Cloudehill

Up in Melbourne's Dandenongs can be found the garden of Cloudehill. It is at Olinda, just an hour from Melbourne. This garden has been owned and developed by Jeremy Francis since 1990 with traditional herbaceous perennial borders, water features and cool climate shrubs and bulbs. Earlier plantings of cool climate trees have now grown to maturity giving the garden form and structure.

Among the mature trees featured at Cloudehill are maples and copper beeches, thought to be among the largest in Victoria.

The magnificent weeping dissected maples (Acer palmatum 'Dissectum Atropurpureum'), which display a fine copper-red foliage, originally came from the Yokohama Trading Company in 1928. These specimens have been pruned by Jeremy to display the wonderful tracery of their branches, which in spring and summer would normally lie hidden under the copper-red canopy. The careful pruning has turned these maples into living sculptures.

Sculpture on display

As the garden has progressed Jeremy has altered some structures and introduced sculptures and art works so that the visitor is carried through the two hectare garden, led on by glimpses of interesting things just out of reach. One such piece is a bronze of the seasons by Leopoldine Mimovich, which leads the eye to one of the focal points to be found throughout the garden. The sculptures, which can be as simple as painted wooden bollards, also add a touch of whimsy in what is a strongly formal garden.

The works of Kim Kennedy (an artist and sculptor who designed blue ornamental iron railings in the garden), Ted Secombe and Lazlo Biro can be seen throughout the Cloudehill garden and many pieces are for sale.

One intriguing piece by Melbourne sculptor Rudi Jass represents a flotilla of stingrays that appear to be floating over a pond. Water cascades over the backs of these glass marine creatures, making them almost ripple before your eyes.

Plantings

Cloudehill during the springtime is awash with colour and scent. At its best in spring is the spring meadow which is filled with ixias, daffodils, Spanish bluebells and grape hyacinths. This is best viewed in September or early October. It is grown as a true European wildflower meadow with minimal slashing during the year. Jeremy has recently added some colourful treated pine bollards through this area, drawing attention to the two main paths which roam through the meadow.

Dividing the wildflower meadow into two is a double row of copper beeches which are nearly 16m (50') tall, which were planted as seedlings in the 1960s. 

Jeremy Francis considers the garden to be at its best in summer and early autumn when the perennial borders with their strong colour schemes are right in flower. These are at their peak from December to March.

The secret to these long displays of colour in the borders are late planting and a mild summer climate, which set the plants up for a long summer show. Regular dead heading, deep watering and mulching will also ensure a long display of flowers.

The borders are grouped into two distinct colour schemes: warm and cool. The warm coloured perennial borders contain 60 to 80 different plant varieties including a collection of helenium, rudbeckia and dahlias such as the bronze-red foliaged 'Bishop of Llandaff'. The cooler borders contain many more plant varieties with perhaps over 400 different plants.

In addition to the herbaceous borders Cloudehill has many other areas within its 2.5 hectares (5 acres). There is a maple courtyard, old rose walk and a formal water garden with hornbeam hedges.

Further information

1. Cloudehill. Cloudehill is at 89 Olinda-Monbulk Road (corner Woolrich Road), Olinda, Victoria, 3788. It is open daily (except Christmas Day and Good Friday) from 10am-5.00pm. There is a nursery on the site.

The garden will also be open as part of Australia's Open Garden Scheme on 24-26 January, 1998 and 7-9 March, 1998.

Fee: An entry fee applies to the garden ($5.00 at peak flowering season). Admission to the nursery is free.

Phone: (03) 9751 1009 for more details.

2. Rudi Jass. The sculptures of Rudi Jass are sold at Cloudehill and at other venues. For more information on Rudi Jass and his work or its availability phone: (03) 9728 3146.
Website: www.quantum.net.au/jassdesign/ .

Copyright CTC Productions 2006