Five gardens on Sydney’s northern beaches

The northern beaches is home to a number of different styles of gardens. Here are five to explore.

Ilona Gracey in the Balgowlah Community Garden.

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THE Eco Garden at Kimbriki Resource Recovery Centre is a hands-on oasis. Visitors can wander through the garden, nibbling plants such as bright red pineapple sage.

Planting edible flowers came from the pages of Dr Sandra Cabot’s book, Eat Yourself A Rainbow, communications and marketing manager, Jo McNamara said.

“There are quite a few herbs suitable for picking and making herbal teas,” she said.

“Native raspberries are often in fruit; right now the white mulberries are ripening.”

The Eco Garden, opened by Mary Moody in 1999, grows organic fruit, vegetables and trees on landfill.

Since 2000, Peter Rutherford, a former teacher, has been the senior ecologist. His team runs the successful organic garden and the adjoining Eco House as an indoor/outdoor educational facility teaching sustainable gardening principles to community groups, schools, gardening clubs and anyone with an interest in gardening.

Eco House and Garden’s senior ecologist Peter Rutherford.

Beginners organic vegetable gardening is one of the most popular workshops. The Eco Garden has two workshops scheduled for December 1 and 4. Bookings can be made online.

Mr Rutherford or a team member is in the garden on Thursdays to give free advice and garden tours from 1.30-4pm. The Eco Garden is open from 7am to 5pm, whenever Kimbriki Resource Recovery Centre is open.

It has been 20 months since Jeanne Villani’s Bayview garden was last open to the public, but the 82-year-old still gets admiring visitors.

“I still get knocks on the door, people have heard about my garden and want to see it,” Jean Villani said. “I have had hundreds of visitors, my garden was part of Australia’s Open Garden Scheme for 24 years.”

Jeanne Villani in her garden at Waterfall Cottage.

Waterfall Cottage is a paradise of lush rainforest, landscaped with pathways, steps, gullies, trees, flowers and pools. There is a creek and a natural waterfall which flows after wet weather.

Amid her mass plantings of blue ginger, brugmansia (more commonly known as angel’s trumpets), liliums and hippeastrums is a moss-covered, living sculpture.

The reclining female figure, called Lily, was created by her niece Belinda Villani. The sculpture was finished in 2005. It has a clay-filled steel frame and a sandstone head which is covered with muehlenbeckia, a climbing vine, as hair.

Inspiration came from a well known Cornish sculpture, Mrs Villani said. “I was sent a postcard of the Mud Maiden from The Lost Gardens of Heligan in Cornwall,” she said.

When Mrs Villani moved into her home in 1982 the steep-sided, 3ha site was covered in lantana.

“I bought the house because I wanted to create a garden. My father was a nurseryman and I have always loved gardens,” she said. “I love it, there is always something to see any time of the year.”

Jeanne Villani’s moss-covered garden sculpture.

Tucked behind the small park in Griffifth St is the entrance to Balgowlah Community Garden. Established in 2012, this quarter- acre suburban block is a joint initiative between the former Manly Council and The Cancer Council NSW.

The concept was set up to promote a healthy lifestyle and community engagement, management committee member Jacki Gracey said.

“It was set up to promote heath and wellbeing for local residents,” she said.

“It is such a small space, but it is so wonderfully therapeutic and it always fantastic to see kids wandering around eating snow peas they have just picked.”

The sunny garden is planted out with raised garden beds containing seasonal fruit and vegetables, as well as espaliered fruit trees. It is home to five isa brown and Australorps chooks.

Members came in daily to let the birds out and feed them, Mrs Gracey said. They can pay to have their own garden beds.

“The garden is too small to sell produce, but individuals can grow their own fruit and vegetables,” she said.

“Otherwise there are community­ garden beds which are looked after by members.”

Jacki Gracey is the Balgowlah Community Garden.

The garden now has more than 45 members, including family groups. Membership is $30 and private beds cost from $50-$100.

Balgowlah Community Garden holds a working bee on the last Saturday of the month. The next is on November 26. Details: balgowlahcg.com.

Devout Christian Gerald Hercules Robinson’s legacy lives on in the garden he established in the 1960s. The Bible Garden in Mitchell Rd had every plant — 140 species — mentioned in the Old and New Testaments.

Pittwater Council became the landowner in 2006 but, by 2010, the garden had fallen into disrepair with only 10 per cent of the original species left. The proactive Friends Of The Bible Garden played a vital role in re-establishing the garden, which was replanted with about 90 species.

Then NSW governor Marie Bashir reopened the restored Bible Garden in September 2012.

The Bible Garden at Palm Beach.

Biblical plants include iris (Hosea, chapter 14, verse 5); box hedge (Isiah, chapter 41, verse 9) and coriander (Samuel, chapter 4, verse 2). The venue has sweeping views of Palm Beach and was popular for weddings, christenings and naming ceremonies, Friends Of The Bible Garden president Susie Holman said. Bookings are made through Northern Beaches Council.

Dee Why’s small botanic garden, Stony Range, was intentionally child-friendly, volunteer Bob Aiken said.

“If we can get children there, then we can get adults,” he said.

“Our direction is for all children to enjoy the bushland.”

Kids’ play: fun in Dragon's Nest area of Stony Range.

The 3.3ha disused quarry has dedicated play areas for children and plenty of holiday activities. Mr Aiken, who has been a Friends Of The Bush volunteer for 20 years, is passionate about the garden.

“It is hidden gem. We always hear the same story — people say that they didn’t know that we are here,” he said.

Next year volunteers will open the glasshouse with its orchids and ferns to the public. They will also put in a children’s water feature and expand the picnic area.