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Open Gardens Australia remains in full swing with plenty of gardens open throughout the next five months, including the Australia Day weekend.
Two native gardens on the Surf Coast will open for special twilight visits on January 24 and 25.
Sunnymeade at 48 Harvey Street, Anglesea, was awarded in the Landscaping Victoria Awards. It features stone walls, native grasses, sculptures, emu bushes, beds of tough natives and a Moonah forest. Visitors can enjoy wine tastings and the local CFA will run a barbecue.
Ghazeepore at 680 Ghazeepore Road, Freshwater Creek, is set against a backdrop of ancient Red Gums on a meandering creek. Featuring winding paths that lead to repeat plantings of hardy species, small copse of Cork Oaks and raised vegetable beds, Ghazeepore also boasts many fruit trees. Visitors on Australia Day Weekend will be able to enjoy jazz performances and tours of revegetation belts along the creek.
CEO Liz White says Open Gardens Australian wants to ensure the final months of the program are a celebration of all that has been achieved over the past 27 years. The organisation winds up operations on June 30.
“We’ve been working hard to ensure the quality of the program is as high as ever and we intend leaving a legacy that befits the passion, hard work and dedication of so many volunteers, staff and garden owners,” Ms White says. “Many of this season’s gardens are new to the program, and reflect our desire to see new and unique approaches to gardening that will inspire even the most seasoned visitor,” she said.
Other highlights of the final summer/autumn program in Victoria include:
- An Italian Paradise in Keilor East – complete with wood-fired pizzas and home-made Italian sausages – opening on February 8.
- Four inspiring productive gardens opening across Melbourne on February 21 and 22.
- The multi-award winning two-acre garden at The Patch Primary School opening on March 14 and 15.
- The late Dame Elisabeth Murdoch’s beloved Cruden Farm in Langwarrin opening on Mothers Day on May 10.
There will also be gardens designed by renowned landscape designers, including Philip Johnson and Sam Cox, plus a unique one-day tour of four spectacular gardens on the Bellarine Peninsula on March 27.
The final opening of the season in Victoria will be Stephen Ryan’s stunning Tugurium at Macedon. Tugurium has opened a remarkable 35 times with Open Gardens Australia, with its first opening in December 1994. Tugurium will be opening on May 30 and 31.
Sunnymeade and Ghazeepore will be open from noon until 6.30pm on both days and entry to each garden is $8, with children under 18 admitted free.
Australia’s Open Garden Scheme, as it was then called, was founded in 1987. Openings will continue in most states until May and details can be found at www.opengarden.org.au.