I am lucky enough to be the custodian of two gardens; two very different gardens. One of them surrounds a little 1940's cottage and is in Kallista in the Dandenongs. The name Kallista is derived from the Ancient Greek superlative noun for "the most beautiful", and it is. The garden is on the shady side of a hill, adjacent to a small, rambling creek. It is a private place with low light and much dampness in winter. It forms the backdrop for this website.
I would like to introduce you to the broader constitution of this garden. When I think of this garden I think maple, conifer, rhododendron, camellia, yew, pieris and mountain laurel. There is something of interest for every season of the year, even if winter is a little blander than the rest. Birds love this garden and I am lucky enough to have a pair of yellow robins who keep me company when I'm digging.
At Kallista there are different coloured mountain laurels that are flowering now, as well as maples that are at their best in Autumn. However one maple has an amazing, almost fluorescent green, new leaf in early spring. Of rhododenrons there are probably 20 or so, which all struggle for their share of sunlight beneath a canopy of tall trees. They all vary in colour and seemingly flower according to their specific colours; the purples being the last to emerge. I have also included a peak at one of the yew trees for you; there are English, Irish and Japanese yews. After 6 years we are still discovering what some of the plants are despite the garden not being overly large!
G.
Hi G
ReplyDeleteI loved reading about your garden. I am Ivys oldest daughter. We have just moved into our 1915 house in Mansfield and you should see the old English garden. Each day I discover a new plant come up and some I don't even know the names of. I need mum to visit soon. This week I discovered that we have a tree called a Smoke Tree it it covered with beautiful pink blossoms. We also have two magnificent Cherry Laurels which have been in full bloom and a lovely old Persimmon tree. Anyway I look forward to hearing more about your garden and I will have to look for one of those Green Roses that mum loves. Bryony
Hi Bryony, you are lucky to have a mum with an encyclopaedic knowledge of the garden like Ivy has. Watch out, one day I might invite myself up to Mansfield and poke around your (I'm sure) amazing garden. Enjoy, G
ReplyDelete