Open gardens guaranteed to put spring in your step

Spring garden events offer stimulating opportunities to stroll through private gardens, visit country communities and celebrate the season. Here is our list of the must-see events in your state.

Visit Bundanoon this spring for a chance to embrace the season.

Spring garden events across Australia offer stimulating opportunities to stroll through private gardens, visit country communities, buy plants and generally celebrate the season.

West of Sydney, Bathurst Spring Spectacular has 10 open gardens and a monster plant stall on October 28-29. Nearby, on November 4-5, the Millthorpe Garden Ramble opens 10 village and rural gardens and Orange in Bloom has a range of cool climate gardens to visit.

Between Sydney and Canberra, the Bundanoon Garden Ramble offers eight gardens, plus market stalls and a scarecrow competition on October 28-29.

In Victoria, check out Alexandra and District Open Gardens on October 28-29.

In South Australia, the Riverland Rose and Garden Festival has 24 open gardens and more than 40 events over 10 days until October 29.

In the west, close to Bunbury, the Ferguson Valley Open Garden Trail offers five gardens to visit on October 28-29, while the Crooked Brook Forest is alive with wildflowers.

The Festival of Country Gardens is held in the Blackwood Valley and Southern Forest Region of WA on November 2-5, with 16 open gardens and a Spring Garden Fair at Ford House, Bridgetown on the Sunday.

Aloha Sunshine

Mandevillas are ideal for providing masses of long-term colour in pots; they love warmth and often fail in the ground where the roots resent being wet and cold.

Mandevilla ‘Pink Perfection’

Mandevilla ‘Burgundy’

They are light climbers by nature but the Aloha series has been bred to create a multi-branched, compact plant that spills gently over a pot or hanging basket, especially when any long shoots are nipped back.

Mandevilla ‘Burgundy’

Mandevilla ‘Bright White’

Q&A

Why can’t I find traditional, pungent, narrow-leaf sage anywhere? The plants I find all seem to have thick, spongy leaves and little aroma.

Richard Eastwood, by email

Sage (Salvia officinalis) is a Mediterranean herb that thrives in full sun, alkaline soil, a long, hot, dry summer and low humidity. The hotter and drier the conditions, the smaller and harder the leaves will be and the more intense the flavour. Young plants for sale were likely propagated and grown in controlled facilities, leading to soft, less aromatic leaves – but this would change when grown in a hot, dry spot. There are also varieties with purple or green-and-yellow leaves and a tricolour one, none of which flowers as much as the straight species but taste the same.

How do you grow bonsai plants?

Gregory Ashe, Sydney

Bonsai is as much an art form as a rigorous horticultural practice, steeped in tradition as well as deeply philosophical. To acquaint yourself with bonsai, it’s best to take classes that will teach you about the background, various art forms and the basic techniques; in Sydney try Bonsai Art at Belrose or the School of Bonsai at Carlingford.

How do I make a seed-raising mixture?

Kerry Rees, by email

Depending on what you’re growing and what ingredients you have available, you can vary the recipe or experiment yourself. Ideally use two parts of home-made compost, finely sieved, with one part coco coir (hydrated), one part coarse sand or perlite, one part vermiculite and half a part of worm castings. If you don’t have your own compost, adapt the quantities of the other ingredients. It should be light, airy and free-draining, yet hold moisture.

Send your questions to [e-mail]. The best question for October wins Fiskars’ PowerGear X Large Bypass Lopper, designed for strength and comfort, worth $145. Details: fiskars.com.au