Australia's Best Garden: Ryde, NSW

'Burke's Backyard' visited a prize-winning garden where the owner has imaginatively turned a rocky, quarry-like backyard into a lush, dense garden over a period of 20 years. The end result is a collection of wonderful and unusual plants set among ponds and other water features.

This garden has won first prize in its category and Garden of the Year in the Ryde Spring Garden Competition since 1993. The competition, which is run by Ryde City Council, is sponsored by Johnson & Johnson Medical Pty Ltd.

Garden features

Collections of rare plants including:

• 17 different maples and a clump of black bamboo (Phyllostachys nigra) and Rhododendron lochae.
• Spanish moss (Tillandsia usneoides), which has grown from a small piece into a mass of hanging tendrils.
• Statues which were bought from David Jones displays. The statues have weathered and moss has grown over them in the moist climate of the garden. The watering system allows for mist water to be sprayed in the garden which keeps it moist and allows moss to grow.
• Fish pond with koi carp in a romantic alcove in the garden. The water is kept clear with the use of a good pump.
• A range of different camellias which are lush and well tended. The owner recommends using good fertiliser and chicken or cow manure on camellias.
• Rainforest area which is built on rock but has been encouraged with lots of compost and water. The area includes rhapis palms (Rhapis humilis and R.excelsa), bird's nest fern (Asplenium australasicum), dracaenas, Bangalow palms (Archontophoenix cunninghamiana), pygmy date palms (Phoenix roebelenii) and tree ferns that combine to give an oasis-like feel.
• An irrigation system that discreetly provides essential water to the garden, creating a humid micro-climate. One irrigation line, which has been installed to water the pot plants at the front door, is glued along under a wrought iron railing. This hides the pipe from view but still waters the plants effectively.

Further information

1. Ryde Spring Garden Competition: Danielle Gorton, Parks and Community Service, Ryde City Council. Phone: (02) 9952 8251.

2. Fish ponds and pumps: A Hozelock pump (model 6000) is used in this garden to keep the fish pond clean and well aerated. This brand is available from specialist water equipment stores. In other gardens 'Burke's Backyard' has visited, biological filters have also been used successfully for koi ponds. For information on keeping koi carp and installing a biological filter contact: The Koi Society of Australia (President: Mr Eddie Edwins), 44 Beale Crescent, Fairfield West, NSW, 2165. Phone: (02) 9604 7072.

Warning: Koi must never be released into rivers or creeks as they can create a major environmental problem. The European carp causing problems in our rivers are mostly the descendants of escaped koi. For this reason, the keeping of koi is legal only in NSW and WA and prohibited in ACT, NT, QLD, SA, TAS, VIC.

3. Garden statuary: Several of the decorative statues and fountains in this garden were purchased from sales of department store decorations and display items. Such sales are held on an irregular basis (for example usually every 18 months to two years) for department stores such as David Jones, Grace Bros and Myers. They are carried out by private auction houses. The sales are widely advertised under 'Auctions' in the press.

Copyright CTC Productions 2006