Thursday 12 January 2012

The manic gardening mother

Happy 2012 to everyone, and what better way to welcome in a new year on Bloom than to share with you a most spectacular garden!
It seems the older I get, the lengthier my bucket list is becoming. However, our recent trip to Victoria saw me tick at least one wish off the list.
I have long wanted to visit Lambley Nursery near Ballarat in Victoria. For Australian gardeners, Lambley is well known as an exceptional example of dry climate gardening.
They specialise in perennial plants, sourced carefully from all over the world by owner David Glenn, and selected and propagated from his own personal collection.
The show garden is breathtakingly beautiful, and their use of perennials has always inspired me with my own gardening. I am still trying to emulate their stunning mixed perennial borders. There is a real art to achieving an balanced and harmonious border.
The gardens were full of interest, and colour packed, even in the midst of summer.
My addiction to salvias was fed nicely, with many difficult-to-find varieties.  
The rare metallic blues of Oxford Blue Sea Holly (above) and Veitch’s Globe Flower (below), have long been on my list of 'must-have' plants.
An astonishing display of of Salvia nemorosa varieties lay beyond this gate.
This 35 metre long garden was planted for David Glenn's granddaughter Molly and features an avenue of Pyrus calleryana ‘Valiant’ underplanted with at least a dozen different Salvia nemorosa cultivars. (Note family sitting comatose with disinterest in distance).

This garden is an example of where gardening gets very clever. Evidently Molly's birthday is in August. Salvia is dormant and pruned to the ground at that time of year, so the entire garden is underplanted with thousands of Dutch crocus which flower in August just in time for Molly's birthday! Can you imagine?! I can only dream of that sort of clever consecutive planting in my garden!
As usual, I dragged my long suffering family around the gardens, boring them silly with what I knew about the plants. Here they are strolling up the agapanthus lined driveway, with Mount Fuji cherries planted as an avenue. It must be quite spectacular in the spring. In fact you can see photos of the avenue in its splendour here, and read the lovely story about how it was planted for another granddaughter, Lili.
Our garden visit took the usual turn, with the family searching out every available seat while I buzzed about manically taking photos, and ooohing and aaahing over plants and vistas!
The poor boy was particularly out of sorts as he had been hoping to get to mini golf after the garden visit. Such dejection! Yes, I felt badly about it, but came good the very next morning with 18 glorious holes of mini golf for him :) Poor precious!
Being in Victoria is horticultural heaven for me, with so many plant varieties that are unavailable in NSW. Thanks to Lambley, and my equally manic gardening friend Annie, I came home with many treasures which I'm now trying to keep alive until the intense heat of summer passes. 


If you'd like to learn more about Lambley Nursery and David Glenn's dry climate gardening, you can visit his YouTube channel here.

15 comments:

  1. Not somewhere I've been but definately on my 'to visit' list after yours and Annie's photos!! thanks for sharing.

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  2. Isn't that a fabulous garden. It was so inspirational when we first moved to Ballarat and water was in very short supply. So pleased you enjoyed your Victorian visit.

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  3. Thank you so much for sharing this! I will definitely go see this garden.

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  4. The DVD series Dry Climate Gardening with David Glenn from www.dryclimategardening.com.au is just fantastic way to see the Garden and gain access to Davids wealth of knowledge.

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  5. What a lovely garden! Thank you for showing it, I need a sunny lift at this time of year. We're dealing with freezing temperatures here right now!

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  6. This garden is beautiful!. Today is snowing, and I am so ready for Spring. The garden is a wonderful inspiration. Thank you for sharing.

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  7. Lovley pictures for me in vinter ,Nette

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  8. You have captured this garden magnificently it was like I was there with you. Fantastic photos and a wonderful wrap. I watched the summer DVD from David glen last week with mum and it's well worth a look. I must try again to get my slide show of my last trip working on my blog. That cordial was scrumptious mumscious.

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  9. Wow garden looks amazing. I have to admit I too have dragged my family around a garden or two. Sometimes they just don't know what is good for them. All the best with your plans for 2012

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  10. Very jealous Ros - I have recently discovered Lambley and bought a few plants and seen the DVDs - will have to work on a trip down there. Thanks for the photos. Hope you have had a relaxing holiday Love Belinda L

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  11. Wonderful photos (it should be a fantastic place!) - I love the holly one :)

    Hugs,
    Tatyana

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  12. WOW ... being a horticulturist with a love for sewing & crafts I naturally love your blog but this post was an absolute treat ... thanks

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  13. Fantastic! Beautiful flowers and gardens.In Italy it was very cold today! I'm new contact and I love the quilts.
    Ciao,
    Daniela

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  14. Hope you are enjoying the holidays. The gardens in Victoria look lovely. I wonder if your precious boy will develop a love of gardening when he gets older...or if he'll run the other way! LOL Thanks for the link to dry climate gardening....might just have to have a peep.

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  15. thank you for sharing article! It was so inspirational when we first moved to Ballarat and water was in very short supply. So pleased you enjoyed your Victorian visit. I will continue noticing your blog!

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