Garthowen – Castle Hill Garden
Many young home buyers start off with project homes surrounded by newly landscaped gardens, so Karlene and Peter Dimbrowsky couldn’t believe their luck when they were able to purchase a classic Victorian house complete with an established garden. The four-roomed cottage was built in 1889 for the Mayor of Burwood. In 1906 it was sold and underwent renovations, and a domed music room was added. The kitchen was originally a separate building, and is now joined to the house by a family/living room. Today the house is quirky and full of character, and reflects the care and attention lavished on it by its eight previous owners. The interior is beautifully furnished in keeping with the style of the house
When Karlene and Peter first moved in two years ago, they were keen to look after the garden properly but didn’t know anything about gardening and found the task rather daunting. They watched gardening programs on television, read gardening books, and went to pruning workshops to learn how to prune the roses. They are now enthusiastic gardeners and are successfully maintaining the existing garden, as well as developing new areas. Notable plants in the garden include an old frangipani (Plumeria rubra f. acutifolia), and a Senegal date palm (Phoenix reclinata) which is at least a hundred years old.
Further information
Karlene Dimbrowsky has written a book on the history of Garthowen and its occupants, called "Garthowen – Grand Dame of Castle Hill". The book will be available sometime in November. Anyone interested in purchasing the book should write to Karlene at PO Box 373, Castle Hill, NSW, 2154.