Quirindi gardens open to the public

OPEN Gardens Australia will open five gardens – some at Pine Ridge and some at Bundella – to the public on October 13 and 14.

None of them had been shown before through Open Gardens Australia, formerly known as Australia’s Open Gardens Scheme, Quirindi garden selector Carol Lord said.

“Three are big rural gardens – Rockgedgiel (Bundella), Telargra (Bundella) and Connamara (Pine Ridge),” Ms Lord said.

“Two are country village gardens, Willow Pine (Pine Ridge) and River View (Pine Ridge).”

Rockgedgiel, owned by Meg and Colin Campbell, features gorgeous exotic trees sheltering an 1890s house in a dreamy cottage garden, with beds overflowing with roses, irises, salvias, hellebores, lavenders and pretty self-sown annuals.

Telargra, owned by Sam and Ali Broinowski, is built around formal elements designed to complement the house, including rose arbours, sculptures, parterres of Japanese box, and hedges of box and white escallonia. 

Connamara, owned by Ian and Marilyn Carter, features a mature eucalyptus torelliana. Broad lawns are shaded by native and exotic trees, including eucalypts, jacarandas, native frangipani, ash and Chinese elms. 

River View has a banksia rose arch and lush lawns and is alive with colour and fragrance from irises, polygala, hollyhocks, chrysanthemums and 100 of owner Coralee Schubert’s great love,  roses. 

Extras at River View include talks by David Maher at 10.30am and 2pm, and a coffee van.

Willow Pine, owned by Leonie Jones, is brimming with exotics and natives displayed around beautiful lawns. 

Rockgedgiel is at 132 Pandoras Pass Rd, Bundella; Telargra is at 297 Telargra Rd, Bundella; Connamara is 487 Cattle Ln, Pine Ridge; River View is Pine Ridge Rd, Pine Ridge; and Willow Pine is on Pine Ridge Rd, Pine Ridge.

Admission to each garden is $7 (under 18 free). 

Copies of a map showing how to get to each garden are in the foyer at The Northern Daily Leader.