Albertine, in the Macedon Ranges, is an English-style garden among gum trees

ALBERTINE, near Victoria’s Macedon Ranges, is an English-style garden set among a backdrop of good old Aussie gum trees.

“It’s just beautiful sitting by the fountain with a cup of coffee,” says Debbie Brancastisano.

ALBERTINE, in the Macedon Ranges, Victoria, is an English-style garden among gum trees.

Describe your garden: We’re about 50km from ­Melbourne near the Macedon Ranges. We bought a 4ha block in 1995 and planted our boundary trees ­before the house was completed. It’s an English-style garden of about two acres (less than 1ha), set among a backdrop of good old Aussie gum trees. The deciduous trees keep the house beautifully shaded in summer and allow the winter sun to come through. We lined the driveway with claret ash as they give a spectacular display in autumn. Tony loves silver birches; he plants groves of 50 or 60, like a little forest. The back yard is the ­children’s domain with the cubby house and playground overlooking the sprawling lawn. Down the back we have a menagerie of animals — chickens, ducks, goats, pigeons, six sheep and the token horse, an elderly shetland pony who loves hanging out with our alpacas. The “secret garden” is a pond surrounded by silver birch and ‘October Glory’ maples.

What makes it special? The trees and water features, which are in every area or room of the garden, from big, natural-looking ponds to smaller, more formal ones. Most contain water lilies or fish or both.

Biggest challenges: Keeping everything green over long, hot summers. We put in a huge dam and have a 100,000-litre underground tank, with another under construction. There is a bore but we rarely use it.

Favourite part: The bottom part of the garden, ­surrounding our aviary and shed, is abundant with ­silver birches, maples and ornamental pears. Hedges of photinia and Pittosporum ‘Green Pillar’ make an ­excellent screen. There are few flowers bar some roses and agapanthus, but it’s just beautiful sitting by the fountain with a cup of coffee, listening to the water drop into the pond below.

Who does the work? The stonework and bridge on the largest pond were done by a local stonemason but then progress was so slow we decided to go it alone and have since built all the stone walls and structures ourselves. We’re both keen gardeners. Tony has the vision and did most of the construction. I do the ­maintenance, with some help from my daughters. Planting we mostly do together. I love the ride-on mower; you see an instant result after mowing and whipper-snippering. The garden is fairly low-­maintenance most of the year, but come late winter we’re out there with a vengeance.

What’s in flower? The Liatris look sensational — a sea of white and pink. Also flowering are salvias, ­lavender, roses, penstemon, daisies and catmint.

Extras: Our collection of vintage Blackstone oil engines and rare antique French and English petrol bowsers will be on display, as well as a fully restored 1930 Rolls-Royce. Homemade cakes and coffee and tea will be for sale.

Address: Albertine, 9 Heather Road, Gisborne, Victoria. Owners: Debbie and Tony Brancatisano. Open: This weekend, 10am-4.30pm Entry $8, under 18s free