SPRING … when one’s fancy lightly turns to thoughts of gardens (to borrow from 19th century poet laureate Alfred Lord Tennyson).
Well, if Tennyson were living now in the magnificent hills and valleys of the Yarra Ranges, his famous ‘Spring’ poem would almost certainly have spoken not of love, but of gardens!
Perhaps!
It’s the re-awakening time when the many public gardens of the Dandenongs spring back to life after their winter hibernation, the first of the Australia Open Gardens launches for another year and local clubs open their doors for the annual spring shows.
John and Prue Van de Linde’s Alowyn Gardens in Yarra Glen is, in gardening terms, a perennial, either as a destination in its own right, or as the centrepiece of a tour of the region’s gardens.
Some 17 years after work first started on Alowyn, it is an award-winning destination garden that is constantly evolving, making it well worth a return visit and an exciting discovery for first-timers.
When John and Prue were named ABC Gardener of the Year winners in 2008, judge John Patrick described Alowyn as a garden that worked on many levels.
He noted the way it had been meticulously planned and the diversity of the plants.
“It has an internal focus with the fountain, but it still borrows the landscape around as a setting,” he added.
All that remains true, but with more levels added to the parterre, forest, perennial border, edible, display and dry gardens over the past six years.
The front paddock is now a large formal garden, with long tree-lined avenues, expanses of lawn and ponds with water features, and, most recently, the rainforest garden with a rock-lined pond, water plants, palm trees and other tropical plants has been completed.
The plant nursery has been expanded with tried and true varieties of plants including collections of salvias, roses, perennials and edibles, and there is a welcoming courtyard and cafe – the perfect place to relax before, after or in between excursions into the gardens.
Alowyn Gardens, at 1210 Melba Highway, Yarra Glen, is now open every day. Visit www.alowyngardens.com.au for more information, or phone 9730 2400.
Discover more gardens and garden events at:
www.warburtoninfo.com
www.experiencethedandenongs.com.au
www.opengarden.org.au
www.visityarravalley.com.au
