WORDS: Michael Darroch, PHOTOS: Julianna Rozek How do you keep an expansive two-acre Victorian garden thriving and lush through a long, hot Melbourne Summer? A 300,000 litre underground water tank should do it! This was one of the insights gained on Horticultured’s latest outing to the delightful Astolat private garden in Camberwell on Sunday, as part of the Victorian Open Gardens Scheme. The perfect Spring weather was ideal for a visit to the historic gardens, which were established in the late 1890s and have been restored faithfully to their former glory over recent years. The head gardener explained on a tour how the seven different themed areas of the gardens are kept looking sharp and interesting year round, incorporating diverse plant selection, skilful pruning and mulching. She spoke about a number of the feature trees at the site, including an imposing Queensland Kauri and Bunya Bunya Pine, and detailed the regular health checks they receive for pest and disease issues. Interesting tips from the garden tour included growing Wisteria in a pot to great effect in a courtyard and the use of Elaeocarpus eumundii (Quandong) as an impressive hedge.
Free wine tastings courtesy of Scotchmans Hill Wines and opera performances by members of the Melba Opera Trust complemented the event, with the day very much in sync with the Horticultured theme! Comments are closed.
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