Slowly does it
Take the long view and a garden will reward you.
There’s a certain point in the development of a new garden, says Virginia Kennett, when it “takes off” and starts to do its own thing. “It’s not anything to do with you as a designer — the spirit of the garden has taken over. That’s magic to me.” The Adelaide-based garden designer is talking about an expansive garden at Aldgate, in the Adelaide Hills, on which she has worked for the past 15 years.
Yantaringa, which means “house on top of a hill”, had humble beginnings as a two-roomed cottage built by Chinese market gardeners in the 1880s. When the current owners bought the 2.7ha property in 2002, it had established trees and some good stonework but there was no daunting horticultural heritage attached.
The couple, who have three children, engaged Kennett to help them create “a contemporary interpretation of an Adelaide Hills garden” that reflected their liking for clean lines and the structural plantings they admired in French gardens. Their aim was to create a hands-on family garden and to work sympathetically with what was there. “We’re looking for that big, sweeping scale but without being grandiose,” says Kennett.
Work has progressed in a series of discrete projects. After the initial stage in 2004 as part of the house renovation, they added a swimming pool and restored the adjacent, turn-of-the-century Sunday school building in 2009, creating new garden areas around it. In 2014, the arboretum and terraced vegetable gardens, with fruit trees and henhouse, were added.
“It’s wonderful not to do a garden in a rush,” Kennett says. “The best gardens are done over time, responding to change and thought. Sometimes we plant different things to see which works best, then we mass that plant up.” She cites the success of New Zealand flaxes (Phormium tenax) under the pines that “look simple but fabulous now they’re achieving scale”.
On one side of the driveway, the sweeping curves of a double hedge (of Viburnum tinus and Japanese box) lead towards the house. Behind it, the woodland walk features narrow tulip trees (Liriodendron tulipifera ‘Fastigiata’) and Sensation maples (Acer negundo ‘Sensation’) on the way to the arboretum.
Kennett particularly likes the repeated curves of clipped Japanese box hedges that create a strong sculptural presence near the entry. “We set out those curves together one day and planted tiny tube stock. Now every time I come back, I think yes, that works.” Between them, mass planted Bergenia crassifolia bear pink, fragrant blooms in winter. “They multiply like rabbits in this garden,” she laughs.
The extensive planting list for the garden includes many less common species. “I’m the plant nut,” Kennett confesses, but says all the choices have been made with reliability, low maintenance and waterwise performance in mind.
“It’s a garden that’s developed with a lot of conversation,” she says. “The owners know the look they want and I have the plants and design knowledge, but it’s also about what will be a bit of fun.”
READER Q&A
We’ve prepared the soil and replanted a 30-year-old garden. The soil was poor and had no worms. How soon can we expect them to arrive or should we buy some? — Lyn Pickles, Melbourne
Earthworms need a food supply of organic matter such as compost and manures. Add it and they will turn up; keep adding it and they’ll keep multiplying. You could transfer worms in soil from a nearby garden, or buy garden-suitable worms or eggs from worm farms. Worms prefer moist, mulched, undisturbed soil. They’ll enrich the structure and fertility of your soil immeasurably.
Each May our large oak tree gets a pest that seems to attract little birds. Sticky sap rains down on lawn, plants and garden furniture. With a bit of dust, everything goes black. What is the pest and can we stop it? — Freda Worsely, Perth
Sap-sucking pests such as aphids, scales and mealybugs exude sticky honeydew that can cover everything below. The black is sooty mould, a fungus that grows on the honeydew. Trees can be injected with systemic pesticides by arborists but there’s a risk to the tree, and to good bugs and birds. I’d concentrate on hosing off the honeydew regularly and let the birds feed on the pests.
When is the best time to separate cymbidium orchids and how is it done? — George Volaris, Adelaide
Divide overcrowded pots in spring after flowering. Separate each pot into two to four divisions and pot each into a pot that just fits their roots. Use orchid potting mix. The base of the pseudobulbs should be just above soil level.
Send questions to: helenyoungtwig@gmail.com or Helen Young, PO Box 3098, Willoughby North, NSW 2068. Web: helenyoung.com.au. July’s best question wins two pairs of waterproof Original Muck Boots: Tall Boots ($79.95) and Breezy Ballet Flats ($49.95) from koolstuff.com.au. June’s winner is Sandra Ellemor of Melbourne for her question about elm leaf beetles.
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