Anglesea gardens to go on show

A PAIR of beautifully designed and relaxed gardens in Anglesea will be on show later this month courtesy of Open Gardens Victoria.

Sunnymeade is landscape designers Peter and Simone Shaw’s own award-winning Surf Coast garden, which has been a long-term labour of love.

After purchasing the land in 2000, the Shaws wanted a garden that was easy care, fun for children and suitable for everyday family life – Sunnymeade surpasses this brief with a garden that is highly creative and yet practical for a family with a strong connection to the coastal bush landscape.

Close to the house, the design is structured with a dramatic display of correas and westringias clipped into spheres. Moving away, the planting becomes more relaxed – local stringybarks overhang a sculpted “hilly” lawn for lounging on and a moonah forest has been planted at the back of the garden.

Just down the road, and also designed and built by Peter and Simone Shaw is Melba – a clifftop garden surrounding a Robin Boyd-designed house.

This largely Australian native garden sits above Point Roadknight with old eucalypts towering over more recent plantings that have been chosen to survive underneath the gum trees and tolerate the sandy soil and salty coastal winds.

Stone is a key design material that has been used in the newly created paths, steps and a circular fire pit to blend in with the original stonework of the house and the old garden walls.

Proceeds from the openings will support the Anglesea CFA and the Anglesea Men’s Shed.

Sunnymeade is at 48 Harvey Street, while Melba is at 26 Melba Parade. Both gardens will be open on January 27 and 28 from noon-6pm.

Entry is $8 for one garden or $12 for two gardens. Children under 18 admitted free. For more information, head to opengardensvictoria.org.au.