Bickleigh Vale Village transports visitors to a British village scene

Inspired by Edna Walling’s childhood village in Devon, England, Bickleigh Vale in Mooroolbark features quiet lanes and interconnected, richly planted gardens

The gardens are informal, with secret paths leading to garden rooms through rustic gates, inviting exploration Picture: Brett Horan

A century has passed since the influential landscape designer Edna Walling started her most enduring and acclaimed project, Bickleigh Vale Village, at Mooroolbark 37km east of Melbourne’s CBD.

Recognised by the National Trust as a classified landscape and listed on the Victorian Heritage Register for its aesthetic, architectural, historical and horticultural significance, Bickleigh Vale has eight gardens open to the public next weekend, October 12-13.

Walling (1895-1973) designed and supervised the construction of 16 cottages and gardens on 8.5ha there from the 1920s to the 1940s, creating a community where houses and gardens relate harmoniously to each other as well as the natural environment.

Inspired by her childhood village in Devon, England, Bickleigh Vale features quiet lanes and interconnected, richly planted gardens. Walling favoured copses of trees, drifts of spring bulbs, massed ground covers, and minimal pruning of her signature flowering shrubs.

The gardens are informal, with secret paths leading to garden rooms through rustic gates, inviting exploration. There’ll be stalls selling plants, old wares and crafts, and a program of talks. opengardensvictoria.org.au

Edna’s Choice

A range of Australian-bred plants from Austraflora pay tribute to Edna Walling’s favourites.

Pelargonium ‘Edna Walling Pop Up’

Callistemon ‘Edna Walling Scarlet Willow’

They’re all native, with pretty blooms and soft foliage, yet are tough performers. Try these four, below.austraflora.com

Goodenia ‘Edna Walling Cover Up’

Westringia ‘Edna Walling Rosemary’

Q&A

I know worms are great in the garden, but what about in pots? I found several when re-potting.

Carol Drew, Sydney

In large pots with established plants, earthworms can aerate soil and add humus, although they are consuming organic matter. But in pots with young plants and seedlings, earthworms have been shown to preferentially eat the living roots, which hinders growth and can kill seedlings. You’ll find earthworms where the soil mix is reliably moist, towards the bottom of the pots. In deep pots, this zone can ultimately become a bit sludgy (more compacted, and with less aeration) once the organic matter in the mix has decomposed or been consumed; re-potting is then beneficial.

My lemon and mandarin trees produce reasonable amounts of fruit but my three thriving lime trees, between three and seven years old, never develop fruit after flowering. Why?

Paul Ashburn, Sunshine Coast

It’s a common issue with limes, which are very sensitive to any periods of drying out during the critical phase from flowering to when fruits are marble-sized. Any water stress event during this time can trigger all the tiny fruit to be jettisoned. Regular, even watering is essential. A layer of sugar cane mulch will help keep the soil moist.

What’s a good recipe for making my own seed-raising mix? One commercial brand I tried had lumps of pinebark that seemed to make seedlings struggle.

Chris Hogan, Brisbane

Experienced vegie gardeners swear that making your own is better and cheaper. A standard recipe is 2 parts sieved compost, 1 part coir (coconut fibre), 1 part vermiculite or perlite and a sprinkle of worm castings. You can also use washed river sand as one of the ingredients. If you don’t have your own compost, substitute high quality potting mix, finely sieved. Don’t be afraid to vary the recipe to suit you and different plants

Send your questions to [e-mail] The best questions for October wins a copy of Paul Bangay’s new book Big Garden Design: the Making of Beautiful Country Gardens (Thames & Hudson, $90). September’s winner is Louise Morris of Riverton for her question about roadside manures.

Paul Bangay’s Big Garden Design.