clematis

A weeping elm and large, clematis-covered cordyline make textural contrasts.

So I’d love you to take a moment and imagine standing in these Gardens of Lucindale. You’ve found the garden along a picturesque country road in a valley, and enter through a grove of shady trees. The white cottage and timber fence are nestled beneath liquidambar, tulip, birch, mountain ash and a cluster of alders.  On the dwelling’s south side towering seventy-year-old poplars reach skyward and, behind them, a large hill clothed in eucalypts adds a distinctly Australian ambience.

Butterfly

Chooks in queue

Maggie

Wren

Scorpion

Throughout the garden Jo has placed favourite whimsical metal pieces by Matthew (Moby) Dick from Kimberley in the Northern Territory. E: mobydick4@bigpond.com

Corrugated iron beds confine vegies and berries.

Rhubarb ready for harvest.

Summer raspberries.

Free range chooks.

Grazing.

The vegie garden and orchard are adjacent to the main garden – and in handy proximity to the kitchen.

Of course every garden has challenges and this idyllic setting is no exception: intense valley winds, unpredictable pop-up springs, mossy lawns and -6 degree winter temperatures are just part of this gardening life.

A collection of maples includes many rare and unusual.

A blue spruce makes a statement.

Jo is passionate about maples. Of the 200+ trees planted for spectacular autumn colour, over fifty (27 cultivars) are maples. Others planted include birch, elm, ash, oak, liquidambar – and ornamental shrubs such as a row of sasanqua camellias behind the front fence.

An outdoor setting for garden picnics.

Flax grows well in Tasmania.

Other thriving cool-climate beauties are azaleas, lupins, foxgloves and bearded iris. Clematis are a joy, and have found hosts in several areas including over a large cordyline that was one of the existing plants.

Wrens, robins, finches, thrush, willy-wagtails, parrots, swallows etc. all either live in our garden or pay regular visits.

Acanthus mollis.

Effective repeat plantings at the base of the poplars

What was Jo’s idea of her retirement project began to take on a life of its own after the Gardens of Lucindale were featured in a book on Tasmanian gardens. Suddenly she had requests for visiting, and positive reactions encouraged further openings with visitors loving its special charm.

If you’re visiting Tasmania you can make an appointment to visit by phoning Jo: 03 6266 4041

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Gardens of Lucindale: Lucaston Tasmania Happy New Year!  May 2015 be abundant with treasured moments in your garden, or in those you visit.