Your Garden dincus
THIS weekend offered a treat to gardeners with Wanderriby open to the public for A Friends of NERAM fund-raiser and the generosity of owners Nan and Roy Robertson.
What a joy this garden is, the view from the front of the house is spectacular and the garden is designed to make the most of it, with open terraces and a Ha Ha.
The view is framed with an informal shrub border on one side and trees on the other separating the vista from the lake area. Some lovely sculptures adorn the lawns and gardens.
As you explore further into the garden it becomes much denser with trees and an understorey. Paths lead through to allow access and come out into small lawned areas in several places letting in more light.
This garden has incredible numbers of camelias, including species, reticulata, japonica, hybrids, rhododendrons, azaleas, mollis azaleas, maples, dogwoods, pieris and many unusual and rare plants.
The usually moist climate with mist rolling in from the gorge country makes for a wonderfully soft environment for growing these species and genuses. Many of the shrubs have grown much larger than normal in other climates and with such a wonderful microclimate there are lots of plants you would not expect, growing very happily.
A fabulous michelia yunnanensis hedge has grown beautifully and is in full bloom. Where there is enough light there are ground covers, low growing shrubs and perennials carpeting the ground.
Wanderriby is a gardener’s garden which is obvious when you speak to its owners who are passionate about their creation since 1984.
The previous owners who planted much of the garden were obviously great gardeners too – what a privilege to be able to enjoy their combined hard work and foresight.
A day is not long enough to see all the treasures hidden in this paradise.
