FIVE days of sunshine this week is expected to bring South Australian gardens into full bloom and draw hundreds of people to open gardens across the state.
Gardens at Mount Gambier, Tumby Bay and Adelaide Hills will provide garden lovers with plenty of opportunities to visit.
- Ashgrove Iris Garden 53-55 Albert Street, Gumeracha
Relaxed, pretty, country style garden with meandering pathways, plenty of garden seating and many “old fashioned” and unusual plants. The garden is well established with most plantings 20+ years old. The garden features over 800 named varieties of Bearded Iris and 200+ Roses, with mass plantings of Irises providing a kaleidoscope of breathtaking colour each spring. Formal hedges are a feature. Focal points are used to great effect, for example, a long lawn stretches to an elongated urn, the formal David Austin rose garden encircles a classic water feature and the clematis is slowly reclaiming the newly rebuilt gazebo.
The woodland inspired section of the garden is delightfully cool and shady on a hot day. Espaliered fruit trees line the western fence, and chickens and ducks are used to control pests such as snails and grubs.
The garden is gently undulating with no steep stairs or slopes, making access easy to most garden areas for visitors with pushers/prams and wheelchairs. A pleasure to visit!
- Gate Cottage 66 Leslie Creek Road, Mylor
This garden has been 12 years in the making. Originally empty paddocks led down to the waterlily covered dam and winter creek. a natural bush setting frames the garden as it is now. Arbours of established English trees surround the home. now the land hosts a "pipe", "heart", and an unusual "tea tree" garden.
Seating is provided in all areas to enjoy the quiet reverie. There is also a large organic, permaculture vegetable garden. Then there is the rose garden! over 600, including many Heritage varieties in bush, standard, pillar and climbing form. All beds are under planted with colour co-ordinated perennials, clematis, and some rare self-seeding annuals. Romantic and beautifully perfumed.
A tea house overlooking the dam and roses is made from an old shed using a lifetime collection of old wood & windows. Materials used have been cleverly recycled to create a whimsical effect.
Windspiel 2 Parkgate Place, Upper Sturt
Windspiel is an exciting young garden built on a steep slope in Upper Sturt providing excellent landscaping ideas and solutions for others trying to establish a garden amongst a stringybark forest.
The design and layout takes the bushfire risk into account as well as the need to stabilise the soil, reduce erosion and conserve water. The area above the house is informal in design with a natural bushland feel but planted with a mix of summer dry exotics and Australian native plants.
Below the house, the slope has been terraced with beautifully crafted, multi textured stone walls and steps. Deciduous trees provide shade and shelter to the north facing windows and a relaxed seating area. The narrow lawn terrace provides access between flower borders which feature liliums, perennials and flowering ground covers and leads to a lovely ornamental wrought iron gazebo which provides support for mauve wisteria.
- Watson Garden 19 Bertha St, Mount Gambier
A small cottage garden crammed with roses, perennials, bulbs, vegetables and a surprising number of trees.
A wide gravelled path leads from a traditional picket front fence to a small lawn bordered by a pretty garden bed with mixed plantings of perennials, bulbs and standard Edelweiss roses.
The garden opens out at the back, with another gravel path leading to a hexagon shaped garden with a standard gingko as the feature.
Roses are planted in abundance throughout the garden – there are modern and heritage varieties, weeping standards, pillar roses, bush roses and climbers all producing a stunning perfumed display of spring flowers.
There is a small fern garden, hydrangeas happily growing in the shade of silver birches, raised vegetable beds, espaliered fruit trees and a passionfruit.
A number of trees include conifers, crepe myrtles, weeping cherry ‘Snofazam’ and 3 Carpinus betulus ‘Fastigiata’ which form a screen at the back of the garden.
- MY GRALUNGA 41 Ruwoldt Rd, Yahl (Mount Gambier)
Michael and Annette’s garden has developed from a small house block to its current size since 2011. Originally all the willow myrtles and large natives were established along with many small natives which were removed to allow the garden to develop.
The central lawn area has large established trees with under-plantings of cranesbill geraniums, ferns and shade loving plants.
The walkways are flanked with daylilies and agapanthus. The areas on the western and eastern sides are all natives which require little water and provide wind shelter and privacy. The decking around the house leads to a small back area surrounded by perennials and espaliered fruit trees and is used for relaxing and catching the sun.
- Sanity Garden 17 Pearson Street, Tumby Bay
A new arbor featuring the very fragrant Golden Gate climbing rose welcomes you to this garden. The owner, Sharyn has created a lovely cottage garden at the front of the home with extensive plantings under a large claret ash and some eucalypts that were already planted when they purchased the property.
She has added quirky touches with an old bike, bird feeders, bird house, terracotta pots and garden furniture scattered among the plants which include a variety of salvias, flowering annuals and roses.
As you make your way to a back yard a tropical theme changes the feel with palms, ferns, water feature and a lovely glory vine providing shade and more quirky features under a large pergola.
- All gardens open from 10am until 4.30pm
- General Entry Cost - $8 – Children free
- Open Gardens SA members - $6
- Concession Card Holders - $6
