By KATH GANNAWAY
DESCRIBING their East Warburton garden as “a perfect retirement project”, Sunil and Shanthi Wickramasurya say the garden has enabled them to give rein to their different ideas.
Their ideas – from the Victorian telephone box to the pretend outdoor dunny, bridges, outdoor dining rooms and exotic plantings – were inspiration to hoards of visitors who enjoyed the Upper Yarra Valley Garden Club’s Open Garden Weekend on 5 and 6 October.
Sunil and Shanthi’s Garden was one of five inspirational gardens in Warburton and East Warburton offering very different garden experiences.
Debbie’s Garden in East Warburton and Redwoods, The Neighbours and Sometimes Creek gardens in Warburton drew excellent crowds according to club secretary Kevin Hince.
“It was a wonderful weekend with numbers up, gate takings up and lots of money to go to local charities. Everyone is very happy with the results,” he said.
Mr Hince said one of the attractions of the weekend, held every year on the first weekend in October, was the variety of gardens including different landscapes, ideas and plants.
“Every garden is different, as people develop them themselves in their own way,” he said.
The club which regularly has between 80 to 100 members meets on the third Monday of each month at the Senior Citizens Club rooms in Dammans Road, Warburton, at 7.30pm. Membership is $10 per year.
Club member Bob Shelden also runs a half-hour gardening program ‘Down to Earth Gardening’ on 99.1FM at 11am on Wednesday morning.
For more information, phone the UYVGC on 5966 2828 or drop in on a meeting.
