AUTUMN with its milder days and glorious colour is the ideal time to visit gardens in the Yarra Valley and the Dandenong Ranges.
There are three very different gardens open under the Australia’s Open Garden Scheme in March and April, as well as a number of gardens which are open regularly and always worth a visit.
20-21 March
Lemon Tree Cottage, Upwey
MORE than 130 salvias, roses and perennials surround the lemon tree at the heart of Lemon Tree Cottage’s terraced garden where arbours link different sections.
Plantings in vibrant colours contrast with fern-filled glades.
Japanese maples are a special feature and there is an extended area of Australian plants in this 0.12 hectare garden.
An art exhibition will also be held over the weekend.
Where: 59 Ferguson Street.
Open: 10am to 4.30pm.
Entry: $6
24-25 April
Valley Views, Lilydale
VALLEY Views is reliant on both familiar and less usual garden-worthy plants for its transformation from a bare, steep block into a charmingly profuse, colourful and flowery garden.
Many standardised specimens add vertical highlights and maximise available planting space with fuchsias, potato vine, grevilleas, broom and roses in abundance in this 0.2 hectare garden.
Where: 17 The Eyrie
Open: 10am to 4.30pm.
Entry $6
Beechmont, Olinda
COLLECTIONS of trees and shrubs in this 3.25 hectare hilltop garden include mature northern and southern hemisphere species in a series of formal and informal rooms.
A walled garden with parterre has replaced the tennis court.
Features include a secret garden, sculptures and a serpentine rill which flows into a reflection pool.
Where: 12 Mernda Road
Open: 10am to 4.30pm.
Entry: $6
Regularly open
Katandra Gardens, Wandin.
THIS outstanding landscaped 3.2 hectare Australian native garden holds numerous plant collections including the OPCAA Corea collection.
Impressive views and water features including an ornamental lake are features which make Katandra Gardens a garden of interest all year round.
Where: 49 Hunter Road
Open: 10am to 5pm Thursday to Monday or by appointment.
Phone: 5964 4523.
SkyHigh, Mount Dandenong
CENTRED round stunning Melbourne views and surrounded by state forest, garden paths meander through an English garden under a canopy of blackwoods.
Where: 26 Observatory Road
Open: 10am to 10pm Monday to Friday. 8am to 11pm weekends.
Entry: $5 per car.
Phone: 9751 0443.
Blue Lotus Watergarden, Yarra Junction.
MORE than five hectares of lotus and waterlilies with lakes, dams and ponds displaying thousands of flowers are on offer.
Where: 2628 Warburton Highway
Open: 11am to 6pm November to end of March.
Entry: $8 adults, $4 children, $20 family and $5 pension.
Phone: 0418 350 339.
Karwarra Australian Plant Garden, Kalorama
A TWO hectare botanic garden growing 1700 Australian species including the OPCAA Boronia and Waratah collections.
Features a rain forest, fern gully and large range of drought and shade-tolerant plants.
Where: Mt. Dandenong Tourist Road (inside the reserve).
Open: Tuesday to Friday 10am to 4pm. Weekends and public holidays 1pm to 4pm.
Phone: 9728 4256.
Ferny Creek Ornamental Garden Reserve, Sassafras
FOUR hectares of 50-year-old landscaped gardens featuring rare and exotic ornamental trees, shrubs and rock plants, especially impressive in autumn. Autumn Show is on 24 and 25 April.
Where: 100 Hilton Road
Open: Saturday 1pm to 4.30pm. Sunday-10am to 4.30pm
Entry: $5
Phone: 9755 1882.
