Maitland Black and White Committee

Committee of Vision Australia

Cordially invite you and your friends to attend “The Maitland Garden Ramble”

Garden One: Alan & Naomi Bray, ‘Zetta Park’, 949 Patterson Road, Woodville

Zetta Park was originally part of the Leeholm Estate, originally a dairy farm before purchase by the current owner in 1980. It was initially developed as a thoroughbred horse stud, Zetta Stud, before being slowly changed into a garden over the last 20 years. Our family moved here to live permanently in 1987 and since then we have developed the garden whilst raising our large family. Other ventures have included dairy goats, cows, cheese making, chooks, dogs, cats and establishing a large orchard out the back of the house and down by the river. You can walk down to the Paterson River and view the orchard. Oranges and avocados have thrived.

The drive way was planted with an avenue of Jacarandas approximately 35 years ago, giving a beautiful display in November. More recently Silky Oaks were added on the left hand side. The original garden around the house was designed by Helen Whalan, then added to when we built our extension, “add on” and pool area out the back. The Japanese Garden was designed by Malcolm Berry of “Gardening Naturally” approximately ten years ago. The garden features many hedges and two large circular Rose gardens planted with David Austen roses. The fountain in the front paddock was designed by Alan and finished over recent years. The garden is lovingly maintained by ourselves and Ken Carters.

We hope you enjoy!

Garden Two: Joe & Alma Michaels, 4 Hilland Crescent, East Maitland

Visit the Michael Garden and be amazed what you can do with a small corner block. A beautiful garden well planned for every season, evergreens and colour all year round. Enjoy different themes throughout the garden and go home inspired from Joes love of gardening. Joe has made a peaceful and special garden especially for Alma, the love of his life.

Directions from V/C turn left onto NEH  then left Melbourne lights onto Morpeth Rd past high school turn right onto Hilland Crescent, East Maitland NO4 on corner.

Garden Three: Carol Simpson, 14 Howe Street, Raworth

This garden, on a 2000 square metre block, was laid out by the previous owners about 12 years ago. Many of the native and exotic trees and large shrubs planted then have thrived and grown to maturity and now provide the backbone of the garden and its lovely private and peaceful ambiance. In the past four years, more native gardens have been planted to attract the birds and the emphasis has been on sustainability. To this end, a large vegetable garden that feeds the family for most of the year, takes centre stage behind the house. There are also herbs, fruit trees and other edible plants dotted throughout the property. The chooks provide plenty of compost and much of our green waste is mulched on site.

Garden Four: Kerri Purcell, ‘The Villa’, 7 High Street, Morpeth

Kioravilla was built in about 1890 for Mr John Hogan, the mayor of Morpeth. It’s grounds were far more extensive then than what you see today. There is however, little information we have about the gardens in those days. The house and gardens were unfortunately allowed to fall into disrepair until they were rescued in the 1970’s by Chris Richards who planted much of the established trees and shrubs you see today. The layout of the gardens were designed by Chris.

The current owners have lived here for 15 years and have continued the work started by Chris Richards. The gardens have been used frequently for wedding ceremonies and receptions. The current owners greatly enjoy the serenity and space the gardens provide.

Garden Five: Clint Marquet, ‘Regents Park’, 23 Regent Street, Maitland

The garden at The Regents Park is in the grounds of a historic home c 1833. The prior owner used Monet’s garden in Giverny as inspiration for the garden design, unfortunately the garden was neglected for 10 years. The project to rebuild the garden has been a labour of love for the current owner who has brought it back to life over the last 2 years. The garden has a beautiful parterre garden, wisteria arbor and a 50 metre long rill lined by a 100 meters of photinia hedge and  herbaceous garden beds making it a central feature of the garden. You will be swept away to Europe at this magnificent property in the heart of Maitland.

The Horticultural Institute will provide a garden clinic from 10.00am to – 4.00pm each day of the Garden Ramble at Regents Park Garden. Bring your soil and plant samples. Members will also give talks between 12.00 and 1.30 each day while you enjoy your BBQ lunch. Each talk will be followed by a question and answer time. Select the topic of most interest to you and plan your day accordingly.

Saturday 12 noon: Garden design – Sheree Grant, Impact Garden Scapes

12.45: Native plants, particularly those local to this area –  Mal Henry

Sunday    12 noon: Organic Gardening  –  Andrew McPherson

12.45   Lawn Care  –  Tom Lantry

Garden Six: Lorraine Brown, 32 The Avenue Lorn

My garden began in Nov 2014 from very humble beginnings as you can see. It’s best described as a rambling cottage garden I think. The main characteristics being the various colours of pink, pale mauves and white. It’s a bit of a ‘hodge podgy’ really, with plants arranged (or not arranged) without any real plan! I like it that way and tend to move things if they’re not happy. I also added some fence ‘art’ of finds from second hand shops.

Garden Seven: Jan Ellison, ‘Nameera’, 68 Belmore Road, Lorn

Nameerah was built in 1897 by the Capper Family. The property’s name means ‘love and peace’. Barrie and I lost our heart to the property in 1990 and we moved in two days before Christmas that year. The property is an acre and has large areas of lawn. The garden is still a work in progress. Repeat plantings of azaleas, roses, agapanthus, may and many other plants, and now I am finding succulents are creeping into the landscape. Changes have been quite hard the last five years with a lot of the larger trees having to be removed due to structural damage to buildings and also just old age. This has put a lot of stress on us and the existing plants.

I am sure that you will enjoy a leisurely stroll around this property.

Garden Eight: Sue Coates and Donald Borer, 12 Paterson Road, Bolwarra

We have been living at Somerset Cottage in Bolwarra for nine years. My son Andrew and his wife Ann had bought this 1893 heritage property, with its quarter acre plot,  some eight years earlier. With much vigour, they sympathetically renovated the house and commenced to tackle the garden, starting with the roses and Murraya hedges in the front and the camellias in the driveway. When we moved in, we were enthusiastic to continue the work on the garden, although neither of us were really gardeners before. We have endeavoured to make the garden our space – a garden to reflect our personality.

We have been tempted by Sue’s eclectic ideas of decoration and Donald’s more English vision of a garden, of a small kitchen garden and of lawns surrounded by trees and shrubs and herbaceous borders, but this has not always gone to plan, particularly in a hot summer. We continue to experiment with new, drought resistant plantings – hence the bromeliads, succulents and salvias that prosper in the dry spots.