Blackwood garden treasures opening to public visits

TWO beautiful private gardens at Blackwood will be welcoming public visitors over the first weekend in November.

Both the Blackwood Ridge garden and the Forest Edge garden will be opening as part of the Open Gardens Victoria program on Saturday 1 and Sunday 2 November.

Formerly known as The Plantsman’s Garden, Blackwood Ridge was featured on television’s Better Homes & Gardens in 2023.

It showcases one of the region’s largest plant collections including Japanese maples, dogwoods, berberis, hydrangeas, flowering perennials and rare and grafted conifers.

Created over 1.2 hectares, Blackwood Ridge garden was designed to ebb and flow with the natural landscape and features woodland and English style combinations with water features and rare plants.

Framed by the Wombat State Forest, the Forest Edge garden is an undulating one-hectare garden, with an extensive range of shrubs, perennials, bulbs and a rose garden.

It features a wide variety of trees, including a large golden ash along with maples, ornamental pears and pin oaks.

The Forest Edge garden features trees of significant age including two cedars, a Blackwood, and an Irish Strawberry with an impressive canopy.

More information can be found through the Open Gardens Victoria website.