THE magnificent garden of Wanderriby, near Wollomombi, will open on Saturday and Sunday, 14 and 15 September with the proceeds going to the Friends of New England Regional Art Museum appeal to purchase Margaret Olley’s Yellow Room Appeal.
With its astonishing array of trees, flowering shrubs, perennials and bulbs, this is a garden which has enormous appeal all year round. The timing of the opening will showcase the hundreds of daffodils planted throughout the garden.
Almost 30 years ago the owners Nan and Roy Robertson, took over the garden from the Cornelson family who started the garden in 1958 from a bare paddock and who planted many of the trees and shrubs.
Built on a saddle between two ridges the 2.5ha (six acre) garden is situated on the very edge of the New England tableland, just off the Kempsey Rd, near Wollomombi, with spectacular views of the Cathedral Rocks National Park and Round Mountain, (at 1588 metres to our north) and up the Oaky valley to Point Lookout.
The garden has been developed to the south of the house and then it sweeps to the east and west.
The close proximity to the Styx forest, the warm currents from the Macleay gorges and the timbered hill to the west of the garden create a microclimate providing milder winters than much of the New England allowing the Robertson’s to grow a much wider range of plants than is usually seen in the region.
It was under this canopy that Nan and Roy followed the Cornelson’s lead and continued to plant and plant.
There are now more than 200 camellias and many of these will be flowering on the weekend. Roy describes the garden as “Camellia Country” with their easy care requirements being a bonus.
“We get flowers from March to November,” Nan said.
“The size and colour of the blooms are astonishing and everyone is labelled, as are many of the 30 maples in the garden.”
As well as camellias and maples, there are a large number of magnolias, michelias, buddleia, rhododendrons, azaleas, fuchsias, conifers, cornus all underplanted with hellebores and forget-me-nots.
Nan and Roy both say they love to share the garden with other people because it also makes them stop and admire it. This weekend will give everyone a chance to help them do so.
A great range of sculptures is on display in the garden and sculptors Francois Jaggi and Andreas Buisman will have works for sale. There will also be a plant sale of plants from the garden, many of which are unusual and some rare.
Teas and lunches will also be available, provided by Friends of NERAM.
Directions: From Kempsey Rd turn-off, just north of Wollomombi travel 13km and turn left into Wyatts Creek Rd and follow the signs to the garden at the top of the hill.
Margaret Olley’s Yellow Room triptych is currently on show at NERAM as part of the Yellow Exhibition until 15 September.
