Don visited Red Cow Farm, a lovely garden in the Southern Highlands of NSW. Since his last visit in 1998, the owners have extended the property and the plantings have matured. Don and the crew arrived to see a breathtaking autumn flush of over 300 roses. Clematis and bedding dahlias were also in flower, along with late perennials in the monastery garden.
Garden rooms
The 6-acre Red Cow Farm is divided into different garden areas or ‘rooms’, with new vistas and surprises around every corner. These areas include a cottage garden, walled garden, vegetable garden, orchard and woodland. Rhododendrons and birches line the drive leading to the bog garden and lake, where ‘Albertine’ roses ramble over the railings of a beautiful old wooden bridge leading across the dam to an island.
Monastery garden
The 25m x 8m (82.5′ x 26′) monastery garden is formal in structure yet informal in its look, using a simple design which can be reproduced in an ordinary-sized garden. Focal points and the axes created by the paths draw the eye along and through the garden, making it relaxing to look at as well as visit.
Angels, gargoyles and statues of saints on plinths watch as you pass through the paths laid out in a Celtic cross pattern. A large stone wishing well with intricately carved sides dominates the centre of the cross. The saints featured in the garden include St Jude, St Joseph, St Anthony, St Francis and St Fiacre, the patron saint of gardeners.
Further information
Red Cow Farm
Illawarra Highway
Sutton Forest 2577
Phone: (02) 4868 1842
Red Cow Farm will be open from October until mid-December, 2004. It also opens in autumn, mid-March until mid-May, and at other times by appointment.
Red Cow Farm is around 90 minutes drive south of Sydney.