Retford Park, Bowral, NSWS

Nine months before his death, newspaper scion James Fairfax gave this $20m grand country estate away.

Retford Park at Bowral in the NSW Southern Highland.

“You have to respect the heritage of a garden like this, but also keep it fresh and relevant,” says Rick Shepherd, head gardener at Retford Park since 2011. “That’s what James Fairfax did and we want to keep that culture alive.”

Retford Park is a grand country residence at Bowral in the NSW Southern Highlands, set in 10ha of gardens and parklands. Fairfax, a prominent newspaper scion, philanthropist and art collector, bought the property in 1964 and owned it for more than 50 years. In 2016, nine months before his death at the age of 83, he gifted Retford Park – valued at $20 million – to the National Trust of Australia with funds for its upkeep.

Retford Park at Bowral in the NSW Southern Highland. Picture: Meg Nurse.

Fairfax redesigned the garden fronting the house shortly after his purchase, with a central path and fountain flanked by beds of grey shrubs and rows of Italian cypresses. When Shepherd helped Fairfax renovate this hot, dry area in 2013 they removed the last two cypresses and added more grey-green shrubs, which are clipped into what Shepherd dubs “the blobbery”. Replacing seasonal floral displays that were thirsty and labour-intensive, they planted succulents in tones to complement the coral pink house. “It’s all a little less stuffy now,” Shepherd laughs.

The pavilion opening to the pool.

In 1968, Fairfax commissioned a modernist pavilion that opens to a swimming pool on one side and lily pond on the other. Architect David Wilkinson subsequently designed the Green Room, where Inge King’s sculpture Euphoric Angels is the single powerful element within walls of clipped Thuja. Over several decades Wilkinson also designed the Knot Garden, Peony Walk and the Millennium Canal, a 2000sqm rectangle of reflective water.

Sculptures from Fairfax’s collection are found throughout the garden, a tradition continued by Shepherd in his Dinosaur Nest With Eggs, a collaborative piece with Heidi McGeoch. It sits in the Cretaceous Garden he created around an original bunya pine – one of many significant trees that are more than a century old – with ferns, cycads and Wollemi pines. Aunty Eileen’s Best Room is his work too. It features walls of clipped sasanqua camellias to represent floral wallpaper, a sofa of mattress vine (Muehlenbeckia), cushions of licorice plant (Helichrysum petiolare), a star jasmine “lamp” and a “rug” of two varieties of thyme.

Gardener Rick Shepherds.

The team of three staff, aided by valued volunteers, maintains the gardens with sustainability in mind. They recycle garden waste into compost and mulch, avoid chemicals and artificial fertilisers, and build habitats for birds and insects.

“I love the garden in winter when it’s quiet and the light is soft and moody,” says Shepherd. “We pollard [closely prune] all the lindens and robinias as a signature style for Retford Park and they look stunningly sculptural when bare.”

Now spring is on the way, however, bringing blooms such as daffodils, snowdrops, hellebores and luscious peonies for those who’d like to visit this weekend.

Retford Park is open on the first weekend of each month; entry fees apply. Book ahead for house tours: nationaltrust.org.au/places/retford-park

Q&A

Can giant bird of paradise be grown from the pups, or do I need seeds? Linda Courtney, Port Denison, WA

Seeds of Strelitzia nicolai can be slow to germinate and grow. Divisions are much faster. If yours is in a pot, remove it in late spring and use a sharp knife. Each division should have a fan of leaves with attached roots. Plant into small pots and don’t water for a few days to let the cuts heal. Separating pups from in-ground plants is harder because the roots are so dense, but the principle is the same. Beware, this plant can grow huge (12m x 4m) and roots can cause damage if too close to structures.

I’m devastated someone sprayed Roundup on a few weeds in my organic vegetable garden. Will anything grow there again? How can I recover the soil? Pam McKeown, by email

The active ingredient, glyphosate, works by affecting chlorophyll when sprayed on green parts of plants. With those plants removed, you might still have some on the soil. Glyphosate should break down on contact with soil, and although its non-residual claims are now being questioned, most of it will not persist. However, you may prefer to remove the top layer of soil; it should not have penetrated very far.

I need to re-pot three cymbidium orchids that are overflowing their pots. Suggestions for potting mix range from sphagnum moss to bark. What’s best? Chrissy Roberts, Toodyay, WA

Cymbidiums need a coarse, open mix, based on bark, that allows free air and water movement. Specialist cymbidium orchid mix is best; Debco and Osmocote are reputable brands.

Send your questions to: [e-mail] or Helen Young, PO Box 3098, Willoughby North, NSW 2068. Website: helenyoung.com.au. The best question for September wins a copy of new book Cranlana: The First 100 Years, the story of the Myer family seat and its garden, worth $80. August’s winner is Eva Eden of Balnarring for her question about perlite and vermiculite.