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Potager Designs

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25.01.2022 One of our young Pistachio trees in pots We harvested nuts from the established inground trees but left these as ornamental

25.01.2022 Still in Florence but a different type of garden to those in previous posts I was intrigued to visit this garden having regard to description by @themontydon Great Gardens of Italy and observation that little visited Agree the location is a little awkward to get to And it took some perseverance to visit - I think three trips due to limited visiting days and closures for works...eventually we made it - Villa Castello or Giardino de Castello - The garden was the first Medicean... garden laid out by Tribolo around 1537/38 According to Monty Don the garden remains substantially as it was and is a true example of a Renaissance garden It differs from the gardens in previous posts in that it is primarily laid out to see as a whole (with the exception of the herb garden on request - swipe to last three photos) Generally not my preference but in this case the somewhat unkempt plantings and trees (including dwarf pear) meant not feeling exposed but embraced when walking through the garden It also turned out to reflect a style I like with mixed formality and wildness Again a contrast to the gardens in previous posts which had more formality and primarily tones of green Here the mauve spires of Perovskia atriplicifolia and splashes of reds, pinks and yellow softened the garden A common element with Villa Gamberaia was the citrus in pots - in a formal area but also scattered around the garden - apparently over 500! See more

25.01.2022 On Open Gardens Victoria insta live a few weeks ago we discussed the development of the link between the original bluestone cottage and the new section, with the aim to create the feel of garden rooms. This is a view from the other side of the link with glimpses of the courtyard (swipe). Recycled door from Calcutta.

24.01.2022 A view towards home on the way back from our walk today - an 1860s bluestone cottage with an adjoining horse paddock that we developed as a garden Located in a small country town in Central Victoria The garden is fairly established now but we are still tweaking a little - the lower gravel garden being a relatively recent addition a couple or so years ago where we are making some adjustments as it settles in (need more Agastache and Leonotis leonurus - just have to figure out how to fit them in!) and watching with interest as it evolves and expands through the gravel pathway - a future post...

24.01.2022 Bit of a dismal winter day here...looking back on European summers and continuing from an earlier post with an Italian theme, we visited a few Fiesole hillside gardens in Florence the same day - via an Italian Tuk Tuk with driver - a lovely open air way of visiting the hills. This is Villa Gamberaia or the Garden of the Princess. Apparently the garden started around 1610 and was enlarged in the 18th century, then in the second half of the 19th century it was owned by Princes...s Ghyka. Among other things, the Princess introduced the water parterre. The garden includes a limonaia garden and gabinetto di roccaglia. Although it is formally laid out, wandering in the garden it feels romantic - I am not sure that the photos convey this. As with Villa le Balze the garden is divided into different rooms which create a sense of a larger property than the relatively narrow area it occupies And this is also helped by the borrowed landscape - the views are pretty spectacular. The garden is open to the public but also hosts private events so good to check it is open before visiting. It also hosts garden design workshops. Perhaps of interest to keep in mind for some time in the future @ Florence, Italy See more

23.01.2022 Sunset through the courtyard window

23.01.2022 A couple of views of our courtyard in Autumn From inner city living I have always enjoyed courtyard gardens and decided to incorporate in our country home A Moroccan courtyard in the centre of the house would be my ideal! Ours is on a much more modest scale with the dining room on one side and a sunroom/living room on another I particularly like the private space with the sense of enclosure and protection And a safe area for Rani & Devi (our indoor cats) to hang out! Grape vi...nes provide shade in summer with a pond to help create a cooling effect - opening both sets of doors from the house in the evening following the heat of a summer day With fragrance from Star Jasmine and Citrus And some artifacts from overseas - including Turkish windows, a Tree of Life panel and Jalis, along with a Ganesh sculpture and brass standing oil lamp A bit eclectic but we love it! @ Malmsbury, Victoria See more

23.01.2022 Dappled light through autumn leaves in the courtyard . . . And Devi contemplating life or fish or Rani or ...

21.01.2022 Looking forward to the Mediterranean Garden Society talk by Italian/Australian landscape designer @carlogabrielegardens Italian Garden Design and its relevance to Australian gardensAlso an opportunity to share photos from some favourite Italian gardens we visited a few years ago now Sunday 16 May 2021 Kew - bookings and details https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing?eid=752890&

19.01.2022 Chatting about courtyards, integrating house and garden and creating garden rooms with Stephen Read of @opengardensvictoria on insta live reminded me of the garden rooms at Villa le Balze that we visited in Italy a little while ago now - designed by Cecil Pinsent (designer of La Foce, Tuscany) On the Southern slope of the Fiesole hill in Florence Now owned by Georgetown University with visits by appointment A series of garden rooms and terraces many with stunning borrowed landscape and each a complete garden in its own right - to die for!

16.01.2022 More Autumn colours in Malmsbury - yellow tones

15.01.2022 I started collecting photos for a final Autumn post of the Malmsbury Botanic Gardens (first two photos) but then it morphed into an Arbutus post - A. xandrachnoides in the foreground in the first photo. This tree is noted on file of the National Trust’s Register of Significant Trees. The date of planting is not recorded, but following storm damage in the 1990’s it was cut back to the ground and is recorded in the Register as being removed. So the tree that you see now is reg...rowth - which is still pretty impressive. However, the last photo shows the tree as it was before the damage and it was stunning - photo by Kevin Walsh around 1987. The gardens have a collection of Arbutus sp. and they grow well in this area. A. xandrachnoides has particularly attractive bark (third photo) Many years ago James from @blackwoodridge sourced me a couple, but unfortunately I ended up without the space to do them justice and ended up giving them away... More info for those interested: A. xandrachnoides (Hybrid Strawberry Tree) is a natural hybrid between A. unedo (Irish Strawberry Tree) and A. andrachne (Grecian Strawberry Tree), from the Ericaceae family, occurring in SE Europe, Turkey and Lebanon. @ Malmsbury, Victoria See more

13.01.2022 Flowers in the Autumn-almost-Winter garden Angelica gigas Rose Pelargonium Penstemon ‘Blackbird’... Agastache Californian poppy Winter iris Valerian + Miss Jonesy See more

12.01.2022 On seeing repost by @encouragingwomeninhorticulture of photo by @gardens.by.holmes of parterre at Diggers Dromana I was immediately reminded of a strikingly similar aspect at the Giardino Bardini gardens in Florence All that is missing is the Duomo in the background...

11.01.2022 Pomegranates again! They really are a favorite - I can’t resist ...And now the leaves have fallen, a new look! Such a fabulous plant This time of year the hanging fruit are like Xmas decorations We use in salads and made some juice this year But we also like leaving fruit on tree as so decorative And the birds enjoy the seeds when the fruit splits They grow well around this way... Available from @thediggerdclub and @frogmore_gardens

10.01.2022 Enjoyed chatting with Stephen Read from @opengardensvictoria at the weekend on insta live about the development of the garden at Melrose, with Mediterranean, Middle Eastern and Indian influences We spend some time in the courtyard and at the verandah which have been designed to be an extension of the living area having in mind the hot summers in Central Victoria, visit the kitchen garden and Barnevelder chooks and have a peek at the swimming pool Available @opengardensvictoria and from https://opengardensvictoria.org.au/open/instagram-live_3/50 Tip - start a few minutes in as a bit of a delay due to some technical difficulties in joining call (user error....) Water colour plan pictured by Ian Murray architect

09.01.2022 Last figs silhouetted against a winterish sky today Not ripening but apparently still enjoyed by birds...

08.01.2022 Misty view through courtyard window to garden this morning Window from Turkey Stake from @made_at_yandoit

08.01.2022 Returning to Florence gardens and a peek at another infrequently visited garden, although open for an annual charity fair Otherwise visits by appointment - we had the luxury of being the only visitors on the day This garden is hidden in the midst of Florence bustle and sits behind two adjoining buildings - one a bank and the other the residence - Giardino Corsini al Prato - owned by Prince Filippo Corsini - from one of Florence’s oldest families The garden began in 1591 as a ...garden of medicinal plants, acquired unfinished by the Corsini family in 1621 It is laid out geometrically with box hedges. And includes citrus, flowering plants, fragrant Linden trees and a grove of Ilex and Laurel trees carpeted by Acanthus As well as statues and two limonaia ... Very much a country garden that happens to be in the city...Lovely garden to visit ...Plus it has tortoises ...(living around the small bridge shown on the lawn) @ Florence, Italy See more

07.01.2022 Thank you Karen Sutherland and Open Gardens Victoria for your lovely write up of our nature strip/verge garden! How wonderful that there are so many nature strips being imaginatively planted out and used Also congratulations to OGV for acknowledging this form of gardening and sharing more broadly nature strip gardens For article by Karen and photos of these fabulous and diverse gardens see https://opengardensvictoria.org.au//Nature-Strip-Garden-Co.... And for article in The Conversation referenced by Karen https://theconversation.com/our-land-abounds-in-nature-stri

07.01.2022 Autumn up close! @ Potager Designs

04.01.2022 Garden emerging from winter Loving the Orange Sedge (Carex testacea) at the moment In particular river-like along the pool (swipe)

03.01.2022 Thank you to Open Gardens Victoria and Stephen Read for inviting me to join Stephen for a virtual garden tour at Melrose this weekend ... Looking like it might be a little chilly and damp but hey that’s gardening! We will chat about establishing the garden in what was primarily a horse paddock and then have a look around ... I recall wheelbarrowing in the pouring rain on weekends - probably gravel - and carrying bluestones we rescued from the old kitchen foundations just before the builders laid concrete - then for various reasons moving the bluestones more than once - they definitely became heavier each time ... But also the rewarding bits when you look back at old photos one day and suddenly realise you have created a garden! Repost @opengardensvictoria

02.01.2022 In looking for Italian photos for the previous post about the Mediterranean Garden Society I came across photos of this home garden in Piemonte. I had not previously shared it on insta as we visited on a very sunny day and the garden was so much nicer than the photos convey. However, it is a really interesting garden established and maintained solely by the amazing Maria who is beyond a garden enthusiast. Many of the plants are similar or the same as those used in Central ...Victoria. I also saw Italian tying willow in use for tying plants (previously available through @bobmagnus but no longer permitted for sale here) - there is a shot of it growing as archway. It was a fascinating visit organised by the lovely Nicola Norton who, with her family, renovated and created @lavillahotel - one of our favourite parts of our tour with Ingrid of @ingirotours - Ingrid and Nicola went to some effort to find a garden for us to visit as this was not part of the tour but a special request. I hope you enjoy the sometimes quirky elements of this garden that all worked together somehow! Ps Love the glimpse of the curtain in around photo 4 See more