Lochiel, Tasmania: a grand old home with a garden to match

Meet the couple looking after the beautiful formal garden at Lochiel, a 3714ha property near Ross in Tasmania’s Midlands.

The garden at Lochiel

Lochiel has been in the Cameron family since 1927 but the property, near Ross in Tasmania’s Midlands, is nearly 200 years old. Current owner Valerie Le Maitre was a child in 1946 when her parents moved there; her father, Sir John Cameron, ran Lochiel as a merino wool and cropping property. After marrying in 1960, Valerie moved away – but returned in 1988 to help out after her mother died; her father handed her the reins in 1995. “I had the good fortune to be tutored by my father to respect the land,” she says. Her husband, Roger Le Maitre – a geologist and academic with no prior knowledge of farming – became an invaluable partner, assisting on the farm’s technical side.

Roger and Valerie Le Maitre

Valerie has expanded the landholdings from 1700ha to 3714ha, and maintains the legacy of Lochiel’s garden, which covers about 2ha. Dating to the 1870s are a huge deodar (Cedrus deodara) in the corner of the main lawn and the topiary Monterey cypresses (Cupressus macrocarpa). Other mature trees include a statuesque linden (Tilia) planted in 1928, golden and claret ash, many maples and a superb standard weeping silver birch (Betula pendula ‘Youngii’), planted around 1950. Of the weeping silver pear tree (Pyrus salicifolia ‘Pendula’) near the office, Valerie says: “I moved it three times before I found the right spot.”

Formal topiary

When she and Roger arrived here they built an embankment planted with rhododendrons and azaleas, and in 1990 created a sunken rose garden from the old tennis court. The formal design includes broad lawn paths and a central sundial. On the upper level, pale pink crabapple (Malus ioensis ‘Plena’) and rhododendrons continue the colour theme. “It’s really a spring garden,” Valerie says. “There are lots of peonies, daffodils, bluebells, hyacinths, foxgloves and bearded irises.”

Lochiel from above

Substantial areas are fenced off to regenerate, or to protect various forest types and endangered wildflowers. In one gorgeous area, a rare greenhood orchid and golden everlasting daisies grow among a carpet of native wax flowers. “Our home is where my husband and I have contentment,” Valerie says. “The lake in front of the house is my special spot. I have a little rowboat to quietly potter along; there are no distractions apart from the birdlife.”

Lochiel features in Great Properties of Tasmania (MUP $60) by Richard Allen and Kimbal Baker

Q&A

What books do you recommend on landscape design and plant selection, pitched at a higher level for some technical and conceptual learning? Most new books seem to be at entry level.

John Randall, by email

In the past, garden books were more intellectual and relied less on lush photography. Some classics are Australian Garden Design by Andrew Pfeiffer; The Adventurous Gardener by Christopher Lloyd; and The Garden at Bronte by Leo Schofield. Elements of Garden Design by Joe Eck, an American, is highly regarded. Online, there’s intellectual rigour from Australian designer Michael McCoy’s blog at thegardenist.com.au; I also love botanist Tim Entwisle’s blog talkingplants.blogspot.com.

What native flowering bushes could survive in our garden bed at the bottom of a steep, south-facing slope? Jarrod Carter, Adelaide Hills

Most flowering plants need some sun, especially natives, so it depends how heavy the shade is. The Botanic Gardens of South Australia website has a plant selector that suggests heath myrtle (Thryptomene calycina), native fuchsia (Correa reflexa), Australian dusty miller (Spyridium ‘Nimbus’) and cranesbill (Geranium retrorsum). Visit the State Flora Nursery at Belair for plants and expert advice.

The August prize

Send your questions to: [e-mail] or Helen Young, PO Box 3098, Willoughby North, NSW 2068. The best question for August wins an 80cm-long Precinct Lite Trough Planter in white worth $128 from Northcote Pottery.