The garden in 2003
In the beginning, the garden was almost bare as there were only a few established trees remaining on the property. It would take time for plants to grow and many plants we hoped to use were not available due to the drought.
On the left, the waterfall drops from the upper waterlily pond into the middle pond, then the stream flows down to the left under the bridge. Beyond the stream are a number of tree ferns which were trashed by cockatoos and subsequently moved nearer the house. On the right, the view is over the lower large natural pond. There are no water plants at this stage and the front hedge towards the road is merely small wisps of Callistemon salignus.
The photo on the left shows the rockwork making the steep bank of the lower pond - we call it the rockery. This pond was made by scooping up surface material down the natural clay undersoil. This clay was then compacted and forms a natural dam. On the right, is a view of the meadow before it was planted with 23,000 tubes of grasses and native forbs.
History of the site
This property was first developed in 1926 when a small house was built on the 9300 square metre block and a number of Pinus radiata were planted around the perimeter in the early thirties. Other large conifers were planted at the front of the property, including a now magnificent Portuguese Cypress, (Cupressus lusitanica). The property was purchased by the French government and used as their Chancery office for many years. We purchased the property in 2001 and the planting of this garden began in July 2003.
Our Garden Design
The garden is planted almost entirely with Australian natives, with a very few New Zealand natives added. Apart from the pre-existing exotic trees, we also have three Meyer lemon trees and seven pistacia trees. The original design of the garden was done by Helen Cohen, who was also part of the firm creating the architectural design of the house. We wanted to integrate the design of house and garden.
Over a period of two years, from 2001 to 2003, in consultation with Helen by email, phone and letter from America, we developed a plan for the garden. Our basic design principles included the following:
the garden would contain mostly plants native to Australia
there would be little, if any, lawn - where we needed open space we would have a meadow of grasses, forbs and lilies
the garden would be attractive to birds and other wildlife
plant foliage and shape would be more important than flowers, even though flowers were needed to attract many of the nectar feeding birds
we would attempt to retain all rain water on the property for use in the garden
there should be some open water in the garden to attract wildlife
we did not want a series of enclosed garden rooms, but rather different areas that flowed into each other
there would be more emphasis on the natural rather than the formal in the garden design, including wide paths in curved shapes
while most native plants require trimming, they should only be trimmed to enhance their natural shape, not to create any formal shapes
Our architect, Wal Kostyrko, sited the new house turned 90 degrees to the original house, facing north-east to catch the winter sun along the whole length of the house. Wide eaves at the correct level ensure that the summer sun does not overheat the house. The trees on the block had received no maintenance for decades and needed attention. With advice from Dr. Robert Boden, a number of trees were removed from the block and others pruned in 2003.
Able Landscaping was hired to complete site preparation and initial planting, and the Elvin brothers, David and Ian, constructed the rock work around the large and small ponds from rock quarried at Newline near Queanbeyan. All drainspouts from the roof and run off from the extensive granite paving are diverted into the three pond system where rainwater is mixed with bore water to run the irrigation system. We use drip irrigation occasionally where practical but mostly a microjet irrigation system for the planted areas.
Over a six month period, from July 2003 to December 2003, the basic planting of 2,500 plants, including 40 trees, was completed. The soil is pH neutral and high in clay content. All garden areas had extensive soil improvements, including lots of Dynamic Lifter, to help cope with the clay soils. Thirty truckloads of wood chips (15 cubic metres each) were spread on all gardens in the first year. In the seventeen years since the original garden construction we have spread at least another ten truckloads of ‘forest litter’ each year which has improved the soil immensely. Planting has continued at a reduced rate since the original planting, and we now have over 5,000 plants representing over 850 different species. The meadow, 650 square metres in area, was planted with over 20,000 grasses, lilies and forb seedlings in November 2003. The soil was not amended in this part of the garden, as ripping the ground would have encouraged more weeds. The meadow planters used a drill to make a hole, then added a gel containing both water and nutrients and planted the seedlings. The meadow was rewarding at several times of the year but was the most difficult part of the garden to maintain. In 2014 we decided to redevelop the meadow as garden beds. We removed the grasses, dug over the area, added soil and irrigation and mulched with pebbles. We surrounded the beds with swales filled with large river pebbles to ensure excellent drainage. These beds have now been planted with low growing eremophilas, daisies and other colourful plants. We have removed another area of lawn near the house which we have developed in a similar fashion.
We have learned a great deal about our property in seventeen years. In general we have lost few plants to cold and frost. The majority of plants have been lost during January and February, not because of lack of water, but because of excess heat. We have attracted over one hundred species of birds, from an original thirty five species, to the property, including a pair of breeding Australian Hobbies, and expect to attract more as the garden matures. We have added a greenhouse and two shadehouses for orchids and seedlings. We also have an extensive collection of natives in pots, especially those that do not like our clay soils or frosts.
The making of the house and garden has been an intensely interesting, occasionally frustrating, and mostly enjoyable experience. We expect to continue learning about our plants and growing conditions for years to come.
Public Gardens Visited
Australia
Adelaide Botanic Gardens
Australian Garden at Cranbourne, Melbourne, Vic
Australian National Botanic Garden, Canberra
Ballarat Botanical Gardens, Ballarat, Vic
Brisbane Botanic Gardens, Mt. Coot-tha
Cloudehill, Dandenongs, Melbourne, Vic
Cooktown Botanic Gardens, Qld
Everglades, Leura, NSW
Flecker Botanic Gardens, Cairns, Qld.
Garden Vineyard, Mornington Peninsula, Vic
Grevillea Park, Bulli, NSW
Heronswood Gardens, Mornington Peninsula, Vic
Lambrigg Homestead, Canberra
Mayfield Gardens, Oberon, NSW
Melbourne Flower and Garden Show, Carlton Gardens, Melllbourne, Vic
National Arboretum, Canberra
Olive Pink Botanic Gardens, Alice Springs, NT
Stonefields, Paul Bangay, Daylesford, Vic
Tangled Maze and Mistydowns Nursery, Daylesford, Vic
The Garden Vineyard, Melbourne, Vic.
Wagga Wagga Botanic Gardens
Bermuda
Bermuda Botanical Gardens
Canada
Jardin Botanique de Montreal, Montreal Canada
Ireland
Mount Stewart, Greyabbey
Powerscourt House and Gardens, Enniskerry
Scotland
Inverewe Garden, Highland
Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh
Stirling Castle, Stirling
Morocco
Jardin Majorelle, Marrakesh
Wales
Bodnant Garden, Tal-y-Cafn
USA
Arnold Arboretum, Boston, MA
Atlanta Botanical Garden, Atlanta, GA
Audubon Park and Zoologiacl Gardens, New Orleans, LA
Battery and White Point Gardens, Charleston, SC
Bayard Cutting Arboretum, Oakdale, NY
Birmingham Botanical Garden, Birmingham AL
Boone Hall Plantation. Mt. Pleasant, SC
Botanic Garden of Smith College, Northhampton MA
Boyce Thompson Southwestern Arboretum, Superior AZ
Brooklyn Botanic Gardens, Brooklyn NY
Central Park, New York, NY
Chicago Botanic Garden. Chicago IL
Colonial Williamsburg, Williamsburg, VA
Cornell Plantations, Ithaca, NY
Cypress Gardens, FL
Denver Botanic Gardens, Denver, CO
Desert Botanical Garden, Phoenix, AZ
Desert Museum, Tucson, AZ
Donald M. Kendall Sculpture Gardens, Pepsico, Purchase, NY
Duke Gardens, Somerville, NJ
Dumbarton Oaks, Washington, DC
Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, Coral Gables, FL
Fallingwater, Mill Run, PA
Filoli, Woodside CA
Foster Botanical Gardens, Honolulu HI
Frick Collection Courtyard Gardens. New York, NY
Gunston Hall. Mason Neck, VA
Holden Arboretum, Newark, OH
Huntington Botanical Gardens, San Marino, CA
International Peace Garden, Dunseith, ND
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston, MA
J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, CA
Jacob Javits Plaza, New York, NY
John P. Humes Japanese Stroll Garden, Mill Neck NY
Koko Crater Botanical Gardens, Oahu HI
Kykuit, Sleepy Hollow, NY
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, Austin, TX
Liliuokalani Botanical Garden, Oahu, HI
Longue Vue House and Gardens,New Orleans, LA
Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square, PA
Lotusland, Santa Barbara, CA
Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, Charleston, SC
Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, Sarastoa, FL
Miami Beach Botanical Garden
Middleton Place, Charleston, SC
Missouri Botanical Garden, St, Louis, MO
Mohonk Mountain House,New Platz, NY
Monticello, Charlottesville, VA
Morton Arboretum, Lisle IL
Mount Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge, MA
Mount Vernon, VA
National Arboretum, Washington DC
Nemours Gardens, Wilmington, DE
New York Botanical Garden, New York, NY
Newport Mansions, Newport, RI
North Carolina Botanical Garden. Chapel Hill, NC
Old Westbury Gardens, Long Island, NY
Planting Fields Arboretum, Oyster Bay, NY
Quarryhill Botanical Gardens. Glen Ellen CA
Queens Botanical Gardens, Flushing, NY
Rock Creek Park, ashington, DC
Ruth Bancroft Garden, Walnut Creek, CA
San Diego Zoo, San Diego CA
San Francisco Botanical Garden, San Francisco, CA
Sarah P. Duke Gardens, Durham, NC
Sea World of California, San Diego CA
Shadows on the Teche, Iberia, LA
Shelburne Museum and Heritage Park, Burlington, VT
Strybing Arboretum and Botanical Gardens, San Francisco CA
Taliesin West, Scottsdale AZ
The Cloisters, Fort Tryon Park, NY
The Cloisters, New York, NY
The Conservatory Garden, Central Park, New York, NY
Tucson Botanical Gardens, Tucson, AZ
US Naval Observatory, Washington DC
University of California Botanical Garden, Berkeley CA
University of California David Arboretum, Davis CA
US Botanic Garden, Washington DC
Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, Miami FL
Wahiawa Botanical Garden, Oahu, HI
Wave Hill Gardens, Bronx, NY
Winterthur Garden, Wilmington, DE
WJ Beal Botanical Garden, Michigan State University, Lansing, MI
Italy
Giardino e Rovine di Ninfa
La Mortella, Ischia
Parco dei Mostri, Tivoli
Villa Adiana, Tivoli
Villa Cimbrone, Ravello
Villa d’Este, Tivoli
Villa Gamberaia, Florence
Villa Garzoni, Florence
Villa Lante, Viterbo
Villa Le Balze, Florence
Villa Rufolo, Ravello
England
Blenheim Palace, Woodstock
Borde Hill Garden, Haywards Heath
Cambridge University Botanic Garden, Cambridge
Charleston, Lewes
Chelsea Physic Garden, London
David Austin Rose Gardens, Albrighton
Denmans, Fontwell
Gravetye Manor Hotel, East Grinstead
Great Dixter, Northiam
Green Park, London
Hampton Court Palace
Hatfield House, Harfield
Hever Castle, Hever
Hidcote Manor Garden, Hidcote Bartrim
High Beeches, Handcross
Hyde Park, London
Kiftsgate Court Gardens, Chipping Camden
Knole, Sevenoaks
Leonardslee Lakes and Gardens, Lower Beeding
Mottisfont Abbey Garden, Mottisfont
Museum of Garden History, London
Nymans, Handcross
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, London
Royal Horticultural Garden, Wisley, Woking
Scotney Castle Garden, Kent
Sezincote , Morton-in-Marsh
Sandringham, King’s Lynn
Savill Garden, Windsor Surrey
Sheffield Park Garden, Uckfield
Sissinghurst Castle
Stourhead, Stourton
Stowe Landscape Gardens , Stowe
Trengwainton, Penzance
Trewithen Garden, Truro
University of Oxford Botanic Garden, Oxford
Wakehurst Place, Haywards Heath
West Dean Gardens, West Dean
France
Caillebottte Garden, Yerres
Chateau de Cheronceau, Chenonceaux
Chateau de Vaux-Vicomte Gardens,
Chateau Villandry
Festival des Jardins de Chaumont
Jardin de la Noria, Avignon
Jardins de Bagatelle, Paris
Monet’s Garden, Giverny
Parc de la Tete d’Or, Lyon
Spain
Jardi Botanic Marimurtra, Costa Brava
Jardin de Santa Clotilde, Barcelona
Parc Guell, Barcelona
