A visit to National Trust English gardens can change a gardener’s ideals forever as Don discovered when he met Gwen Davey, owner of ‘Forest Hall’ garden at Castlemaine, Victoria.
When Gwen and her husband Don travelled to England in 1990 they saw many formal English gardens and this has changed the way they look at gardening. Forest Hall has been transformed to an English style landscape with many garden rooms, enclosed exterior areas and grand sweeping lawns.
The garden is just under a hectare (two acres) and surrounds their early Victorian house (c. 1867). Wide verandas circle the house giving wonderful views of the garden with its colour coordinated garden beds. Colourful clumps of perennials are located throughout the garden. The oval lawn garden follows a pink, purple and silver theme.
Two stone archways in a large wall built by Don Davey lead into the orchard of Manchurian pears (Pyrus ussuriensis) and an area known as the Secret Garden. Arbours and arches are used extensively in this garden. A wooden garden bench is situated at the focal point of a series of wisteria covered arches.
There are many formal features in this garden including a formal box-edged vegetable garden, a clipped juniper hedge (Juniperus chinensis ‘Spartan’) behind the rose garden and an espalier hedge of Camellia sasanqua.
Open Garden
Gwen and Don Davey will open their garden at Lot 2 Burnett Street, Castlemaine through Australia’s Open Garden Scheme on 7-9 November, 1998 from 10am-4pm. For other open gardens to visit phone the Open Garden Information Service on 1900 155 064 or consult Australia’s Open Garden Scheme Guidebook. The guide book for gardens open from Spring 1998 will be available from the end of July.