Two sustainable, drought-tolerant gardens will open to the public with Open Gardens Victoria (OGV) on Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 September.
The two gardens, Yarrabee in Lara and Suealoe in Lovely Banks, feature an impressive array of native species, succulents, cacti and other exotics, many of which will be in flower on the opening weekend.
Yarrabee is a five-acre garden whose numerous beds are interspersed with ponds, sculptures, orchards, local boulders and a waterfall, with a network of tracks and walking paths that take visitors on a journey through the property.
Yarrabee owner Judy Anderson said the opening of the garden to the public had been a long time coming.
“This has been three years in the making, what with COVID and everything else,” Mrs Anderson said.
“The garden has been accessible to the public before, but now that we’re opening up with OGV we’re hoping we’ll get a lot more people to come in and appreciate the different types of plants and flowers.
“We hope people can come in and get an idea of what a fully-grown tree or plant will look like at its full growth and potential.
“We also have mass plantings of flowers so if people want to put just that particular type of plant in they can see what it looks like.”
Suealoe, owned by Sue Davis, is a three-acre garden filled with natives, cacti and other succulents, all of which only require a small amount of water to thrive and survive.
The Lovely Banks property is also a wonderland for bird-lovers, featuring a fully-planted bird aviary including many avian species including various sparrows, parrots and finches.
Both gardens will also feature plant sales and refreshments on both days. For more information, visit www.opengardensvictoria.org.au.
