Herbaceous grasses provide privacy alongside the old homestead. “I like all the frothy, fluffy things that are slight and airy. I use them to evoke romance,” says garden designer Tim Pilgrim. DESIGNER TIM PILGRIM IS KNOWN FOR CREATING GARDENS WITH A REAL SENSE OF PLACE, LIKE THIS PLOT IN CENTRAL VICTORIA. WORDS H A NNA H JA MES PHOTOGRAPHY MARTINA GEMMOLA WILD ABANDON
YANDOIT VIC COUNTRY STYLE DREAM GARDENS 103
CLOCKWISE, FROM THIS IMAGE Delicate pops of colour are dotted among the plots; Tim with colleague Josie Ryder, a junior designer; tall grasses dance in the wind; velvety lamb’s ear. FACING PAGE Tim used old stone from crumbling chimneys to create garden edges and retaining walls.
The beauty of some gardens lies in their ability to send us to far-off places: a breath of ‘Provence’ lavender; a line of tall Tuscan cypresses; a flash of tropic-bright hibiscus. Some gardens can even transport us to far-off times: the feverfew, rue and sage of a medieval physic garden; the intricate topiary of an Elizabethan knot garden; the pools and fountains of a 2000-year-old Persian paradise garden. But the beauty of this garden in Yandoit, Victoria, on the traditional lands of the Dja Dja Wurrung people, is that it is entirely at home in its own place and time. “It’s surrounded by the Australian bush,” says garden designer Tim Pilgrim, “and my clients’ brief was to create something that would both speak to its heritage and harness those beautiful views.” It sounds simple, but it was in fact a formidable task. In 2016, when Tim’s clients bought the 20-hectare property, it consisted of a tumbledown shack, remnants of ruined outbuildings, a scrappy orchard, a leaky dam and some grapevines. Not only did he have to incorporate as many of these existing elements as possible into a new and harmonious garden design that would sit well in the landscape, he also had to contend with the harsh climate. “The Yandoit Hills are only about 400 metres high, but they’re very open,” explains Tim. “In the dead of winter, on a frosty night, it can get to minus six, and then up to 45 degrees in summer. So it’s about choosing a palette of plants that can cope with both those extremes.” Perennial grasses proved a good solution to that problem. “They’re a real key element,” says Tim, who loves the sculptural seed heads that look as beautiful in their winter decay as they do in their fluffy prime, as well as the way they bring the wind to life in the garden. The other key element of the grounds is sandstone, which forms part of that history the owners were so determined to retain. “There were piles of old stones from toppled chimneys and buildings that were built in the 1850s, when the Swiss Italians settled here, so we used those as garden edging and retaining walls,” says Tim. “I love reclaiming whatever I can from a site – it gives the garden a sense of > COUNTRY STYLE DREAM GARDENS 105 YANDOIT VIC
Tim says the house “is just an old one-bedroom shack. Instead of pulling it down, my clients lovingly restored and made it quite beautiful. They have very good taste.”
“I LOVE RECLAIMING WHATEVER I CAN FROM A SITE – IT GIVES THE GARDEN A SENSE OF PLACE.” COUNTRY STYLE DREAM GARDENS 107 YANDOIT VIC
place.” Tim also rescued old rusting farm machinery from around the property and recycled it into sculptures; another method of incorporating history into the present. As an adherent of the naturalistic school of garden design, Tim’s aesthetic made him the perfect person to take on this project. “The naturalistic movement is all about taking inspiration from nature to create a picture that makes you question whether a garden is natural selection or if it’s been put there,” he explains. Tim’s nature-inspired solution to settling the garden into the landscape was to echo the plants around it, with his beloved grasses, for example, mirroring the pasture grasses of the surrounding farmland, and a cloud hedge of grey-white Teucrium fruticans drawing this open country’s big sky closer to the ground. “I like to design gardens that are ecologically sensitive so they don’t need to be irrigated – and certainly don’t need to be irrigated off town water,” says Tim. These environmentally focused principles are evident in all the areas he’s created across this ever-evolving 2000-square-metre garden, from the traditional lawn and borders, to the kitchen garden and orchard, the planting around the new-build pavilion and the most recent additions – a native bush garden and a natural pool by Daylesford company Bells Water Gardens. However it grows and changes over the coming years, this garden will always have its roots firmly in the Yandoit soil. And there’s a very special kind of beauty in that. To see more of Tim’s work, visit tpgardens.com.au or follow @t.p_gardens on Instagram. Resident kangaroos at dusk. FACING PAGE “There was an old chook shed with a lean-to. We saved all of that tin when it came down and used it to clad the pavilion,” says Tim. YANDOIT VIC COUNTRY STYLE DREAM GARDENS 109 “I LIKE TO DESIGN GARDENS THAT ARE ECOLOGICALLY SENSITIVE SO THEY DON’T NEED TO BE IRRIGATED.”
LONGFORD TAS COUNTRY STYLE DREAM GARDENS 110 GUESTS CAN ENJOY THEIR FILL OF COSY HOSPITALITY AND MEANDERING GARDENS AT NEIGHBOURING HOMESTEADS IN LONGFORD, TASMANIA. WORDS JESSICA BELLEF PHOTOGRAPHY ABBIE MELLÉ DOUBLE DUTY Historical Cressy House Estate is home to Henry and Margit Smith and their three sons. FACING PAGE The family also owns the neighbouring property, Chatsworth, which boasts beautiful gardens and fruit trees. “Guests can help themselves to endless quince and pears,” says Margit.
LONGFORD TAS COUNTRY STYLE DREAM GARDENS 112 Danish folk have a wonderful term for the feeling of cosy comfort and soul-nourishing moments shared with loved ones. Known as ‘hygge’, this sense of the good life can be found at Cressy House Estate, a sheep and crop farm in Longford, Tasmania, not far from Launceston on the traditional lands of the Panninher people. Home to Henry and Margit Smith and their three sons, Noah, 13, Oscar, 11, and Edward, eight, the 1170-hectare property has been in Henry’s family for generations. His great-great-grandfather first leased the paddocks and Cressy House homestead in 1884, and then his great-grandfather purchased it all for £12,000 in 1914. Henry, 39, has followed in their footsteps and now runs the large-scale operation. Meanwhile, Margit, 40, grew up on a farm in a Danish town just north of the German border. “Sheep work was new to me when I moved here, but I think I adapted quickly in the sheep yard,” she says. Margit met Henry in the early 2000s while on an exchange program in New Zealand, when the world was watching romance blossom between Mary Donaldson from Hobart and Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark. “Denmark got Mary, and Tassie got me!” jokes Margit, who bought a one-way ticket to Australia in 2008. As the Smith family has grown, the farm’s offering has also expanded. Margit now runs a popular holiday stay in the self-contained guest wing of the 1827-built Cressy House. And in mid-2021, the couple purchased the neighbouring property, Chatsworth, which was originally under the Cressy title. Motivated by the success of the accommodation at Cressy House, Margit knew Chatsworth would make a perfect luxury rural retreat. >
CLOCKWISE, FROM TOP LEFT Tomatoes ripen on the vine; Margit surveys the garden’s progress; a rambling rose; a chicken hunts for grubs in the vegie patch. FACING PAGE Margit saw the farm’s potential as a rural escape for city dwellers.
“I ALWAYS TELL GUESTS THEY WON’T WANT TO LEAVE THIS PLACE.” LONGFORD TAS COUNTRY STYLE DREAM GARDENS 114
FROM TOP An original workshop is a reminder of the property’s rich past; meals can be enjoyed under the shade of an established quince tree. FACING PAGE “What I love about Tassie is that it has four distinct seasons in a year, which reminds me of my home country,” says Margit. Located two kilometres as the crow flies from Cressy House, the home at Chatsworth dates back to 1838. “It used to be a weatherboard house like Cressy, but at some point, it was refinished in bricks made to look like stone,” Margit explains. The interiors were also extensively renovated over time, including the addition of an open-plan kitchen, living and dining room at the rear. “Everything inside the house was amazing. All I really had to do was the interior styling, and painting and wallpapering the odd wall.” Framed by quince trees and 80-year-old pear trees, Chatsworth emanates elegant simplicity and a joyful sense of light. Those familiar with Scandinavian interior style will see a Danish influence shine through. “I’ve tried to incorporate styling ideas that teach Australians about the Danish culture of comfort and cosiness,” says Margit. For instance, “the lighter style of furniture and minimal clutter makes you appreciate what you have in the room, without feeling cluttered in your head”. The soft palette and white walls also imbue a sense of calm and bounce the available light around. “The Danes embrace light because it gets dark at 4pm in winter over there,” Margit adds. The views beyond Chatsworth’s manicured hedges and fruit trees take in the stunning Great Western Tiers and Ben Lomond National Park. The Smith boys are in charge of maintaining the lawns surrounding the home. The trio live a grand life, helping Dad at shearing time, fishing in the Macquarie River, and building bike jumps all over the property. “Our guests will sometimes see the boys fly past on their motorbikes with their huge helmets on,” Margit says. The boys’ interests are spreading to the wider world, with a busy schedule of weekend sports and bushwalks, but time is always reserved for family fun back at Cressy House. Living the hygge philosophy, Margit finds joy in bringing family and friends together over a meal. “I love both the Australian and Danish ways of entertaining,” she says. “The Aussie way is relaxed, where everyone grabs a plate and helps themselves to a big buffet. In Danish tradition, we decorate the table and set it with serviettes, cutlery and glassware. I like to hold on to those formal traditions, especially for special occasions. The kids love it, too.” This thoughtful approach to hosting has made Cressy House Estate an enticing holiday stay. “I always tell guests they won’t want to leave this place,” says Margit. To book a stay at Cressy House Estate or Chatsworth, visit cressyhouseestate.com
NUMBAA NSW COUNTRY STYLE DREAM GARDENS 116 DESIGNED AS A REVELATORY FEAST FOR THE SENSES, MERRIBEE GARDEN IN RURAL NSW HAS A PROFOUND EFFECT ON ALL WHO VISIT. WORDS JESSICA BELLEF PHOTOGRAPHY ABBIE MELLÉ WHIMSICAL WONDERS
Lined with Chinese elm trees, maple trees and crepe myrtles, the spectacular Dordogne Garden features an artistic maze of Buxus microphylla.
NUMBAA NSW COUNTRY STYLE DREAM GARDENS 118 People ask if we had a vision for the property,” recalls Lucy Marshall about the rural weekender she bought with her husband Richard in 2000, by the banks of the Shoalhaven River in Numbaa, a two-hour drive south of Sydney. “All I knew was that I wanted to lie back on the grass amid a ‘van Goghian’ scene with cherry blossoms – no matter the season – an incredible picnic and a really nice bottle of something. Oh, and with maybe an orchard and one or two roses.” Two decades ago, Lucy and Richard’s hectare of dairy farming land consisted of a series of dilapidated outbuildings and a simple timber workers’ cottage dating back to the area’s European settlement in the mid-1800s. The couple, who at the time were running a high-intensity international executive recruitment firm, bought the property as a reprieve from the demands of their business and as a place to connect with family outside of their primary residence in Sydney. “We really wanted to be able to go somewhere with our two children on the weekends, where we could grow some things and just be,” explains Lucy, 60. “It was a very fertile place with established trees and alluvial soil, with 150 years’ worth of cow manure through it.” Today, Lucy’s ‘orchard and one or two roses’ has grown into a European-inspired botanical wonderland known as Merribee, encapsulating nearly three hectares of carefully carved garden rooms that feature magnificent displays of topiary, fields of flora, myriad secluded nooks and shady glades. Merribee is a popular wedding venue, a place for the visiting public to enjoy, and offers a variety of accommodation for guests to stay overnight. “I completely forgot that I was married to someone who always needed to be busy with 79 projects on the go,” Lucy says with a laugh. “We can’t help ourselves. Richard has to be busy, and I like growing businesses.” The duo’s entrepreneurial spirit was roused in 2004 when they received a request to hold a wedding on site. “At the time, we said, ‘Now someone is getting married here, we need a full-time gardener and, oh gosh, now we need more weddings to pay for the gardener’,” adds Lucy. The Marshalls worked with horticulturalist James Thompson on a project-by-project basis from the early days >
PHOTOGRAPHY NIC GOSSAGE STYLING HANNAH BRADY CLOCKWISE, FROM TOP LEFT Six hundred-odd rose bushes grow at Merribee; Lucy and Richard amid their handiwork; roses are companion planted with parsley to keep aphids at bay; an enchanting path of buxus hedges. FACING PAGE Merribee is open to the public at various times of the year.
CLOCKWISE, FROM TOP LEFT Timber doors lead from the Secret Garden to the Parterre Garden; a tinkling fountain; the renovated silo is now charming guest accommodation. FACING PAGE Martine Guillot roses grow along The Oval’s white picket fence. “WE LIKE TO UNCOVER SOMETHING INTERESTING THAT WE’VE LOST … THAT PEOPLE OUGHT TO KNOW ABOUT.”
NUMBAA NSW COUNTRY STYLE DREAM GARDENS 121 of Merribee. He was instrumental in creating the structured layout and broad botanic mix. “We learnt so much from James in observing how he did things, following the classical design principles. He trains well,” says Richard, 61. Merribee is now maintained by Richard and a team of five gardeners, with both Richard and Lucy driving the creative concepts and design. The couple made Merribee their permanent home in 2020 and now reside in an updated 1850s timber cottage. Historical research underpins many of the new developments at Merribee. “In all that we do here, we like to uncover something interesting that we’ve lost, that we can revive, and that people ought to know about,” says Lucy. The Heritage Rose Garden, adjacent to the Lavender Paddock, is a living timeline of the rose. From ancient gallicas and damasks to the albas of the Middle Ages, the plantings map the rose’s evolution and trace the paths of the plant hunters of yore. “It’s a complex history, but it’s really important that we maintain it and pass it on,” Lucy says. While Richard and Lucy’s design inspirations are grand and global – from the surreal topiary landscape of the Hanging Gardens of Marqueyssac in the Dordogne Valley of France to the Butchart Gardens on Canada’s Vancouver Island – their motivations are simple and humble. A desire to share and educate is at the forefront of all decisions made at Merribee. Workshops in rose history, propagation and distilling are offered throughout the year, with a lavender festival taking place in the height of summer. “One of our motivations is to create a place of beauty that everyone can enjoy,” Lucy says. On open days, patrons young and old sit under the avenue of pleached oaks and elms. You see them on the Viewing Pavilion overlooking the 10,000 buxus plants clipped into all manner of evergreen shapes, before they slip through ornate doors set into a thicket of glossy viburnum. Children play in the Edible Garden, where topiarised olive trees and hedges of kaffir lime create secret hollows, or you’ll find them running through fragrant fields of lavender. Merribee has become the dreamy ‘van Goghian’ setting that Lucy envisioned all those years ago, with perhaps a few more than just ‘one or two roses’. Visit merribee.com.au or follow @merribeegardens
SPA RGO CR EEK VIC COUNTRY STYLE DREAM GARDENS 122 A DISTANT DREAM, MANIFESTED ON A CHALKBOARD, HAS COME TRUE FOR NATASHA MORGAN ON HER PROPERTY IN VICTORIA’S CENTRAL HIGHLANDS. WORDS OLIVER MACLENNAN PHOTOGRAPHY JOANNA MACLENNAN/THE SISTERS AGENCY PLANT THE SEED
Natasha gathers roses to create a bouquet. FACING PAGE Planting trees was Natasha’s first job upon moving in. Behind the garden is a patch of bush, which leads to a pine plantation on a hill, then back into forest. “We’re immersed in the bush here,” she says.
SPA RGO CR EEK VIC COUNTRY STYLE DREAM GARDENS 124 The names alone evoke a strong sense of place: Spargo Creek, Moorabool, the Great Dividing Range. The hamlet – “just a sign on the road” – lies just off the freeway to Melbourne, amid thick forest, and close to Daylesford, a diverse and creative community where Natasha Morgan always stops for a morning cup of tea after dropping her children at school. Natasha worked as a landscape architect in Melbourne before moving to Spargo Creek with her ex-partner and two children, Saffron, now 12, and Oliver, 10, in 2014. “I was always a city person, born and bred in Melbourne,” she says. “When I was pregnant with Saffron, we were living in an old scout hall. It had some chalkboards in it, and I used them to write down my interests and passions, trying to join them up. I love landscape architecture, but I was craving immediacy, creative endeavours and botanic gardens. Oliver was born 18 months after Saffron. That was when I started doing workshops and worked part-time with a high-end florist. And then this property suddenly came up.” It may sound like a stroke of luck, but her search had been methodical. “I had researched high rainfall, good soil, art and culture, within 90 minutes of Melbourne,” explains Natasha of her criteria. “And I found this sweet spot. The property was marketed as the old Spargo Creek post office – it was derelict, surrounded by huge old trees. I fell in love. Standing under the trees, I worked out exactly how everything could fit together. I could imagine teaching, having a kitchen garden, a flower garden… everything on the chalkboards came together.” The house and two-hectare garden have had many incarnations: first a post office in the 1860s, then a farm shop, a pub and a recreational reserve, complete with a cricket pitch. “The horses had grazed everything,” says Natasha of the property’s state when she moved in. “Bits of the walls were missing, glass was missing from the windows, bats flew in the house at night. A sorry state.” But that sorry state held the house’s essence. “It was covered in so many different layers of materials,” says Natasha. “In the gold-rush era, this was a timber-felling region. We left some timber exposed, complementing it with a monochromatic palette: brown furniture and stark white interiors. There’s a nice contrast between new and old; clean and rustic. The floors have kept all their notches and marks – we didn’t sand them down, just painted them. I didn’t want to lose the history.” This practical approach continues in the garden, which Natasha started working on even before tackling the house renovation. “We planted hornbeam trees to give the garden some structure, and added a fruit orchard,” she recalls. “I wanted a kitchen garden that would sustain me and my family. I grow as much as I possibly can, using mainly heirloom varieties.” > There’s always something to enjoy in the garden – and it connects the family to the land, the seasons and the people around them. FACING PAGE Natasha gathers cow parsley.
“I’VE HAD TO MAKE SACRIFICES TO HAVE THIS LIFESTYLE, BUT MY LIFE IS SO MUCH RICHER THAN IT WAS.”
SPA RGO CR EEK VIC COUNTRY STYLE DREAM GARDENS 126 “WE WALK IN THE FOREST, FORAGE FOR MUSHROOMS AND GO DOWN TO THE PADDOCK TO PICK RASPBERRIES.”
When Natasha moved in, the property was derelict and the garden had been grazed to bare earth, but over time she’s elevated it to her dream home.
CLOCKWISE, FROM THIS IMAGE A friend of Natasha’s looks after the beehives; bee balm (Monarda didyma ‘Oneida’); poppy seeds; netting protects the abundant produce. FACING PAGE Collecting angelica seeds for next season.
SPA RGO CR EEK VIC COUNTRY STYLE DREAM GARDENS 129 As much produce as she can grow, it turns out, is quite a lot: her vegie garden yields carrots, onions, beetroot, lettuce, beans, zucchini, chillies, tomatoes, sugarsnap peas, cucumbers, chard, rhubarb and berries. “The garden has been designed for all four seasons,” says Natasha. “I’m a bit like [Dutch garden designer] Piet Oudolf – I just love the big seed heads in winter; angelica, poppy, Queen Anne’s lace.” And thanks to her floristry experience, she knows just where to look for unusual plants. “We have a particular microclimate: a long and cold winter, drizzly and misty. I was interested in cooler climate plants like peonies, lily of the valley: scented, fragrant, a bit architectural. I was creating a garden for me, but also a space to live in,” she adds. The terrace is a beautiful space for just the family to enjoy, but also accommodates big groups. Natasha says it was vital for the garden to have “spaces that weren’t just for looking at, but that provided an experience. It brings together my skills in architecture, landscape architecture, floristry, urban design. I have a passion for place-making.” A converted shipping container provides the setting for regular events. “We hold workshops on garden design, productive gardens, fermenting, dry-stone walling, natural cheesemaking, shibori, styling, floristry, marketing for small businesses… it’s an evolving program, generated by local connections and talented people.” Initially, after moving to the country from Melbourne, Natasha was worried she was somehow depriving her children of access to resources and education. In fact, the opposite is true. “They spend lots of time outdoors, learning from what’s around them,” she says. “We walk in the forest, forage for mushrooms and go down to the paddock to pick raspberries. They eat carrots without washing them. They’re present to changes in the seasons. It’s everything you imagine a country upbringing would be.” The family also sell jams, syrups and cordials, such as rosehip and hawthorn. “Some local restaurants asked me to make them for their cocktail menus,” says Natasha. “It’s a pleasingly straightforward process: sugar, water, fruit. I make sure my quantities are greater than other recipes. I want people to say, ‘Oh my gosh, it’s like eating blackcurrants’. If it’s a rhubarb, rose and vanilla bean syrup, I want it to taste like rhubarb straight out of the garden. Syrups are incredibly simple, but they capture and retain the flavours of that season.” Though the family has now moved, Natasha is firmly a country person; their new home is in the same area and, of course, has a garden. “I’m embedded in country life. I don’t miss the city,” she says. “I’ve had to make sacrifices to have this lifestyle, but my life is so much richer than it was. I don’t need as much. I’d prefer to grow something in the garden than go to a fancy restaurant these days. If you’re going to move to the country, then you need to commit, and to find a community you resonate with.” For more, follow @natasha_morgan_ on Instagram. Joanna MacLennan’s photography is from the book Living Wild ($49.99, Thames & Hudson).
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