South Australia Garden Tour
October 2024
Click on the images to enlarge them / Cliquez sur les images pour les agrandir
This tour, based in Adelaide and organised by SAMGS, commenced with a reception at Government House, where we were warmly welcomed by Her Excellency the Honourable Frances Adamson AC, Governor of South Australia and broadcaster and horticulturalist Sophie Thomson. The reception was followed by a welcome event in Adelaide Botanic Gardens where Mark Barnett, Branch Head, introduced the organising team, led by Kerry White and Anne-Marie Holland.
Over the next five days we visited public and private gardens in the city and surrounding areas, including the Adelaide Hills, Barossa Valley and Fleurieu Peninsula. Any members planning a trip to Adelaide can use the following itinerary as a guide to gardens to visit. Links to the websites of gardens open to the public are provided, but it may also be possible to arrange a visit to some of the SAMGS members’ gardens.
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Barossa Valley
The Food Forest, Gawler
Developed by Annemarie and Graham Brookman, this 15-hectare permaculture farm produces over 160 varieties of organically certified fruit and nuts, wheat and vegetables, free range eggs, honey, carob beans, Australian native foods, nursery plants and timber.
Anlaby Station, Hamilton
The oldest Merino stud in South Australia, founded in 1839, Anlaby has one of the most intact Victorian-Edwardian gardens in the country, with formal plantings and greenhouses. Today it is a working property, breeding stud sheep and producing pure merino wool.
Barossa Valley Estate, Marananga
The garden, designed by landscape architect, Paul Bangay, connects the wine tasting room with the great valley below the estate. A series of terraces and beds planted with perennials and grasses provide views across to the vines.
AlRu Farm, Sampson Flat
A 10 acre country garden, with a series of richly planted garden rooms, each with a distinct style and palette of plants. Paths through colour themed perennial borders and a wisteria and rose covered arch, lead on to a white garden, a formal garden, a semi-wild area and a woodland garden.
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Adelaide Hills
Wittunga Botanic Garden, Blackwood
One of three botanic gardens around Adelaide, this 13 hectare garden showcases an extensive collection of water-wise plants from Australia and South Africa, with a particular focus on hakea and banksia, and plants from the Proteaceae family.
Mandalay, near Mt Barker
Mandalay is an elegant, formal garden nestled within a quintessentially Australian landscape. Its formal Italian-inspired garden transitions into less-structured Mediterranean plantings. The owner has commenced a revegetation project for the land surrounding the garden.
Ukaria Cultural Centre and Concert Hall, Mt Barker Summit
The Concert Hall, created for Urike Klein by architect Anton Johnson, is approached through a sensory garden where serpentine paths pass through native flora, roses, lavender and a variety of aromatic plants. There are large sculptures, a dry-stone labyrinth, shady trees and a water feature.
The Crest, Mount George
The house and garden sit in the middle of 8 hectares of once grazing land, now planted with 6000 Australian native trees, mainly eucalypts. The garden includes many interesting trees including a carefully pruned black pine, cherry trees. maples, blue broom and acacias.
Highcroft, Harrogate
A private garden with spectacular views, which was started just 14 years ago. Walls, arbours and terraces were created using rock from the property, then planted with drought tolerant Mediterranean plants which are not irrigated.
Wyndbourne Park, Forest Range
A path through this large and sprawling garden, located in an apple growing area, heads through a magnolia walk and ginkgo circle downhill, to a creek. Steps then lead back up through an avenue of cypresses to a rose arbour and the dry garden, courtyard, glasshouse and pergola near to the house.
Kookaburra Ridge, Ashton
This private garden, owned by SAMGS members Anne-Marie and Ray Holland, was created on a sloping site, formerly a market garden and orchard. The area near the house is more formal, with flowering cherries, apricot, crab apple and a tulip tree and clipped shrubs for structure. Further away are a fern walk, an orchard, a vegetable garden and an area featuring Australian native plants.
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The Fleurieu Peninsula
The Gale Garden, Morphett Vale
The State Heritage listed house was built in 1904 by the owner’s grandfather, and the structure of the current garden created by David Baptiste Garden Design. The lawn was removed and replaced with planted beds and quartz sand paths. There are numerous hedges and clipped shrubs, many of them Australian natives.
Island Paradise, Hindmarsh Island
The soil on Hindmarsh island is sandy over a limestone shelf, low in nutrients and very alkaline and annual rainfall is low, so plant selection for this riverside garden has been a challenge. Retaining walls, paths and steps were built then climate-compatible plants introduced.
Indigo Blue, Basham’s Beach
The coastal garden of designer, Elizabeth Ganguly, is planted with resilient Australian native and Mediterranean species including succulents with interesting foliage, contrasting textures and bold architectural form. Many plants have been clipped into spheres or flowing organic shapes, typical of vegetation in coastal areas.
Nangawooka Flora Reserve, Victor Harbor
Nangawooka is a 2-hectare reserve started in 1982 by a group of plant enthusiasts. The site, which then contained only a few eucalypts, now has a wonderful mix of eucalypts, acacias, hakeas, bushy grevilleas, eremophilas, correas, callistemons and banksias, as well as ground-covering hibbertias, kennedias and scaevolas, to name but a few.
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Adelaide city gardens
A beautifully maintained 50 hectare botanic garden, right in the centre of the city, including magnificent trees, an Australian native plant garden, a rose garden and glasshouses, ancient and modern. Of particular interest is the Mediterranean Garden, pictured, recently restored in collaboration with members of SAMGS.
Beaumont House, Beaumont
Beaumont House, built in 1849, was home of the first Anglican Bishop of Adelaide, and later Sir Samuel Davenport, politician, horticulturist and founder of the olive oil industry in SA. The house has a distinctive Mediterranean character and is surrounded by a beautiful water-wise garden tended by a volunteer group.
Undelcarra, Burnside
Undelcarra, another historic State Heritage listed property, privately owned, has a garden filled with magnificent and exotic trees planted by the early owners of the property. Over the last few years, Trevor Nottle has been involved in major landscaping changes resulting in changes to the planting and more sitting places from which to enjoy the prolific bird life.
Urrbrae House Gardens and the Waite Arboretum
In 1914 Peter Waite bequeathed the Urrbrae estate including his family home to the University of Adelaide. Since 2009, there has been collaboration with SAMGS who provide planting advice and volunteer maintenance for the Garden of Discovery. The Waite arboretum has 2,500 specimens representing more than 800 species, including oaks, palms, eucalypts and dragon trees.
The White House, Kingswood
A private garden, owned by SAMGS members, Kerry and Simon White, where the planting and design has evolved over the last 30 years to become more climate compatible, and now reflects ideas and inspiration from trips to southern France and California. Plantings include agapanthus, rosemary, salvias, succulents, agave, teucrium and grasses.
For help with arranging garden visits, contact SAMGS by email at samgs@mail.tidyhq.com.
Text and photos: Christine Daniels
