{"id":109625,"date":"2025-01-28T04:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-01-27T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballarat\/?p=109625"},"modified":"2025-01-22T23:24:38","modified_gmt":"2025-01-22T12:24:38","slug":"the-gates-of-home-gardens-to-open","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballarat\/living\/the-gates-of-home-gardens-to-open\/","title":{"rendered":"The gates of home gardens to open"},"content":{"rendered":"

PRIVATE gardens in the Soldiers Hill and Lake Wendouree areas will be open to the public next month as part of the Open Gardens Victoria program.<\/p>\n

On Saturday 1 and Sunday 2 February, Craigie and The Oaks, both designed by landscape gardener Paddy Milne, will welcome visitors as part of the not-for-profit statewide event that promotes gardening and its benefits.<\/p>\n

The Oaks property, owned by Harry and Alison Zehnwirth since 1989, has a long history.<\/p>\n

Fenwick and Sarah Hamilton established the St Ernan’s homestead on the site in 1856, and planted 100 oak trees a few years later which had been shipped from England.<\/p>\n

“This places our four oaks, the oaks in neighbours’ gardens as well as those in the Ballarat Botanical Gardens, at around 160 years old,” said Mrs Zehnwirth.<\/p>\n

“They are an integral part of our garden. Nothing has been built or planted without recognition of their importance.”<\/p>\n

The Zehnwirths created a “stroll garden” when they first moved in, and in 2020, made the decision to rejuvinate it with the help of Milne, The Scape Artist.<\/p>\n

Now with a parkland feel, it has pops of red, orange, purple, white and green, and includes Dogwoods, hellebores, clivias, little orange Abutilons, Cymbopogon citratus, and Matapouri Bays. It has flowing garden beds a vertical edible garden, and a big lawn.<\/p>\n

\"\"
The Oaks is just one block back from the lake and has a parkland feel.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Craiglie garden surrounds an 1860s home which has been owned by David and Maria Cook since 1991. They acquired more adjacent land four years later to expand the yard.<\/p>\n

The garden was greatly impacted by the millennium drought.<\/p>\n

“Our once thriving English-style trees and shrubs withered, and the lush green lawns turned a brittle shade of brown,” Mr Cook said.<\/p>\n

“The watering system lay unused, leaving the garden to endure the harsh conditions.”<\/p>\n

When the time came to bring it back to life, Milne was on the job transforming it from a cottage style garden to one that is sustainable and low-maintenance.<\/p>\n

“The goal was to create a visually striking garden with multiple spaces for relaxation and contemplation, while also emphasising environmental sustainability and maximizing the production of organic produce,” he said.<\/p>\n

“The design balances aesthetic appeal with practicality, blending beauty and function to create a serene yet productive outdoor space.”<\/p>\n

The gardens will be open from 10am to 4.30pm. At each site, adult entry is $10, students $6, under 18s get in for free.<\/p>\n

Tickets can be bought at the gate or via Trybooking. Visit opengardensvictoria.org.au\/The-Oaks-2025<\/a> and opengardensvictoria.org.au\/Craigie<\/a> for more information.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

PRIVATE gardens in the Soldiers Hill and Lake Wendouree areas will be open to the public next month as part of the Open Gardens Victoria program. On Saturday 1 and Sunday 2 February, Craigie and The Oaks, both designed by landscape gardener Paddy Milne, will welcome visitors as part of the not-for-profit statewide event that […]<\/p>\n

Read More…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":225,"featured_media":109628,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[],"post_folder":[],"class_list":["post-109625","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-living"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe gates of home gardens to open - Ballarat Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Explore stunning private gardens in Ballarat's Soldiers Hill and Lake Wendouree areas on 1-2 February with Open Gardens Victoria.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballarat\/living\/the-gates-of-home-gardens-to-open\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The gates of home gardens to open - 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