Blackwood - The Garden of St Erth
The Garden of St Erth is a secluded getaway not far from Daylesford and Ballarat and is the perfect destination for a day trip. Stroll through the gorgeous and inspirational gardens. Each season has something to offer the visitor, including carpets of daffodils in spring, long flowering flower borders in summer and magnificent autumn garden colour.
Stock up on rare heirloom plants then head to the cafe for a cuppa with scones or indulge in a leisurely lunch.
History of The Garden of St Erth
The site of a gold rush town in 1851, The Garden of St Erth was created by Tommy and Penny Garnett in the late 1960s. Tommy was a passionate and knowledgeable plantsman, naturalist and educator, as well as one of Australia's most stimulating and provocative garden writers, penning his weekly column 'From the Country' in The Age newspaper for many years.
In 1996, The Diggers Foundation took on the garden, enhancing the vision of the Garnetts to showcase this fine example of a cool-climate garden. The Diggers Foundation Vision is to inspire a love of gardening in Australia, for the joy and fulfilment of connecting to the natural world and each other through gardening.
The Garnetts - Creators of St Erth
Tommy and Penny Garnett purchased the property they named The Garden of St Erth in 1967, moving here permanently in 1973. Whilst Tommy's Cambridge memories belong to sport, study and ornithology, he is remembered as an innovative teacher and headmaster at Geelong Grammar School. Gardening had to wait until his retirement when he purchased St Erth to explore his passion for birds and plants. From a back-breaking soil of mining rubble, Tommy (in his 60s and 70s) with his wife Penelope, created a garden of botanic stature. His garden journey produced the experiences for the finest garden writing expressed in The Age as gardening editor and as author of five books. His extreme modesty, hatred of pretension and intellectual curiosity, endeared Tommy to all who knew him. Tommy died age 91, 22nd September, 2006.
Perennial border
Designed by renowned central Victorian gardener Simon Rickard, the 'new' perennial border features a suite of herbaceous plants that provide colour and interest from late spring until mid autumn.
The plants have been specifically chosen for their tolerance for soils with poor fertility and low summer rainfall. Grasses tie the planting together with flowering perennials planted in combinations of colour and form to create an integrated matrix.
Daffodil Lawn
Since the 1950s, masses of daffodils have naturalised in this lawn to produce a stunning full-bloom display in early spring. The flowers provide a cheery yellow contrast to the bush garden beyond, creating a vibrant and picturesque scene.
Dawn Redwood
Thought extinct for five million years until a small grove was discovered in China in the 1940s. Its seeds were distributed worldwide, saving this ancient tree from extinction. Today this unique deciduous conifer is a statuesque addition to any garden. Features fine-textured green needles that brown in autumn before falling. Fast growth rate. Planted 1973.
Himalayan Cedar
The most majestic of conifers with horizontal see-through branches, beautiful cones, handsome bark and deep aromatic needles. Needs space to develop its magnificent weeping habit and graceful drooping branch structure. Features in the gardens of period dramas set in Australia adn the UK. Medium growth rate. Planted 1973.
Koban's Pool
Koban's pool is a grotto garden, named in commemoration of the Garnett's beloved dog, Koban. It is a perfect place for relaxation and contemplation, and especially as a cool retreat from the heat of a summer's afternoon.
Linden Tree
Often called a 'Lime' in Europe, the Linden Tree is sometimes planted as a street tree because of its ability to tolerate polluted air. The edible leaves and flowers are used as a tea and in herbal medicine. Fast growth rate. Planted 2003.
The Orchard
A range of heritage fruit tree varieties sourced from collections across the country. Heritage fruit varieties are shunned by commercial orchardists as the fruit doesn't store well and they crop over longer periods, but their superior flavour and variety make them ideal for home fruit growing.
Kitchen Garden
Developed by head gardener Julian Blackhirst, the kitchen garden uses biointensive methods to maximise yield. Compost and organic fertilisers are added seasonally to maintain a high level of fertility, allowing for the close spacing of plants, companion planting and intercropping.
Soil cover is provided by a continual sequence of seasonal plantings and a wide variety of crops creates a biodiverse environment of healthy plants, with insect and birdlife keeping pests and diseases to a minimum.
Dry Climate Garden
The dry climate garden was designed by master gardener Chris Colligan who worked in The Garden of St Erth for 20 years.
The exposed hillside provides hot, dry conditions with afternoon sun throughout summer and autumn. Chris selected a range of exotic species from dry and Mediterranean climates, and created a garden with beauty, form and no need for additional irrigation - perfect for our tough Australian climate.
Bush Garden
Andrew Laidlaw, Royal Botanic Gardens Landscape Architect, created a design to incorporate dry climate plants that adapt to arid soil on top of mining rubble.
Berry Garden
Established on the site of the old butchers block, fertile soils and cool conditions are perfect for producing lush, sweet berries. Diggers heirloom varieties of cane berries have been carefully selected for flavour and yield.
Country Cottage Garden
Alistair Clark Daffodils planted by Reg Bradley circa 1950 and Tommy Garnett's tree selections are now complemented with Diggers selections of roses, perennials and autumn flowering bulbs.
Opening Hours:
Opening Hours
Cost:
Admission Prices
There is no entry charge to visit the shop or restaurant.
Review:
We had a lovely visit towards the end of summer when the flower beds were a riot of different colours. There is a wide variety of interesting plants, bushes and trees which are well labelled and the garden has lots of interesting places to rest and contemplate. You can play a fun game of sprinkler dodging to see the whole garden but there is always an alternative path around the sprays to get to each part of the garden.
There is a separate Berry and Rose garden outside the main garden near the car park.
Near the entrance there is an extensive nursery selling plants and within the cottage there are lots of gardening accessories for sale. The gardens are so inspirational that we were actually deluded into thinking that we could grow all these fruit plants such as raspberries and blueberries and have a bumper harvest.
Photos:
Location
189 Simmons Reef Road, Blackwood 3458 Map
✆ (03) 5368 6520
Email Enquiry
Web Links
→ The Garden of St Erth
→ The Diggers Club on Facebook
