Planting a garden that looks beautiful during all four seasons of the year is probably the most difficult gardening assignment, but that’s exactly what The Bath House Garden does. Set on four acres of sprawling estate, this garden features the flavours of France, England and Italy all creating charming spaces different from one another.
As Graham chats to the owners, he discovers no job was too big or too small for them, doing all the brick work and stonework themselves and even using their own self-taught design flare. So, take a look around and be charmed by this rustic country estate.
For brilliant garden colour in spring, summer and autumn, or where you can take in the atmospherics of the lacy filigree of bare trees, frosted lawns and icy puddles in winter, you need a cool climate. But mild will also do the trick.
The Hunter Valley in NSW is where you experience all four seasons in every dramatic detail, without the extremes of weather that come with living in a cold climate. It’s there that The Bath House Garden was established about 20 years ago on 1.6ha out of a couple of horse paddocks.
Now it has a small lake, a vineyard, secret and fragrant garden rooms, and endless parklands. It’s worthy of a long, meandering stroll any time of the year!
Late summer/early autumn is peak blooming time for lovely lavender in southern states such as NSW. There are many species and varieties, so check with your local nursery which one grows best in your area.
While the colours of autumn foliage can be dramatic, they are also brief. Enjoy the carpet of fallen leaves while you can, then revel in the unveiling of garden secrets as bare trees allow you to play peek-a-boo.
A dense groundcover under trees helps keep weeds at bay and keeps the soil around tree roots insulated against weather extremes. Choose an evergreen that is suitable for your aspect – be it sunny or shaded – and doesn’t care that tree roots can be greedy for nutrients!
Society garlic delights in summer with its dainty lilac flowers at the end of long stems. As a member of the onion family, it’s edible as well as ornamental – the leaves can be used in sauces, soups and salads, and the flowers as a garnish. Yes, it does have a garlic aroma!
The highly fragrant hybrid tea ‘The Children’s Rose’ comes in the most delicate pale pink, but it is very robust and has very few thorns, making it easy to cut. Imagine these blooms inside!
The very fragrant double blooms of ’The Fairy’ rose bush appear in clusters for nearly 6 months – almost continuously from spring through summer.
Urns were initially used for carrying water, but the ornamental urn has been a symbol of elegance and beauty since the 18th century when it was fashionable to hark back to classical Greek and Roman times. Use it as a planter if you wish, or a water feature. Or let it stand as a smooth counter to the textured foliage.
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