Toora West is a glorious Victorian country garden. Just 15 years ago it was a bare, windswept paddock. Don Burke visited this garden last spring, which is the home of Cass and Charles Kimpton and their two daughters Oopy and Ingrid.
With the Grampians as a backdrop, Toora West is a softly informal garden which extends for 2 hectares (5 acres). Soft blue wisteria (Wisteria sinensis) intermingled with pink wisteria (Wisteria floribunda) is draped along the verandas and the pale pink clematis (Clematis montana) flowers abundantly up and along the veranda post.
The greens of the grass, shrubs and trees is a good backdrop for the mainly pastel colour themes and borders break up the large area. Low growing ceanothus (Ceanothus x edwardsii) form a carpet with intermingled bluebells which Cass says looks very pretty. She is establishing a woodland area with rugosa roses and tall bearded iris (Iris pallida). Cass uses hardy plantings. “If they don’t survive here, well, I don’t really want them” she says.
Fertiliser isn’t in short supply at Toora West. Cass and Charles daughters, Oopy and Ingrid, keep the garden well stocked with manure from the horses they train – some with Olympic potential – and are hoping that the disused tennis court may become an indoor arena for them to ride in.
The garden is open to the public and attracts many visitors at each opening. One attraction within this garden is the apple tree which Charles has espaliered against the house over the past five years. This neatly trained Red Delicious not only looks terrific, it is also productive, bearing 18 apples last autumn.
Open Garden
Toora West, at Glenthompson, is less than three hours drive from Melbourne. It is close to the Grampians, Warnambool, Portland and other historical areas. This year (1998) the garden is open to visitors by appointment only. Morning and afternoon teas, and lunches, are available for groups upon request.
Toora West
Moyston Road
Glenthompson, VIC, 3293
Phone: (03) 5577 4332